Chapter 14

Brianna Snape kissed her boyfriend passionately in his black Camaro. She reluctantly pulled away.

"Mark, I have to get home," she said, sadly.

"Would you quit worrying? Your mom thinks you're sleeping and your dad's busy shooting crooks."

"He said he'll shoot you if we have sex."

"Some things are worth dying for."

"Wait." She leaned back and took out her gum, sticking it to the dashboard. She kissed him again.

Theodore Nott's face appeared in the car window and he smirked.

Harry slowly walked down the street, an old picture of Susan Bones clutched in his hand. He paused to light up a cigarette. And he stopped abruptly as he noticed the reflection on the silver lighter's surface.

Two points of light were moving steadily closer to him. He spun around, drawing his gun. The headlights of the car blinded him as it came barreling around the corner. Harry fired off his gun and ran for cover. But it was too late.

A mercenary leaned out of the window and pointed a shotgun at the retreating Auror. The first two shots missed, but the third hit Harry directly in the chest.

He blew backwards into a store display, glass shattering all around him. The car sped away.

Severus came running from across the street. He dropped down beside Harry.

"Please, don't be dead," he pleaded. He ripped open Harry's shirt ...

... revealing a bullet-proof vest. Harry slowly opened his eyes.

"I'm pissed, Sev," he said as he sat up next to his partner. "Now I'm pissed."

Severus was shooting Harry concerned looks as they headed back to the car.

"Sev," Harry bit out impatiently. "Quit looking so damn worried. I'm fine."

"Two inches higher and they would've got your head."

"Fuck that. Two inches to the left, they would've got my smokes." He took one out. "Oh, by the way, guy who shot me?"

"Yeah?"

"It was the guy who was driving Nott's getaway helicopter."

"You sure?"

"I never forget an asshole."

"Okay." Severus sighed. "What do we do now?"

"Give up? Flee? Go far away?"

"Hilarious. What do we really do?"

"What else? We bury the fuckers. You know, we solve this, we could become famous."

"You're already famous."

Harry waved a hand dismissively. "So? After this, we could have our own TV series."

"We could wind up doing fast food ads."

"Don't be a killjoy. It's Friday night. Let's go kick ass."

"You just got shot."

"Exactly."

"What do you mean, exactly?"

"Gives us the edge." He smiled sardonically. "They think I'm dead, Sev. I'm a corpse. Aren't they just going to freak when I nail them in the coffins?"

The police radio in the car squawked and Severus reached down to answer it.

"Four king ninety, it's four king sixty. We've got a homicide on Muller Drive, "came the voice over the wires.

"Negative, four king sixty. Give it to Burke."

"Sorry. Captain said to give it to you. Male Caucasian, age seventeen."

"Great. Did he have blond hair and big dimples?"

There was a long pause. "How'd you know ...?"

Severus and Harry both paled. They jumped into the car and Severus put his foot to the gas.