Chapter Twelve: If You're Not Scared, You Can't Be Brave

When he heard the first shot, Charlie involuntarily flinched.

It took him a minute to realize that the shot hadn't come from the handgun aimed at his head, but rather from somewhere on the street.

Someone started to unload a fully automatic weapon into the front of the house. Charlie heard the footsteps of the young man behind him as he turned and ran around the side of the building, finally firing his gun…but in the direction of the street. And then, quite suddenly, Charlie found himself kneeling alone in the backyard.

Even without shoes, Charlie was pretty sure he could have qualified for an Olympic event. With a surge of adrenaline, he was up and running across the adjoining yard at a speed he didn't know he was capable of. He actually hurdled the first fence, then rather than risk tripping on the next one he slowed down enough to vault over it. He stumbled over the last fence and staggered out onto the sidewalk, just as a carload of young men in their early twenties rounded the corner.

Several of them were still holding their guns out the window of the car. Charlie realized these young men had just finished a bona fide drive by shooting….and Roberto and his crew had been the target. The driver of the car met his eyes and for a moment time stopped. As the car passed him, he saw the break lights come on.

Charlie quickly realized his saviors had just turned into the next threat. He turned back and ran the way he came, this time cutting parallel to the houses and heading for the next block. He hoped they wouldn't pursue him…but he wasn't counting on it. He didn't hear anymore gunfire, but he wasn't about to risk slowing down or stopping to be sure. He ran hard for the duration of a full city block, staying between the houses and awayfrom the street. Finally he reduced his speed. He stopped running when he reached a four lane intersection. Panting, he leaned against a chain link fence and tried to get his bearings. When he spotted a pay phone across the street at a Circle K, Charlie took off diagonally across the roadway at a full run.

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Colby had just passed Catalina when he flipped off his siren. There was always a chance he would beat the LAPD to the house. Megan had just met David downtown to follow up on a lead about the car, so they were only five minutes behind him.The next street should be Dewey. Colby accelerated again and looked up at the road signs. Out of the corner of his eye, he barely saw something step out in front of his car.

Instinctively, Colby swerved the wheel hard to his left. It took him a minute to get his foot back on the break. He crossed the lane and slammed into the unoccupied payphone that stood on the corner sending fragments of glass and a small fortune in change across the hood of his car.

"SHIT!"

Disgusted with himself for being so careless, Colby climbed out of his car and turned to look at what he had almost hit.

He felt his jaw literally drop as he stared at the wide eyed expression on the face of Charlie Eppes. The smartest guy he knew looked completely dumbfounded as he stood in the middle of the street in his pajamas.

Charlie was so startled by the car that had almost hit him that he nearly forgot why he had been running. When he heard another car approaching from up the street, he remembered. He headed for the gas station and the wrecked car as fast as he could, this time checking for any other oncoming traffic. He was almost to the curb before he recognized the driver of the car.

Colby was staring at him like he had sprouted antlers. Charlie made his way around the car on shaking legs, picking his way thought the broken glass in his bare feet.

A wide grin spread over Colby's face.

"And I thought Don was lucky."

Charlie almost staggered at the shock of hearing his older brother referred to in a positive and present tense. He grabbed the front of the car for support.

"Don's ok? I thought…."

He drew in a ragged breath before he continued.

"He's alive?"

"Charlie, you have no idea."

Before he could ask Colby what he meant, the sound of tires squealing filled the air and both men turned their heads toward the sound.

Charlie recognized the car and it's passengers instantly and they had recognized him. The way the semi-automatic weapon, thrust out the rear window, reflected the light of the morning sun was almost hypnotizing. He hardly had time to register what was happening, when 200 pounds of federal agent wrapped around his middle and knocked him to the ground.

Less than a millisecond after Colby rammed into him, the sound of multiple guns firing filled his ears for the third time that morning.

Charlie felt the broken glass from the phone booth digging into his cheek and his arms as he was flattened to the ground, but he made no attempt to get back up.

Colby scrambled up to a squat behind the car, staying low as the flying bullets shattered the car windows over his head. Before the shooting had stopped he had pulled his own firearm from the holster on his hip.

