Chapter Three: Business as Usual
"Louis, I think we'd better withdraw from the warehouse." Carter announced to the man sitting behind the desk. Louis Davenport swiveled around to face Carter and two other men in his office.
"Why?" he asked.
"Our informant told us that the FBI are closing in our area." He answered.
"We can't cancel the deal now. Not we're so close." Louis remarked.
"Look, we'll get caught if we push this through." Carter advised.
"Yes, yes. I know." He dismissively said. "What if we move our merchandize to… let's say, to another location?" Louis wondered out loud.
"We could do that." Riley said. "It would look bad for the FBI when they come and raid the warehouse with nobody in it." He added with a smirk on his face.
"Good." Louis laughed at the very idea of outwitting once again the FBI. "Do it and inform our buyers that the location is now at…" he paused and he glanced at the map he had on his desk. "… Delago's Warehouse. Its out of the way and abandoned." He commented. Louis gave the map to Eastman who was sitting across him. "Prepare the warehouse. Make sure everything checks out." Glancing at the man sitting in front of him.
"Sure thing, Boss." Eastman replied. "Should we reschedule too?"
"No. Same day and time." Louis answered. "I want that place ready and find out who's leaking our location to the FEDS. I know we're supposed to be only one here to have a mole inside their offices." Davenport remarked.
"I'll try…" he broke off when he Davenport gave him a hard stare.
"Try? I'm disappointed, Eastman." Davenport said. "There are no tries in my circle. Only DO."
" Yes, sir. I'll find the mole." Eastman promised as he gulped. He dare not have Davenport's anger directed at him.
"Okay." Louis clasped his hands and stood up. "This meeting is over. Call me if there's any problem with the buyers and the arrangements." He looked back at Carter for a confirmation. The other man nodded and followed the other two men out of the room.
Upon reaching the front entrance of the house, three men came out, walked to their respective vehicles and drove away from the estate.
An hour later, a white limousine pulled up in front of the Davenport mansion. Gus got out from the limousine and opened the trunk. He was lowering the suitcases as Katsumi and Julie alighted from the car. The mansion doors opened as several more maids went out to carry the suitcases up to Julie's room.
"Thanks, Gus." Julie said. The man tilted his cap as he got inside the limousine again and drove to the garage.
"I'll be going now. There are some chores I have to do." Katsumi said as she took her leave. "Welcome home, Julie." The woman gave the younger girl a hug.
"Thanks for accompanying me home, Katsumi." She said as she reciprocates the action.
"We'll practice tomorrow at dawn." Katsumi told her and noted a little frown on her student's face.
"I'll be there." Julie answered. Suddenly her face brightens up. She was indeed looking forward to the training. Deciding to stop first at his father's office to let him know that she arrived. She went inside and proceeded upstairs. By now, most of clothes and things have been taken care of. She veered to the left to check on her foster father. She knocked once on the thick redwood door and wasn't sure if her father had heard it.
"Dad?" she called and opened the door. As she entered his office, a whirring sound greeted her. The paper shredder was on. Her father was busy typing on his notebook.
"Dad." She called a little louder this time.
Louis Davenport looked up from the computer monitor. "Hello, Julie. Was there any trouble along the trip?"
"No, it was uneventful." Julie remarked. All of the sudden she started to get depressed.
"Well, that's good, honey. I would really like to hear more of what you have done this past months but sadly, it'll have to wait till dinner." Mr. Davenport said in an uninterested tone.
Julie was about to leave but stopped when her father continued. "And Julie, I'm happy to hear your grades are up again. Leaving the Sports Fest was the best choice you made." Davenport nodded and turned back to his computer.
"Thanks." Julie answered in a boorish tone and exited from the office. I need to get of here. She thought. I wish my real parents didn't abandon me. Didn't they love me? She stopped just outside her father's office and took a deep breath. If you only really cared for me, Dad. Sports Fest actually rescued me from failing school. She wagged her head after staring at the door. "
" You would never understand." She muttered disappointedly under her breath and went to her room. She quickly changed clothes and put on her biking gear. She went down the stairs and headed towards the kitchen to get some supplies then continued to the back of the mansion. She saw several of the maids and nodded a silent greeting to them. Julie reached the shed where her mountain bike was kept and started pedaling off.
