That time in Florida

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The blast was incredible. Rubble, chips, steel, brick - it flew out in all directions. People screamed, others shouted, some made no noise.

What the-, Brandt cursed. He brought the SUV to an emergency stop and stared out of the windscreen.

The parking lot was a war zone. A car was now in several million pieces, and had blown out the sidewall of the shopping mall too. People were on the pavement, the tarmac, crying, wailing, calling for people, for help, for something.

"What the bloody hell was that!" Dunn cried from the back seat.

"Not us," Carter said. She got up from her back seat and pushed to be between the two front ones, looking out the windscreen. "What do you think? Someone knew we were here?"

"I'd say so," Brandt grunted.

Hunt looked at him from the passenger seat. "Get us out of here."

"What?" Dunn asked. "What about all the people-"

"We have to leave - right now," Hunt said. "If we were the target, more people will be in danger. If we are the target, more people will be in danger." He looked at Brandt's hands on the steering wheel. "Go."

"But-"

"Go," Hunt barked.

Brandt slammed the SUV into Reverse. He turned in the seat, nudging Carter back. She was still sitting down as Brandt put his hand behind the right headrest, twisting to see behind them to reverse out. The vehicle spun backwards and came to a graceful stop perpendicular to the exit. Brandt rammed it into Drive and it squealed away.

Until they hit the main drag. "Benji!" Brandt called over his shoulder. The car screeched to a halt.

"Here!"

"Drive." Brandt had put it into Park and opened the driver's door before Hunt could get a word out. Brandt slid down to the pavement. Dunn scrambled out of the side door and ran round to the front. Brandt pulled a handgun from the back of his trousers and slapped it into Dunn's hands. "Recall in three. Go."

"Mr Brandt!" Hunt was shouting. "Get back-"

"Will do!" Brandt said with false cheer, waving a hand over his shoulder. He nodded at Dunn. He just backed away, turning to the driver's door and climbing in.

Carter poked her head out of the side door. "William!"

"Safe house. Go!" he called, breaking into a jog.

Hunt put a hand to his ear, pressing the mic in the cell connection. "Brandt, you cannot compromise-"

"Sorry sir, bad signal," came Brandt's voice.

Carter looked through the vehicle to Dunn. "Go. Safe house. Three hours." She turned and hopped out of the SUV.

"Uhm - right," Dunn managed, rather nervously. He glanced at Hunt's seething face and swallowed. Then he put the SUV into Drive and took off as fast as he could.

Carter and Brandt watched the vehicle hare away. She looked at him, but he turned and began to run back toward the parking lot. She followed.

The police had arrived; people were still calling out, trying to find others. Brandt automatically assessed who would benefit from help and who needed it the most urgently. He heard a shriek and turned to see a girl, no more than six, he guessed, not far from his right. Her hands were clapped over her face, her stumbling gait and wail of pain too much to ignore. Her t-shirt and denim dungarees were encouragingly unmarked. Carter followed Brandt as he crouched and swept his hands to the girl's arms, bringing her to a stop.

"Mom?" she wailed.

"No, sweetheart," Brandt said roughly. "We'll find your mom. Show me your eyes."

"It hurts!"

"I know, but you have to let me see," he said sternly.

She removed a hand to reveal tears, dust, pain on her face - and chips trapped in the water of her eyes.

"Jesus," he breathed. He looked around, saw the open space beyond the screaming zone. He whisked the girl off the ground, carrying her over to the relatively calm area. Setting her down to sit on the grass, he brushed dust and fine stone chips from her clothes. She tried to rub an eye but he pulled her hand away. "Don't do that - it'll make it worse. What's your name, sweetheart?" he asked.

He knew Carter was behind him; he heard rustling and her bag behind unzipped. She came round his right side, assessing the girl's face.

"Ruby," the girl said. "Where's my mom? I want my mom."

"We'll find her for you," Brandt said. "My friend, here? She's good at finding people." He looked at Carter.

"You go, I'll clean her up," she said, already nudging him aside.

"I got this. Go," he replied. His arm refused to be budged.

Carter stared at him - just stared. "You have an Achilles heel after all?" she marvelled, a biscuit away from teasing.

He didn't look at her. "Are we workin' here or not?"

She assessed how different his poker face looked, compared to his off-duty one. She nodded. She got up and disappeared.

Brandt looked at the girl. "So, Ruby - you live around here?" he asked. He fumbled in his pocket, searching. It was empty. He cursed on the inside.

"N-no. We came out here for the day," she mumbled.

"Uh-huh." He noticed the bag across her. "Ruby - do you have a tissue?" he asked.

She sniffed. "I think."

"Can I get it from your bag?"

"I don't know you," she protested. "Mom told me not to let strange men ask me for things."

"Well I am strange, I can tell you that, but I'm just trying to help. I know how to make your eyes stop hurting," he said. "And my friend Jane? She's looking for your mom right now. I want you to find her, ok? I want you to go back to her - but I need a tissue."