When the firing ceased, the sound of the driver revving the engine indicated the retreat of the gunmen in the car.

As the car sped off down the street, Colby bolted to his feet and carefully took aim. He fired two shots in succession and the rear tires of the speeding car exploded.

At almost exactly the same moment, two police cruisers rounded the corner off of Dewey Street. The units that had been sent to the house had heard the gunfire.

The driver of the retreating car swerved when he lost his tires and he was unable to avoid hitting the first police car.

The sound of crunching metal echoed down the street as the two cars spun to a stop in the center of the road.

"Stay down, Charlie."

Colby took off toward the other unit, identifying himself to the officers as they exited their car. Together, they moved toward

the wrecked car and it's occupants, weapons at the ready.

Charlie didn't dare to lift his head from the ground as several more shots were fired from the street.

He heard another car pull up behind Colby's wrecked vehicle, but he still remained unmoving. Playing possum seemed like the best idea he'd had all day. Rapid footsteps made their way towards him and he felt a cool hand on the back of his neck as someone checked his pulse.

"Charlie?"

"Is he alive?"

At the sound of two very familiar voices, he lifted his head.

"God, I hope so. Cause if I'm not, I'm in hell."

Megan was kneeling next to him.

"No, not hell. You're on the west side."

"Close enough, right Charlie?"

Smiling, David extended his hand and pulled Charlie into a sitting position behind the car. Megan flashed him a relieved smile, with a quick pat on his shoulder, she took off across the street to assist Colby and the other officers. The vehicle's occupants had surrendered their weapons and both the injured and uninjured occupants of the wrecked vehicle we being cuffed and lined up, face down on the sidewalk.

David's attempt to discreetly check him over for injury wasn't working.

"Let me call an ambulance."

There were several trickles of blood running down Charlie's face from his nose dive onto the glass covered pavement.

"I guess I look like I need one?"

"Yeah, Charlie…you do."

Giving himself the once over, Charlie realized he had hit the ground on his hands and knees and several shards of glass were now imbedded in his bruising extremities.

He looked up just as Megan and Colby walked back toward the car, leaving the gang for the LAPD to deal with. They had wanted the Mara 13th's gunmen, and they could have them.

Sitting on the pavement, with his back against the car door, Charlie unconsciously pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. The comprehension of his haphazard and unlikely deliverance from a bullet had managed it's way to the surface of his mind. Charlie felt himself shaking uncontrollably and a cold sweat broke out across his forehead.

He tried not to sound as traumatized as he felt, but he must have failed.

"I really need to go home now."

Megan quickly knelt down next to him.

"I think he's in shock, David. Get some water."

She turned back to Charlie, keeping her voice calm and reassuring.

"We're gonna get you to the hospital, ok? You're ok."

Charlie looked up at her wide-eyed.

"They were going to kill me. He almost killed me."

"But they didn't."

"He put a gun…..he was really going to do it…..and…..I think…….I think maybe I'm gonna be sick."

David returned with a small bottle and Charlie was able to resist the urge throw up as he took several small sips of water.

"I'm ok……I just…..oh man."

He leaned his head back against the car door and tried to breathe deeply as he stared into the early morning sky. When he heard a siren in the distance, he looked back at the three concerned faces that surrounded him.

"Where's Don?"

The three agents exchanged a glance and Megan put her hand on his arm.

"It's ok, Charlie. Come on. Let's get you to the hospital."

"But Don…"

"That's where he is, Charlie."

Responding to the fearful look in his eyes, she answered before he had the chance to ask the next question.

"He'll be fine. Your dad's fine too. They'll be glad to see you."

His eyes welled up with tears of relief, but he fought them off.He bit his lip and swallowed hard. Not yet and not in front of them. He forced a laugh.

"It's really been a very long day."

She pretended to ignore the tremor in his voice.

"It's not even seven thirty in the morning, Charlie."

He nodded, resolved to maintain his composure.

"As I said. It's been a very long day."

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Authors Notes: Once again, please accept my gratitude for your faithful comments. I'm glad you care enough to let me know what you think!

I quadruple checked my spelling on this one!

Thanks again!

Chapter Thirteen: The Evidence of Things Not Seen