Seeing Katsumi, feeding the dogs, she called out. " I won't be here for lunch." She nodded and went her way.
"Didn't she just arrive, Katsumi?" Elliot Locke, the gardener commented.
"Yes, she only has, Elliot." Katsumi answered and watched the girl doing zigzag curves along the driveway and later do a stunt that almost gave Elliot a heart attack.
"It's all right, Elliot. She knows what she's doing." The woman assured him.
She can only wonder about the girl. Despite her years together there is something about her that she can't pinpoint.
Julie sat on the bike seat in a perfect balance and let go of the handlebars. She stretched her arms out to her sides and felt the rush of the wind on her arms. She tilted her head a little and breathed deeply as the cool wind came through the estate. The sensation exhilarated her that she maintained the position before the ground sloped downwards where she resumed in holding onto the bike's handlebars. A little later she was passed the gate and pedaled onto the road that would lead her to town.
Several hours later in the afternoon at the town's supermarket, Rocky, Colt and Tumtum accompanied their mother to the store. A girl in her biking gear happened to be there as well. Julie had already chosen several items she needed such as two bottles of Gatorade and several chocolate bars. She was already queuing just as she noticed the three boys making fun of each other on another line.
Tumtum had a mischievous look on his face as he twirled a white feather in his hand. He scanned the section for his likely victims for his pranks. He found his brothers whose attentions were diverted for the meantime. Colt was looking at a comic book while Rocky was glancing at a certain girl at the next counter.
The youngest Douglas made his move. His first victim is Colt. He felt a tickling sensation on his left ear. Reflexively, his hand went up to rid off the tickling sensation. When it stopped, he continued inspecting the other comic books. Tumtum moved to Rocky this time. He tickled his ear but was stopped since Rocky immediately caught the feather. He turned to Tumtum with a cut-it-out look on his face.
"Okay. Okay. You can't blame me for trying." Tumtum remarked.
Someone giggled. The two brothers glanced in front of them.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh at you." The girl in biking gear apologized.
"That's okay. He does it all the time." Rocky commented and pulled the cart since the line was moving.
The girl smiled. Since she was in the express lane, she was ahead of them and was out of the supermarket in no time.
Tumtum left Rocky and went in search for Colt. He found him this time standing by the magazine rack. He crept to his brother and tickled him again. This time, on his nape. Soon laughter erupted from Colt. He covered his mouth with his hand when he caught the stares of other shoppers. He turned around just he heard snickers coming from Tumtum and Rocky.
"Nice going, guys." he said taking the joke in stride. They all turned when their mother called for them. Rocky lagged behind with his cart making several shoppers not very happy at all and hurriedly joined his mother and deposited the groceries on the counter to be scanned by the computer. Soon they were loading the bags into the cart and were heading to their parked car when Mrs. Douglas happened to glance to her left. She noticed a girl of 16 sitting alone eating a chocolate bar. Beside her was an expensive looking mountain bike. Colt saw the bike and couldn't help making a comment.
"Hey, cool bike." Admiring the speeds and its dynamic look design.
"Thanks." She said.
"C'mon Colt." Rocky called after him.
"Where did you buy it?" He asked before leaving.
The girl shrugged. "It was gift to me."
"I see. Anyway, I'm Colt." He introduced himself.
"Julie." She said.
"Bye, Julie. Hope we run to each other again." With that Colt jogged towards their car. When Colt caught up with them, Tumtum was playing one of his pranks again while helping their mother load the grocery bags into the car. They failed to see their mom being jumped by two swarthy looking men. A scream filled the open parking lot. Rocky and Tumtum who where both inside the car looked stunned. Colt stood unmoving. Another person also heard the scream and it was Julie Davenport. She was almost out of the parking lot when the scream erupted from the area. She hastily back track and was now searching for a way to call the police. Upon reaching the eighth car, she found a man crouching low.