She sniffed. "Ok," she said in a small voice. Her grip on her bag trembled. He put his large hands over hers, squeezing them slightly. She began to shake. He slid a hand into her bag, his other holding onto hers. At last his fingers connected with something tissue-like and he pulled it out. Finding it a napkin from a coffee shop, he nevertheless folded it to produce a sharp corner.

"Now, you got to stay still, ok, Ruby?" he asked.

"I don't even know your name," she muttered, her shoulders shaking.

"Br-. William."

"William what?"

"William…" He cast around for an alias he hadn't yet used in this state. "Let me get that stuff out of your eyes first."

"Ok," she whispered.

He tilted her head back and very carefully used the point of the tissue to sweep small chips from her right eye. He worked silently, methodically, deftly. Her shaking quietened. At last she was blinking and letting her eye's own defence mechanism flush it safely clean.

"There, see? All done. Now the other one," he said warmly, starting on her left eye.

"You have a big nose," she said timidly.

He grinned, mostly in relief. "Well, thank you, Ruby."

"I like it."

"That's great." He continued clearing the tiny points from her eye. Presently he peered at it, assessing it carefully.

"Am I ok now?" she asked.

"I think so. I think we should take you to see the medics in the ambulance. They'll check you properly."

"Thank you, William," she said quietly. He moved to stand but she grabbed his hand, still holding the tissue, in a desperate gesture not lost on him. "Were you shopping today?"

"Yes I was," he said, smiling in what he hoped was a reassuring way.

"Did you get what you came for?"

His smile slipped. "No."

"What did you want?" she asked quickly. He recognised the need to cover your own fear with aimless chit-chat. She sniffed. "I been in this shop twice today. I think I know where everything is," she went on.

He wheezed out a sigh, turning and sitting by her side on the grass. She kept herself at a distance, but her hand went out and held onto the sleeve over his right arm, he noticed.

"I was looking for someone," he said.

"You can't buy people, William," she said. He grinned, looking at her. Her face was amused - just slightly. Then it fell into fear. "What happened today?" she asked. Her voice was thin, afraid.

"Someone did a very naughty thing. When I find them, I'll make sure they're very sorry," he bit out.

"Can you do that?"

"It's kind of my job," Brandt said, looking at her. She tilted her head up to see him. "They scared you and they could have really hurt your eyes. That's very naughty."

She bit her lip. Then she turned her head and looked away. "Mom!" She leapt up as Carter came back with a panicking woman in tow. Ruby streaked off and straight into the woman's legs. She was swept up and hugged, as Carter went over and looked down at Brandt.

Brandt shrugged. She put a palm out and he took it, and they hauled him to his feet.

"Thank you!" the woman cried, grabbing Brandt's arm as if it were a life raft.

"She'll be ok," he said. "She needs to see the paramedics over there first. I think she's just scared."

"Thank you so much!" the woman blurted, her face awash with tears. "I saw this man and then there was this noise and the next thing I know-"

"Excuse me," Carter said gently, her hands encouraging the woman's to release Brandt's arm. "You saw a man? What man?"

"This - man," she said. "He was by the car - the car that exploded." She held Ruby to her front, swaying them both slightly.

"What did he look like?" Carter said, even as Brandt pulled an earpiece from his pocket and plugged it back into his left ear.

"Uhm - I don't know - middle-aged. Rough, like he'd been sleeping on the street. Red t-shirt, like… blue jeans, I think."

"Was he wearing a baseball cap?" Brandt said suddenly.

"Ye-yes," she managed. "I think it was-"

"It was red," Ruby put in. She turned and looked at Brandt even as she clung on to her mother. "It was a red hat. It had a picture on it, like a football team."

Brandt smiled. Ruby smiled too.

His eyes never left Ruby's, but he nudged Carter's arm and pointed off to their left. She looked over at the edge of the parking lot, at the red hat with the picture on it moving away through the crowd. Brandt let his hand drop. "Excuse us," he said. "We have to find someone."

The woman simply clutched at her daughter. Carter turned and was already pushing through emergency crews and bystanders, a hand to her ear as she spoke. Brandt nodded to Ruby but she reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

"Be careful," she warned.

He studied her small face for a moment. "I will, Ruby." He heard Carter's voice in his earpiece, followed by Dunn and then Hunt - ordering a take-down.

"And make sure you take a tissue," Ruby added. Brandt just cocked his head. She smiled. "He might need a tissue."

"Oh, by the time I'm done with him, he will definitely need a tissue," he promised.

She grinned.

He turned and ran.

.

FIN


And we're done. Apologies for the seriousness of this last one. Reviews are deep-fried crack, people. But I'll settle for knowing someone's read the page, whether they leave a note or not. Cheers m'dears! Thanks for reading!