Act of Contrition
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Oh, God.
Faye ran across the length of the building, along the verandah. Her gun was out, pointed down. But the way her luck was going, she would probably shoot herself in the foot before the day was out. And the rain, which had been steadily falling for several hours, wasn't helping her mood.
The day previously, Jet had called her. A three-person job, he'd said. We need you.
We need you.
Three little words, words that regardless of any consequence, would always drive Faye to complying with the request. It was a group bounty, and the odds were better if they could go 3-on-3. Faye had come within a hair of snapping that Ed was old enough to join in, but then she remembered whom she was talking to. In Jet's opinion, it was bad enough that Ed would be running intell while the three of them were dodging bullets.
The chase had led them to an empty mansion, the one that looked like a castle, or a wedding cake, on top of a hill surrounded by trees. It had been abandoned for years, and had the distinction of being a hide-out for only the best of criminals. Faye hated getting stuck in places like these: there were too many coves and hidey-holes for the jerks to hide in, and it was always too dark for her to see. Fortunately, Ed had developed some newer goggles that helped that situation, but not by much. And it galled Faye that Spike could apparently see in the dark.
For a guy who hates cats, Spike certainly seems to be reincarnated from one.
Faye leaned against a wall next to a French door that no longer had any glass in its panes. A thin counterpane, stained and torn, billowed through the empty mullions. She tried to quiet her heaving breaths so she could listen. Footsteps. She closed her eyes and listened to the pattern of the footfalls. They didn't sound like Spike, and she knew for a fact that Jet was on the uppermost floor, three stories above her. The footsteps came closer to the French doors. Faye held her breath. Perhaps this was the yahoo she was hunting down. The door creaked open, and Faye held her gun to the man's head, saying, "Freeze."
Despite all the TV watching that Faye had done in her childhood and since, the perps never followed orders in real life as they did in the cop shows. The guy simply grabbed the gun and wrenched it from her grasp, punching her in the gut at the same time. Her Glock clattered on the floorboards, and the guy took off running down the verandah. Faye cursed a blue streak, grabbed her gun, and ran after the guy. She had a random thought about how much pain that hit caused her. But Faye was too pissed to worry so much about that.
The bounty leapt over a missing part of the floor. Faye wasn't quite expecting it, and when she jumped, she landed awkwardly and fell onto her hip. The bounty decided to take advantage of this and doubled back in her direction. This time, she was more ready for him, and she took a couple of shots at his legs. One grazed his thigh, but it didn't stop him. Faye was suddenly pulled up from the verandah floor and punched in the jaw.
Damnit, don't these assholes know not to hit a lady?
She regained her balance only to be knocked back over by the guy, running into her like some sort of linebacker. This time, her feet slid on the old wet wood of the floor, and she went ass over teakettle.
Right over the railing.
Oh sweet Jesus, she thought wildly as she grabbed onto a pipe connected to the railing. It was a steel pipe, rusted, and it immediately began to creak under her weight.
Oh My God –
Her Glock fell into the mud two stories below her.
. . .I am heartily sorry –
The guy came closer, laughing at Faye in her current predicament.
. . .for having offended thee --
He began to peel the fingers of one hand off the pipe.
. . .and I detest all my sins –
Then he found another piece of debris and cracked it across her knuckles. Faye screamed, and one of her hands came off the pipe.
. . .because of thy just punishments –
"Faye!" Jet's voice rang out through the rain.
. . .but most of all, because they offend thee, oh God –
A gunshot.
. . .who are all good and deserving of all of my love –
The bounty's body jerked forward, and a spray of blood came from his lips.
. . .I firmly resolve –
The blood mixed with the rain on the pipe, and made it even more slick.
. . .with the help of thy grace –
The bounty's body fell into a heap. Faye wildly grabbed at the pipe with her other hand.
. . .to sin no more –
Faye managed to grab on to the pipe. Spike, shouting her name, was running toward her along the verandah.
. . .and to avoid the near occasions of sin –
The pipe gave way.
. . .amen.
Faye fell twenty feet to the muddy ground below.
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This is a work of fiction. I do not own any part of the CB characters nor the universe in which they live.
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