" Do you have a car phone, sir?" Julie asked as she got out from her bike and immediately ducked before the hood when the robbers began looking their way.
"Yes, I have." Answered the man.
"Please call the police. Inform them of a woman and her three sons are being held at gunpoint by two men." She related. Immediately, the man called 911.
She left the man to make the call and surveyed the scene. She began to think of a plan. Navigating around the parking without making herself seen was a piece of cake for her. She was now three cars away from the men holding the mother and her sons at gunpoint.
"Give us your money." The gravelly voice of a man demanded. He was holding a gun and was sticking it at Mrs. Douglas side. His partner at the meantime waved the gun at the two boys inside the car.
"You two, get out of the car." The second hoodlum ordered. Obediently, Rocky and Tumtum got out and joined their brother, Colt.
"Here!" Mrs. Douglas threw her purse to the ground. Her voice shaking for the safety of her children.
Standing seven feet away from their mother, the boys waited for an opening.
"Rocky," Colt whispered.
"Don't make a move. They got Mom." Rocky advised.
"I have a ninja ball here." Tumtum contributed. Palming the ball as he readied his aim.
"Be quiet!" the second man snarled at the three boys. "Hey, Roy! You got it? He shouted.
"You have to drop your purse." the man hissed. He was infuriated by the act that he shoved the woman hard thus hitting her head at the baggage door of the station wagon. She fell to the ground, dazed.
"Mom!" screamed Tumtum. He was about to do something but he was held fast by Rocky. Tumtum glared at the bad guy.
"Steady, Tumtum." His voice was low and calm.
"Don't try to be heroes, boys." The second man warned as he waved the gun at them again. "Roy!" he demanded.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got it." Roy answered. He shifted through the purse and was disappointed to find…
"Only a hundred dollar bill. No more." Roy called out. "She must have already used her dough on groceries."
"Just wonderful, Roy!" Making two fists on the air in frustration. " And you said there'd be quick cash here with no hassle. C'mon lets get outta here."
With one impeccable move, Tumtum threw his ninja ball to its target. It lodged itself on the barrel of the gun as the boys' leaped out of the way, landing almost together on a hood of a nearby car and slid down to the vehicle's side for cover. Frank startled at the sudden movements from the boys fired his gun but instead it exploded at his hand. The blast shook him that he dropped to the ground flat. Roy shocked, rushed to his partner and tried to wake him.
"Frank…Frank!" Roy shook him but he was still staring into space. "Ahhh!" he shouted in annoyance and headed straight for Mrs. Douglas. But he didn't go near her when something thumped beside him. Startled, he turned his head to the direction of the sound. Next thing he knew something black rammed to his face with such a force that it felt his eyeballs were dislodged further into their sockets. Immediately, his vision blurred and tiny spots were forming. He fell to the ground unconscious.
Julie rolled sideways and jumped down from the car roof to land next to the woman who was regaining consciousness. Soon, a squad car and a paramedic team came. The cops began hand cuffing the culprits while a paramedic inspected Mrs. Douglas.
The police had finished taking their statements when the boys' father came to them.
"Thanks, Ben." Douglas called out as he hurriedly got of the FED car.
"No, problem, Sam. I hope Jessica is all right. Sarah and I will call you later tonight." Greene said as he slipped behind the wheel.
"That would be great." He replied and quickly walked to where his family was.
"Boys! Jessica!" he called out in concern and made his way through the crowd. Mr. Douglas received a call from the police at work and directly drove to the supermarket to see his wife.
"Dad!" Colt waved to him.
"Jessica?" He knelt to see his wife.
"I'm only shaken and bruised." Mrs. Douglas told him. "I'll be fine." She faintly smiled at her husband.
"I'm thankful nothing else happened." He kissed her on the forehead.
"A good night's sleep will make you feel better, Mrs. Douglas." The paramedic advised.
"Thanks." Nodding to the young man who left to join the police.
