Part of her brain registered the silence. All sound was muted

As they fought there was the barest of noise – a grunt as she punched someone in the face, the gasp as her foot found a stomach, the crunch as bone broke – and despite the fact that she'd not really practiced religiously for months the moves were ingrained in her.

Lucy moved like a whirlwind, leaving one man dead on the floor and one beside him, one that would not be getting up without help. But she wasn't quite quiet enough.

Her eyes opened wide as Scott's voice floated through the open doorway followed by his body. He froze at the sight before him.

'Mama?'

Scott flinched as the men between him and his Mom turned to him and moved.

And Lucy moved faster than she ever had moved before

Scott stood stock still as two men in masks turned to him. They moved towards him but they weren't fast enough. His Mom – *his Mom* – moved like lightning! Or maybe like water, Scott wasn't sure what she looked like, but one minute he was facing two masked men and then they were on the floor and his Mom was in front of him.

'Scott? Scott, are you alright?'

'Mama?'

Lucy knelt in front of him, gently running her hands over him to ensure that he was, indeed, alright, even though she knew neither man had got near enough to touch him.

And Scott burst into tears.

She pulled him close and held him tight as his arms went around her neck. As she did Lucy picked him up and carried him into the kitchen, away from the scene behind him, closing the door behind them. She sat him on the worktop and busied herself making hot chocolate to give herself time to think.

The patter of footsteps heralded her other boy coming to investigate – John was almost as light a sleeper as Scott but Virgil would still be asleep – and Lucy added extra milk for him. John immediately latched onto her leg and she picked him up and put him beside his brother. He immediately leaned into Scott as his big brother put his arm around him.

What the hell was she going to do with the men in the living room? There was only one person she could think to call.

Lucy watched as the two boys drank their chocolate, John's presence helping Scott to relax enough that he didn't even ask about the men in the lounge as she settled them back upstairs. They fell asleep quickly, with Scott hugging John, and once she was sure Scott was unlikely to wake up again Lucy slipped from the room, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

'Colonel Casey?'

'Uh – yes? Who is this?'

'Oh, I'm sorry. It's Lucy. Lucy Tracy?'

'Lucy! Sorry, I didn't recognise your voice. Are you alright?'

'No, not really.'

'Of course you're not, not calling at this time at night.'

'Val – I need you. There – there's been a break-in.'

'Are you and the boys alright?'

'No. I – I may have killed someone.'

'Stay out of the room, don't touch anything, and definitely keep the boys out of the way. I'll be half an hour. Do not open up to anyone else.'

'Ok. Thanks, Val.'

Lucy sat at the foot of the stairs and waited, wondering what on earth she was going to say to Jeff's other best friend. And how they were going to deal with three unconscious and one dead Russians in her living room.