Outside, in the LA night, it was cold and foggy, obscuring the hundreds of
stars. The ride to her dad's house felt much longer than it actually was.
Syd didn't know why she had such a bad feeling, but it was getting worse
with each mile that took them closer to her dad's house. Both Vaughn and
Andrews had tried to comfort her, offering empty platitudes that made her
feel no better. She knew that her dad could look after himself. She just
wanted him not to have to.
They sat in silence until Andrews broke it, turning around in his seat to face her.
"Umm, Syd, sorry to ask this, but what do we do if we get there and he's, umm, you know, fine? Just been out or something? It's like, ten at night." He said, adding "he might not be very happy to have us barging in on him."
"Then I apologize, and we fill him in with what's going on." She said, "I just can't see him going out anywhere when he knows that Artis is on the run."
"What do you think is going on?" this came from Vaughn, who was driving.
The house was dark and silent when they pulled up outside a few minutes later. His car was on the drive, which struck her as being strange. He normally put the car into the garage overnight. Less chance that way of waking up one morning with a bomb under the car. The garage door itself was closed and probably locked.
Syd was out of the car almost before it had stopped. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Vaughn cross to the car, laying a hand on the hood to see if it was warm. From the way he shook his head, she guessed that it was cold. Both men had their guns out, but she didn't have one. That didn't matter. She was going to get a weapon in a few minutes, if it had been left.
She ran across the lawn in her haste to reach the front door. It swung open when she pushed it with her boot-clad foot. She frowned and kicked the door hard, stopping outside the open door only long enough to assure herself that it was clear. She stepped through the doorway as quickly as possible, not wanting to give Artis or one of his goons a framed target to shoot at. If that's who'd broken in, she added silently to herself.
Once inside, they split up, Syd taking the downstairs, while Vaughn and Andrews took the upstairs. They'd split up like that because she knew the house and they didn't. While the men were busy upstairs, she headed for her dad's gun cupboard, which was hidden in the basement. When she got there, she wasn't surprised to see that the guns had been taken, but they'd left her one of her favorite weapons- a crossbow and bolts. The crossbow looked ancient and as if it would fall apart if it was fired, but that was the idea. It was really in perfect working condition.
She'd just picked up the crossbow and a couple of racks of bolts, which she strapped to her arm, when she heard a noise. A heavy thud followed by a groan. She swore under her breath and left the basement on silent feet, loading the crossbow as she went. She heard another groan from upstairs, and followed the sound.
She went up the stairs two at a time, her leg muscles burning by the time she reached the top. She turned onto the landing and stopped in shocked amazement.
"What the hell?" she muttered
They sat in silence until Andrews broke it, turning around in his seat to face her.
"Umm, Syd, sorry to ask this, but what do we do if we get there and he's, umm, you know, fine? Just been out or something? It's like, ten at night." He said, adding "he might not be very happy to have us barging in on him."
"Then I apologize, and we fill him in with what's going on." She said, "I just can't see him going out anywhere when he knows that Artis is on the run."
"What do you think is going on?" this came from Vaughn, who was driving.
The house was dark and silent when they pulled up outside a few minutes later. His car was on the drive, which struck her as being strange. He normally put the car into the garage overnight. Less chance that way of waking up one morning with a bomb under the car. The garage door itself was closed and probably locked.
Syd was out of the car almost before it had stopped. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Vaughn cross to the car, laying a hand on the hood to see if it was warm. From the way he shook his head, she guessed that it was cold. Both men had their guns out, but she didn't have one. That didn't matter. She was going to get a weapon in a few minutes, if it had been left.
She ran across the lawn in her haste to reach the front door. It swung open when she pushed it with her boot-clad foot. She frowned and kicked the door hard, stopping outside the open door only long enough to assure herself that it was clear. She stepped through the doorway as quickly as possible, not wanting to give Artis or one of his goons a framed target to shoot at. If that's who'd broken in, she added silently to herself.
Once inside, they split up, Syd taking the downstairs, while Vaughn and Andrews took the upstairs. They'd split up like that because she knew the house and they didn't. While the men were busy upstairs, she headed for her dad's gun cupboard, which was hidden in the basement. When she got there, she wasn't surprised to see that the guns had been taken, but they'd left her one of her favorite weapons- a crossbow and bolts. The crossbow looked ancient and as if it would fall apart if it was fired, but that was the idea. It was really in perfect working condition.
She'd just picked up the crossbow and a couple of racks of bolts, which she strapped to her arm, when she heard a noise. A heavy thud followed by a groan. She swore under her breath and left the basement on silent feet, loading the crossbow as she went. She heard another groan from upstairs, and followed the sound.
She went up the stairs two at a time, her leg muscles burning by the time she reached the top. She turned onto the landing and stopped in shocked amazement.
"What the hell?" she muttered