"Let's go home." Mr. Douglas remarked and gingerly assisted his wife to into the station wagon.
"Wait, where did she go?" Colt asked while looking around the parking lot.
"Who?" his father asked looking his best not to be frustrated.
"Julie. She helped us stop to muggers. She defended Mom from that Roy person." Rocky supplied as he too went looking for her. "We wanted to thank her."
"I'm sure she knows." Their father replied. "We have to go boys. Your mother has to rest."
Obediently, the boys piled into the station wagon and drove away from the supermarket. Along the way, they saw a seemingly familiar biker on the road.
"That's her!" Tumtum cried out.
"Pull over dad, please. We liked to thank her for her help." Rocky said.
"Okay." Their father blew the car's horn and parked onto the shoulder. The biker stopped and straightened out. She looked at the occupants of the car and recognized the brothers from the supermarket. She took off her sunglasses and smiled at them.
"Hey, Julie," Colt called out from the car.
"Oh, Hi, Colt." Immediately recognizing Colt.
"Thanks for helping us back at the parking lot." He added. "By the way, these are my brothers Rocky and Tumtum." He belatedly introduced the two of them.
"Hello." Julie acknowledges them as the other two brothers' nods their heads in greeting.
"Hi there." The brothers greeted in unison.
"We're grateful for stopping the creep who was going after our mom." Rocky said.
"It was nothing. I'm glad I was able to help out." She replied then turned to Tumtum. "That was a good job with the ball, Tumtum." Complimenting the youngest brother. The brothers looked surprised with each other but before they could say anything else, their father beat them.
"Thank you for saving my wife. I'm Mr. Douglas." The boys' father spoke this time.
"I'm relieved it's over and the muggers are in the custody of the police." She remarked in a serious tone. She turned to regard the boys' mother. She was still pale and visibly shaken by the ordeal. She leaned near her window. "How are you feeling now?" she asked with concern as she placed her hand on Mrs. Douglas shoulder.
The woman turned to face her. She had the most beautiful and kindest eyes. Julie thought.
"The paramedics told me that a good night's rest will fix me nicely." Replied Mrs. Douglas in a soft voice. She oddly had a feeling of familiarity with the girl. How can that be? I haven't met her before till today. She reasoned. But the feeling never went away.
"Would you like us to drop you somewhere, Julie?" Mr. Douglas offered. "It's at least we can do."
Julie wagged her head while keeping her smile. "That's okay. I'm not homeward bound yet."
"We'll drop you off nevertheless." Mr. Douglas insisted.
"That's very gracious, Sir. But it's pretty out of the way and I really don't want to keep you." She politely declined the offer.
"Are you sure, Julie?" Mr. Douglas asked again before hitting the road.
"I'm very sure, Sir." Julie confirmed. "I must be going now." She was starting to move away when Mrs. Douglas spoke.
"Wait, Julie." The girl stopped on her tracks. "We'd like to invite you and your parents for dinner at our home sometime to show our gratitude." Mrs. Douglas hints a get together for the two families. The boys were patiently rooting for a YES in Julie's part to accept the invitation. They really like her and wouldn't mind in getting to know her more.
Julie pedaled back to the car and looked excited at the dinner invitation. "I would love to come, Mrs. Douglas. I'm not sure if my father would be joining us for a dinner, though." She said. "He rarely is at home or if he is, he'd be busy in his office." Shrugging off and had a faraway look on her face.
"Well, I hope your father would change his mind and still come to join us. What about your mother?" she asked.
There was a brief silence before Julie answered her. "My parents are divorced." She said quietly. " My mother resides now in Hawaii. Unfortunately, they don't see eye to eye."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Mrs. Douglas remarked. An awkward silence came.
"Please still come Julie." Tumtum pleaded from behind.
Julie perked up. "Definitely." She answered.
"Good. What's your full name, dear? So I can call you when it will be." Mrs. Douglas remarked.
"My name's Julie Davenport." Julie supplied her number, which Tumtum wrote down for his mother.
" Well, I really must go. It was nice meeting everyone." She waved good bye and biked away on a different exit.
