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The Accidental Hero

Chapter 2

Ryan stood in the center of the room trying to work out his next move. He should have thought things through but there really hadn't been the time to formulate a plan, he'd just been sucked into the middle of this thing. When he'd woken in the middle of the night he just thought he'd been disturbed by the breeze. The pool house wasn't one hundred percent sealed against the elements and the wind tended to whistle through the windows if it was blowing in the wrong direction. It was only when the lights had gone on inside the main house that his interest had been piqued. He'd padded to the kitchen door to see what was going on, expecting to find one of the Cohens raiding the cupboards for indigestion medicine or a midnight snack. As he'd opened the door he'd heard the strangers' voices.

"Bag them."

"Sit on the floor with your hands behind your backs and no fuckin' around. Remember who's got the gun."

It didn't take a genius to work out what was going on. He'd retreated in a state of panic and decided on going back to the pool house to call the police. He thanked the Gods that he hadn't turned his lights on when he'd gotten up and so it appeared they didn't know there was anyone else in the house. He'd crept his way back across the yard and just made it to the door when the lights had come on in Sandy and Kirsten's room. He'd ducked down and opened the door silently.

He had the phone in his hand ready to dial 911 when he'd heard Kirsten scream. He'd dropped the phone. It was a scream that meant business and he hated to admit it but he'd heard that scream all too often in Chino. He looked around the room for a weapon and his eyes had alighted on the baseball bat propped in the corner. It was the only thing he could see that was even remotely useful as a weapon. He hadn't even given it a thought that a bat against a gun was not good odds, all that was running through his mind was that Kirsten had screamed and Mrs Cohen didn't seem to be the type of person to do that unless there was a fucking good reason.

He'd run over to the French doors that led into the Cohens' bedroom. He could see through the flimsy drapes the struggle taking place on the bed, it sickened him and he knew he had to act fast. He slid open the door. Part of him was hugely relieved that they'd not locked it and part of him was pissed. Their lax security was probably why they were being burgled now; in all his time here they'd never locked the back door even though he'd told them often enough to.

The asshole was hurting Kirsten in the worse way and he knew what he had to do. Luckily the punk on the bed was more interested in getting his rocks off than listening to what was going on around him and he didn't know what hit him, quite literally.

At least Kirsten was safe now but what the fuck was he going to do? He had an unconscious pervert one side of him and someone on the other side of the door, someone who was getting suspicious.

"Pete…what the fuck is going on in there?"

The guy rattled the door handle again.

"Get the hell off that dame and open the door or I swear I'll kick your ass to Kingdom come."

Ryan walked over to the bed, heaving the unconscious guy onto the floor and out of sight. This was his only shot. He could follow Kirsten and disappear but he figured he had one shot at this. If he was right and they didn't know he was in the house then this was his opportunity to take the other guy out. He lifted the bat again and walked over to the door, he rubbed his hands down his sweatpants and gripped the bat hard, and with his other hand he flicked the key in the lock. He stood behind the door.

The guy must have heard the slight click of the lock shifting and as the door swung open, Ryan stood like a coiled spring with the bat raised.

"Pete?"

Ryan could hear the confusion in the guy's voice as he walked in and scanned the apparently empty room. Ryan stepped from behind the door and swung the bat. This guy was aware of his surroundings and crouched as the bat flew. Shit.

The force of his swing threw Ryan off balance when it didn't connect with anything and the guy was on his feet before he had the chance to take another swipe. The guy threw himself at Ryan's mid-section, knocking the wind out of him and he flew back and crashed into the wall behind. Ryan dropped the bat and took a lungful of air before he launched himself blindly off the wall…. the unmistakable click of a trigger made him stop in his tracks. This was not how this had played out in his head but with the sort of luck he had, he should have seen this coming.

Sandy was numb. This could not be happening. He should have done more to help Kirsten and now he was left torturing himself, imagining what she was being subjected to. She had done so well to get over her father's death and after her brief stay in rehab she had returned to the strong and resilient woman he'd married, but this would break her and it was his entire fault. He hadn't set the alarm last night. With the house full of people it never seemed necessary and this community was safe...people weren't supposed to be able to wander in unnoticed. Security patrols and cameras were paid for by all the residents to stop this. Complacency was a bad thing in hindsight but he had never thought for one moment that anything bad would happen here in this bubble. Bronx Sandy had become too comfortable here.

Now Boots had disappeared, after tying their legs and making sure that they both knew what would happen to Kirsten if they moved one inch from where they lay. He prayed that Boots wasn't going to join Ski Mask in his task. He had never felt so sick in his life but he tried to hide his feelings from Seth who looked like he was going into shock over what was going on. He looked so pale and fragile lying there. Sandy thought that as the man of the house he would be the one to protect everyone...to keep them all safe, he'd let everyone down.

He waited for them to come back into the room for what seemed like an age. The house was silent. It was too silent. He shut his eyes and prayed to God that Kirsten was O.K. What if they...? No, she was going to be all right, she had to be.

"Seth…this will be over soon. Hang in there…"

His words sounded so false to his own ears.

"Mom's going to be O.K…isn't she Dad?" Seth whispered.

Sandy couldn't answer that. For once in his life he couldn't find the right words.

He just waited for this nightmare to be over. His head hurt from the pistol whipping he'd gotten and he just didn't know what to do. Why had this burglary gone so wrong? Why hadn't they just taken what they'd wanted and left them alone?

Sandy was just trying to calm his heart rate down when the room was suddenly full of private security guards.

A flurry of activity descended on the room. People seemed to rush aimlessly around speaking into radios.

"The police are on their way Sir."

"My wife…they're with my wife," he yelled.

They were being untied. Sandy was concerned that no one was listening to him. He had to make them listen…they had guns.

"My wife…"

"Sir, your wife is fine, she's out front safe and well."

"What?"

Sandy felt like a ton of bricks had been lifted from his shoulders.

Another voice spoke.

"Sorry, I couldn't keep her back."

Kirsten rushed into the room and embraced Sandy and Seth.

"Thank God you're both O.K."

"Kirsten…How?"

One of the security team came into the room and holstered his gun. He was speaking into his radio. He turned to the Cohens.

"It's clear… the perps have gone."

Sandy gave a sigh of relief and clung onto his wife and son.

Kirsten pulled away from him.

"Where's Ryan?"

Sandy blinked several times. Ryan? He was still in the pool house, wasn't he?

Why hadn't he woken up with all the activity that was going on? The bad feeling returned.

"Ma'am we've searched the house, there's no one else here."

Kirsten rushed to the bedroom as if she didn't believe them. It was less than ten minutes ago, probably seven when she'd left Ryan in their room.

"Kirsten?"

"Mom, what is it…where's Ryan?"

"Ryan was here…he…he saved me from …He told me to go Sandy, he was here!"

Sandy had trouble breathing again. He lowered his head to try and stop the swimming sensation. His eyes were drawn to the tiled floor, to the red splashes he saw there, to the wet smears that they were all standing on.

Kirsten looked down and raised her hand to her neck.

"Sandy," she gasped, "What have they done to him...Where is he?"

Tbc