A/N: My deep and sincere apologies for letting this go a whole year without updating. I am working on this one, Midnight Calls, and all of my other unfinished fanfiction. Thank you so much to those who have read thus far, and especially to those who have taken the time to give me a review! I hope you enjoy. Please note that I have taken a great deal of time to do research, and try to make everything realistic. That being said, if you find any technical mistakes in my writing, feel free to (kindly) point them out. And without further ado, here is the second chapter.
Annie scurried upstairs to change outfits, and Tess and Kevin returned to the couch.
"Uncle Kevin? Can I ask you something?" Tess asked in a small voice.
"Anything," Kevin said.
"Well, it's just that you...said some stuff. In the car…I wanted to ask you about it before, but not with my mom listening," Tess said. She took in a deep breath, preparing herself for what she was about to say, and in that breath, there was the sound of glass breaking in the back of the house.
Their heads jerked towards the sound, and Kevin stood, taking his niece by the arm. Tess looked up at him, eyes wide. "Uncle Kevin," she said nervously.
"Hide," he whispered urgently. Pulling out his phone, he dialed 911. Holding the phone with one hand and his niece's elbow in the other, he looked around the room quickly before leading her over to the curtains. Kevin pulled back the floral material just enough for her to fit behind it. He'd never been more glad that they had floor-length curtains in the living room.
"Don't make a sound," Kevin instructed. Tess nodded, shaking, fear evident in her eyes. "It'll be okay," he said, squeezing her shoulder quickly before pulling back the curtain.
Kevin whispered his brother's address and the situation into the phone. The voice on the other end told him to get out out of the house if he could, but Kevin kept thinking of Annie upstairs. He hoped she would stay up there.
He could hear voices and footsteps from the other room, and he quickly scanned the room for something he could use as a weapon. He mostly just saw pillows and the drawing materials that Annie had left scattered on the wooden table. His eyes landed on a small vase resting on a narrow table between two of the windows.
He reached for it, but a voice stopped him.
"Hang up the phone." Kevin froze. "Now," the voice demanded. In that moment, Kevin was aware of two things: the vase he'd been about to pick up suddenly shattered beside him, the sound of a gunshot filled the room. Kevin ducked, covering his face from the ceramic splinters. Tess, to her credit, stayed quiet somehow, though Kevin thought he saw the curtain rustling. The gunman either didn't notice or didn't care.
"That was your only warning. Now hang up the phone."
Kevin quickly pressed the red button on his phone, letting it fall to the floor as he raised both hands above his head.
"Good. Now turn around."
Heart racing, Kevin turned to face the intruder, startled a bit when he found himself facing three. Two of them were busy stuffing valuables into large black bags. The third, the man pointing the gun at him, was large - a little shorter than Kevin but he looked to be almost 100 pounds heavier. Not the type of guy that Kevin could win against in a fight. Not that he'd try - not with that gun firmly in his hands, pointing straight at Kevin. And not when he had his two nieces to protect.
Don't hurt my daughters, Kevin Pearson. Full stop.
"On your knees. Keep your hands up," the gunman said sharply. Kevin obeyed.
"Now beg."
Kevin's head shot up. He was glad he was at least kneeling, because he felt as if he might pass out.
"Beg!"
"I - you - please, you don't have to do this," Kevin stuttered. He felt sick to his stomach, and it was all so much worse knowing that Tess was right there, having to keep still and quiet.
The man smiled. "Yeah. Just like that."
"C'mon, please, you don't have to do this," Kevin repeated. "You haven't hurt anyone so far. You don't have to do this."
"Can't think of anything else to say, huh?" Kevin stayed silent.
"You married?"
Kevin shook his head.
"Kids?"
"No," Kevin said hoarsely, a tear rolling down his cheek.
"Hmm. No one to miss you."
"Please," Kevin said, his voice barely a whisper this time. He'd expected to continue with Please don't kill me. But instead he cried out, "If you're going to kill me, just get it over with."
The man smirked, and then started laughing. Kevin was sitting here, on his knees, with a gun pointed at him from just a few feet away, and this man was laughing at him.
"So I'd be doing you a favor, huh?"
Kevin could only sob and shake his head.
The gun finally lowered. "Let's go, boys," the man said. "Our job here's done."
The two others headed towards the back of the house, the gunman following. He stopped just before leaving the living room and turned around.
"A little present for you," he said to Kevin.
A second shot rang out.