"Louis, I think we'd better withdraw from the warehouse." Carter announced to the man sitting behind the desk. Louis Davenport swiveled around to face Carter and two other men in his office.
"Why?" he asked.
"Our informant told us that the FBI are closing in our area." He answered.
"We can't cancel the deal now. Not we're so close." Louis remarked.
"Look, we'll get caught if we push this through." Carter advised.
"Yes, yes. I know." He dismissively said. "What if we move our merchandize to… let's say, to another location?" Louis wondered out loud.
"We could do that." Riley said. "It would look bad for the FBI when they come and raid the warehouse with nobody in it." He added with a smirk on his face.
"Good." Louis laughed at the very idea of outwitting once again the FBI. "Do it and inform our buyers that the location is now at…" he paused and he glanced at the map he had on his desk. "… Delago's Warehouse. Its out of the way and abandoned." He commented. Louis gave the map to Eastman who was sitting across him. "Prepare the warehouse. Make sure everything checks out." Glancing at the man sitting in front of him.
"Sure thing, Boss." Eastman replied. "Should we reschedule too?"
"No. Same day and time." Louis answered. "I want that place ready and find out who's leaking our location to the FEDS. I know we're supposed to be only one here to have a mole inside their offices." Davenport remarked.
"I'll try…" he broke off when he Davenport gave him a hard stare.
"Try? I'm disappointed, Eastman." Davenport said. "There are no tries in my circle. Only DO."
" Yes, sir. I'll find the mole." Eastman promised as he gulped. He dare not have Davenport's anger directed at him.
"Okay." Louis clasped his hands and stood up. "This meeting is over. Call me if there's any problem with the buyers and the arrangements." He looked back at Carter for a confirmation. The other man nodded and followed the other two men out of the room.
Upon reaching the front entrance of the house, three men came out, walked to their respective vehicles and drove away from the estate.
An hour later, a white limousine pulled up in front of the Davenport mansion. Gus got out from the limousine and opened the trunk. He was lowering the suitcases as Katsumi and Julie alighted from the car. The mansion doors opened as several more maids went out to carry the suitcases up to Julie's room.
"Thanks, Gus." Julie said. The man tilted his cap as he got inside the limousine again and drove to the garage.
"I'll be going now. There are some chores I have to do." Katsumi said as she took her leave. "Welcome home, Julie." The woman gave the younger girl a hug.
"Thanks for accompanying me home, Katsumi." She said as she reciprocates the action.
"We'll practice tomorrow at dawn." Katsumi told her and noted a little frown on her student's face.
"I'll be there." Julie answered. Suddenly her face brightens up. She was indeed looking forward to the training. Deciding to stop first at his father's office to let him know that she arrived. She went inside and proceeded upstairs. By now, most of clothes and things have been taken care of. She veered to the left to check on her foster father. She knocked once on the thick redwood door and wasn't sure if her father had heard it.
"Dad?" she called and opened the door. As she entered his office, a whirring sound greeted her. The paper shredder was on. Her father was busy typing on his notebook.
"Dad." She called a little louder this time.
Louis Davenport looked up from the computer monitor. "Hello, Julie. Was there any trouble along the trip?"
"No, it was uneventful." Julie remarked. All of the sudden she started to get depressed.
"Well, that's good, honey. I would really like to hear more of what you have done this past months but sadly, it'll have to wait till dinner." Mr. Davenport said in an uninterested tone.
Julie was about to leave but stopped when her father continued. "And Julie, I'm happy to hear your grades are up again. Leaving the Sports Fest was the best choice you made." Davenport nodded and turned back to his computer.
"Thanks." Julie answered in a boorish tone and exited from the office. I need to get of here. She thought. I wish my real parents didn't abandon me. Didn't they love me? She stopped just outside her father's office and took a deep breath. If you only really cared for me, Dad. Sports Fest actually rescued me from failing school. She wagged her head after staring at the door. "
" You would never understand." She muttered disappointedly under her breath and went to her room. She quickly changed clothes and put on her biking gear. She went down the stairs and headed towards the kitchen to get some supplies then continued to the back of the mansion. She saw several of the maids and nodded a silent greeting to them. Julie reached the shed where her mountain bike was kept and started pedaling off.
