FANG

I crept to the exit hole in my closet and climbed out. I fumbled in the dark for my phone and dialed 911.

"911 operator, please state your emergency."

"My family was kidnapped," I whispered. "They're being held hostage in my house right now."

"Can you give us your address?"

I told her the location, the number of people here, and added, "Please, send an ambulance too. I think he shot at my parents."

"Sir, are you in the vicinity of the house right now?"

"Yeah…he doesn't know I'm here."

"Please exit the house immediately. We've got a team on their way now."

She tried to keep me on the line, but I hung up. I slid down the hall and looked for a possible weapon. The only thing I saw of use was Gazzy's wooden toy sword. I would have gone for Max's baseball bat or something, but I didn't want to make any more noise than needed, and her door squeaked painfully sometimes.

I snuck down the hall and the stairs. He was in the spare room with them. I saw James's body, pale and unmoving, and let out a cry of anger. I cracked him over the head with the toy.

He swung around and smiled. "Nicky, there you are. Where have you been?"

I glared. "None of your business." I swung at him.

He grabbed the toy and yanked it out of my hands. I swung my booted foot at him and kicked his stomach. He threw a punch and I gasped for breath. He took advantage of the moment and cracked my jaw. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Max inching towards his gun. I continued fighting him, trying to keep him distracted.

Luck wasn't on my side. He turned, saw Max, and kicked her away fro mthe gun. He snatched it up and held it to my head. I squeezed my eyes shut.

"NOBODY MOVE! THIS IS THE POLICE!"

My eyes flew open to see colored lights flashing.

Mick tightened his grip. "Come any closer and I shoot the kid."

"Don't even think about it!" Max lunged forward with the toy sword, smacking him. He released me and swung the gun at Max. My eyes widened. No!

"MAX!" I screamed, just as I heard two gunshots. A bullet mark bloomed red on my father's forehead and a hole splintered the wall. For a moment I stood there, stunned. Then I collapsed with relief. Max. Max was okay.

My father was dead.

The medics had already found Valencia, still alive, and John, in critical condition. James was already dead.

We were all in shock. They brought us to the hospital, got us checked out, gave us some food. Max started bawling.

I pulled her close and stroked her hair. She cried into my shirt for a while. When she'd finished, she just stayed there, leaning on me. It felt…nice.

After a few hours a doctor came out. John would be fine, he told us. He would need to stay under close supervision in ICU for a while, but they thought he'd be okay. Valencia, however…

MAX

"We were just able to save her. She lost a lot of blood, and the stress forced her into labor. For now, the baby is doing fine, in the infant intensive care unit. They're both stable as of now, but we'll need to keep them for a while to care for them."

"Baby?" I gasped.

"Didn't you know? Your mother was seven months pregnant. You have a new baby sister."