Seeing Katsumi, feeding the dogs, she called out. " I won't be here for lunch." She nodded and went her way.
"Didn't she just arrive, Katsumi?" Elliot Locke, the gardener commented.
"Yes, she only has, Elliot." Katsumi answered and watched the girl doing zigzag curves along the driveway and later do a stunt that almost gave Elliot a heart attack.
"It's all right, Elliot. She knows what she's doing." The woman assured him.
She can only wonder about the girl. Despite her years together there is something about her that she can't pinpoint.
Julie sat on the bike seat in a perfect balance and let go of the handlebars. She stretched her arms out to her sides and felt the rush of the wind on her arms. She tilted her head a little and breathed deeply as the cool wind came through the estate. The sensation exhilarated her that she maintained the position before the ground sloped downwards where she resumed in holding onto the bike's handlebars. A little later she was passed the gate and pedaled onto the road that would lead her to town.
Several hours later in the afternoon at the town's supermarket, Rocky, Colt and Tumtum accompanied their mother to the store. A girl in her biking gear happened to be there as well. Julie had already chosen several items she needed such as two bottles of Gatorade and several chocolate bars. She was already queuing just as she noticed the three boys making fun of each other on another line.
Tumtum had a mischievous look on his face as he twirled a white feather in his hand. He scanned the section for his likely victims for his pranks. He found his brothers whose attentions were diverted for the meantime. Colt was looking at a comic book while Rocky was glancing at a certain girl at the next counter.
The youngest Douglas made his move. His first victim is Colt. He felt a tickling sensation on his left ear. Reflexively, his hand went up to rid off the tickling sensation. When it stopped, he continued inspecting the other comic books. Tumtum moved to Rocky this time. He tickled his ear but was stopped since Rocky immediately caught the feather. He turned to Tumtum with a cut-it-out look on his face.
"Okay. Okay. You can't blame me for trying." Tumtum remarked.
Someone giggled. The two brothers glanced in front of them.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh at you." The girl in biking gear apologized.
"That's okay. He does it all the time." Rocky commented and pulled the cart since the line was moving.
The girl smiled. Since she was in the express lane, she was ahead of them and was out of the supermarket in no time.
Tumtum left Rocky and went in search for Colt. He found him this time standing by the magazine rack. He crept to his brother and tickled him again. This time, on his nape. Soon laughter erupted from Colt. He covered his mouth with his hand when he caught the stares of other shoppers. He turned around just he heard snickers coming from Tumtum and Rocky.
"Nice going, guys." he said taking the joke in stride. They all turned when their mother called for them. Rocky lagged behind with his cart making several shoppers not very happy at all and hurriedly joined his mother and deposited the groceries on the counter to be scanned by the computer. Soon they were loading the bags into the cart and were heading to their parked car when Mrs. Douglas happened to glance to her left. She noticed a girl of 16 sitting alone eating a chocolate bar. Beside her was an expensive looking mountain bike. Colt saw the bike and couldn't help making a comment.
"Hey, cool bike." Admiring the speeds and its dynamic look design.
"Thanks." She said.
"C'mon Colt." Rocky called after him.
"Where did you buy it?" He asked before leaving.
The girl shrugged. "It was gift to me."
"I see. Anyway, I'm Colt." He introduced himself.
"Julie." She said.
"Bye, Julie. Hope we run to each other again." With that Colt jogged towards their car. When Colt caught up with them, Tumtum was playing one of his pranks again while helping their mother load the grocery bags into the car. They failed to see their mom being jumped by two swarthy looking men. A scream filled the open parking lot. Rocky and Tumtum who where both inside the car looked stunned. Colt stood unmoving. Another person also heard the scream and it was Julie Davenport. She was almost out of the parking lot when the scream erupted from the area. She hastily back track and was now searching for a way to call the police. Upon reaching the eighth car, she found a man crouching low.
" Do you have a car phone, sir?" Julie asked as she got out from her bike and immediately ducked before the hood when the robbers began looking their way.
"Yes, I have." Answered the man.
"Please call the police. Inform them of a woman and her three sons are being held at gunpoint by two men." She related. Immediately, the man called 911.
She left the man to make the call and surveyed the scene. She began to think of a plan. Navigating around the parking without making herself seen was a piece of cake for her. She was now three cars away from the men holding the mother and her sons at gunpoint.
"Give us your money." The gravelly voice of a man demanded. He was holding a gun and was sticking it at Mrs. Douglas side. His partner at the meantime waved the gun at the two boys inside the car.
"You two, get out of the car." The second hoodlum ordered. Obediently, Rocky and Tumtum got out and joined their brother, Colt.
"Here!" Mrs. Douglas threw her purse to the ground. Her voice shaking for the safety of her children.
Standing seven feet away from their mother, the boys waited for an opening.
"Rocky," Colt whispered.
"Don't make a move. They got Mom." Rocky advised.
"I have a ninja ball here." Tumtum contributed. Palming the ball as he readied his aim.
"Be quiet!" the second man snarled at the three boys. "Hey, Roy! You got it? He shouted.
"You have to drop your purse." the man hissed. He was infuriated by the act that he shoved the woman hard thus hitting her head at the baggage door of the station wagon. She fell to the ground, dazed.
"Mom!" screamed Tumtum. He was about to do something but he was held fast by Rocky. Tumtum glared at the bad guy.
"Steady, Tumtum." His voice was low and calm.
"Don't try to be heroes, boys." The second man warned as he waved the gun at them again. "Roy!" he demanded.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got it." Roy answered. He shifted through the purse and was disappointed to find…
"Only a hundred dollar bill. No more." Roy called out. "She must have already used her dough on groceries."
"Just wonderful, Roy!" Making two fists on the air in frustration. " And you said there'd be quick cash here with no hassle. C'mon lets get outta here."
With one impeccable move, Tumtum threw his ninja ball to its target. It lodged itself on the barrel of the gun as the boys' leaped out of the way, landing almost together on a hood of a nearby car and slid down to the vehicle's side for cover. Frank startled at the sudden movements from the boys fired his gun but instead it exploded at his hand. The blast shook him that he dropped to the ground flat. Roy shocked, rushed to his partner and tried to wake him.
"Frank…Frank!" Roy shook him but he was still staring into space. "Ahhh!" he shouted in annoyance and headed straight for Mrs. Douglas. But he didn't go near her when something thumped beside him. Startled, he turned his head to the direction of the sound. Next thing he knew something black rammed to his face with such a force that it felt his eyeballs were dislodged further into their sockets. Immediately, his vision blurred and tiny spots were forming. He fell to the ground unconscious.
Julie rolled sideways and jumped down from the car roof to land next to the woman who was regaining consciousness. Soon, a squad car and a paramedic team came. The cops began hand cuffing the culprits while a paramedic inspected Mrs. Douglas.
The police had finished taking their statements when the boys' father came to them.
"Thanks, Ben." Douglas called out as he hurriedly got of the FED car.
"No, problem, Sam. I hope Jessica is all right. Sarah and I will call you later tonight." Greene said as he slipped behind the wheel.
"That would be great." He replied and quickly walked to where his family was.
"Boys! Jessica!" he called out in concern and made his way through the crowd. Mr. Douglas received a call from the police at work and directly drove to the supermarket to see his wife.
"Dad!" Colt waved to him.
"Jessica?" He knelt to see his wife.
"I'm only shaken and bruised." Mrs. Douglas told him. "I'll be fine." She faintly smiled at her husband.
"I'm thankful nothing else happened." He kissed her on the forehead.
"A good night's sleep will make you feel better, Mrs. Douglas." The paramedic advised.
"Thanks." Nodding to the young man who left to join the police.
"Let's go home." Mr. Douglas remarked and gingerly assisted his wife to into the station wagon.
"Wait, where did she go?" Colt asked while looking around the parking lot.
"Who?" his father asked looking his best not to be frustrated.
"Julie. She helped us stop to muggers. She defended Mom from that Roy person." Rocky supplied as he too went looking for her. "We wanted to thank her."
"I'm sure she knows." Their father replied. "We have to go boys. Your mother has to rest."
Obediently, the boys piled into the station wagon and drove away from the supermarket. Along the way, they saw a seemingly familiar biker on the road.
"That's her!" Tumtum cried out.
"Pull over dad, please. We liked to thank her for her help." Rocky said.
"Okay." Their father blew the car's horn and parked onto the shoulder. The biker stopped and straightened out. She looked at the occupants of the car and recognized the brothers from the supermarket. She took off her sunglasses and smiled at them.
"Hey, Julie," Colt called out from the car.
"Oh, Hi, Colt." Immediately recognizing Colt.
"Thanks for helping us back at the parking lot." He added. "By the way, these are my brothers Rocky and Tumtum." He belatedly introduced the two of them.
"Hello." Julie acknowledges them as the other two brothers' nods their heads in greeting.
"Hi there." The brothers greeted in unison.
"We're grateful for stopping the creep who was going after our mom." Rocky said.
"It was nothing. I'm glad I was able to help out." She replied then turned to Tumtum. "That was a good job with the ball, Tumtum." Complimenting the youngest brother. The brothers looked surprised with each other but before they could say anything else, their father beat them.
"Thank you for saving my wife. I'm Mr. Douglas." The boys' father spoke this time.
"I'm relieved it's over and the muggers are in the custody of the police." She remarked in a serious tone. She turned to regard the boys' mother. She was still pale and visibly shaken by the ordeal. She leaned near her window. "How are you feeling now?" she asked with concern as she placed her hand on Mrs. Douglas shoulder.
The woman turned to face her. She had the most beautiful and kindest eyes. Julie thought.
"The paramedics told me that a good night's rest will fix me nicely." Replied Mrs. Douglas in a soft voice. She oddly had a feeling of familiarity with the girl. How can that be? I haven't met her before till today. She reasoned. But the feeling never went away.
"Would you like us to drop you somewhere, Julie?" Mr. Douglas offered. "It's at least we can do."
Julie wagged her head while keeping her smile. "That's okay. I'm not homeward bound yet."
"We'll drop you off nevertheless." Mr. Douglas insisted.
"That's very gracious, Sir. But it's pretty out of the way and I really don't want to keep you." She politely declined the offer.
"Are you sure, Julie?" Mr. Douglas asked again before hitting the road.
"I'm very sure, Sir." Julie confirmed. "I must be going now." She was starting to move away when Mrs. Douglas spoke.
"Wait, Julie." The girl stopped on her tracks. "We'd like to invite you and your parents for dinner at our home sometime to show our gratitude." Mrs. Douglas hints a get together for the two families. The boys were patiently rooting for a YES in Julie's part to accept the invitation. They really like her and wouldn't mind in getting to know her more.
Julie pedaled back to the car and looked excited at the dinner invitation. "I would love to come, Mrs. Douglas. I'm not sure if my father would be joining us for a dinner, though." She said. "He rarely is at home or if he is, he'd be busy in his office." Shrugging off and had a faraway look on her face.
"Well, I hope your father would change his mind and still come to join us. What about your mother?" she asked.
There was a brief silence before Julie answered her. "My parents are divorced." She said quietly. " My mother resides now in Hawaii. Unfortunately, they don't see eye to eye."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Mrs. Douglas remarked. An awkward silence came.
"Please still come Julie." Tumtum pleaded from behind.
Julie perked up. "Definitely." She answered.
"Good. What's your full name, dear? So I can call you when it will be." Mrs. Douglas remarked.
"My name's Julie Davenport." Julie supplied her number, which Tumtum wrote down for his mother.
" Well, I really must go. It was nice meeting everyone." She waved good bye and biked away on a different exit.