of answers anymore.
So instead she sat with all of the children, telling them fairytales she’d been told as a child, silly nothings that take the mind away from reality. The world needed a lot of distractions now, people needed something to take their mind off of what they were living.
This was what she needed to do. Save people, yes, but keep their minds off reality. She would reject this reality and replace it with her own.
Sounds like something she was used to doing, she mused to herself with a smile, and it would be worth it to see people smile again.
But she wasn’t going to be able to do anything if she didn’t make it out of here alive.
And right now there was no guarantee.
~21~
The Ranger and the Cop
“No!” screamed Lindsey and threw her cup of hot tea at Ledger.
He saw it coming half a second too late and roared in pain as the scalding liquid splashed his hand and neck and face. Dez exploded into movement, spinning, chopping up and back with her elbow, catching Ledger’s wrist and knocking the pistol from his hand. The weapon went flying. Lindsey snatched up a heavy book and hurled it at Ledger, who ducked just as Dez came up off the chair, drove her shoulder into him and ran him backward. They crashed into the wall, knocking framed photographs off their nails. Dez tried to knee Ledger in the crotch and simultaneously head butt him.
He twisted and her head missed, but her knee caught his upper thigh. Not a full hit, but enough to send a wave of sick pain up through his groin and gut.
“Stop it!” he snarled, but Dez punched him in the face.
The damn woman knew how to hit. Ledger slammed back into the wall, but he rebounded with a two-handed shove that sent her staggering back. Lindsey grabbed Dez’s teacup and hurled it at the ranger’s face, but he ducked under it.
Just as Dez tried to kick him in the groin again. Her foot missed the intended target and instead hit Ledger in the chest as he ducked. She wore the steel-tipped shoes she’d worn as a cop, and it was felt like being shot. Ledger fell hard on his ass, then flung himself sideways to miss the vicious stamp that Dez launched to try and crush his kneecap.
“Get him!” screamed Lindsey, and she began plucking objects off the end tables to hurl. Empty coffee mugs, empty cans, a paperback, a box of shotgun shells. They rained down on Ledger as he rolled like a log away from Dez’s next stamp, and the next.
Ledger rolled onto his back and kicked up to intercept Dez’s next kick, jolted it to a stop in the air, then pivoted and swept her standing leg. She crashed to the floor. He scrambled to his feet, grabbed the corners of one of the overstuffed chairs and shoved it at Lindsey with all of his strength. It chunked into her and the girl went down with a yelp of pain. But Dez, on the floor, pulled out her blackjack and whipped it at Ledger. He danced backward but the heavy lead and leather caught him on the left heel hard enough to detonate white-hot pain through his foot and ankle. He staggered, and dropped, catching himself on his palms as Dez threw herself at him, trying for his head this time.
She almost had him.
He rolled sideways again, parrying her swing with one forearm and swinging a tight, hard palm-heel strike at her as she dropped onto him. His hand caught her right behind the ear and it rocked her. Hard. She crashed down onto the floorboards beside him, gasping and blinking and wincing.
Ledger got to his knees, grabbed her hair and pulled her head back as far as it would go, then whipped a rapid-release folding knife from its sheath inside his right front pants pocket, snapped the three-point-seven-five inch blade out, laid it against her windpipe and snarled at Lindsey, who was in the process of raising a heavy vase.
“ Stop! Right goddamn now!”
She stopped.
Right goddamned then.
“Put the fucking vase down,” he roared. “Do it.”
Lindsey took a step back and let the vase fall.
So instead she sat with all of the children, telling them fairytales she’d been told as a child, silly nothings that take the mind away from reality. The world needed a lot of distractions now, people needed something to take their mind off of what they were living.
This was what she needed to do. Save people, yes, but keep their minds off reality. She would reject this reality and replace it with her own.
Sounds like something she was used to doing, she mused to herself with a smile, and it would be worth it to see people smile again.
But she wasn’t going to be able to do anything if she didn’t make it out of here alive.
And right now there was no guarantee.
~21~
The Ranger and the Cop
“No!” screamed Lindsey and threw her cup of hot tea at Ledger.
He saw it coming half a second too late and roared in pain as the scalding liquid splashed his hand and neck and face. Dez exploded into movement, spinning, chopping up and back with her elbow, catching Ledger’s wrist and knocking the pistol from his hand. The weapon went flying. Lindsey snatched up a heavy book and hurled it at Ledger, who ducked just as Dez came up off the chair, drove her shoulder into him and ran him backward. They crashed into the wall, knocking framed photographs off their nails. Dez tried to knee Ledger in the crotch and simultaneously head butt him.
He twisted and her head missed, but her knee caught his upper thigh. Not a full hit, but enough to send a wave of sick pain up through his groin and gut.
“Stop it!” he snarled, but Dez punched him in the face.
The damn woman knew how to hit. Ledger slammed back into the wall, but he rebounded with a two-handed shove that sent her staggering back. Lindsey grabbed Dez’s teacup and hurled it at the ranger’s face, but he ducked under it.
Just as Dez tried to kick him in the groin again. Her foot missed the intended target and instead hit Ledger in the chest as he ducked. She wore the steel-tipped shoes she’d worn as a cop, and it was felt like being shot. Ledger fell hard on his ass, then flung himself sideways to miss the vicious stamp that Dez launched to try and crush his kneecap.
“Get him!” screamed Lindsey, and she began plucking objects off the end tables to hurl. Empty coffee mugs, empty cans, a paperback, a box of shotgun shells. They rained down on Ledger as he rolled like a log away from Dez’s next stamp, and the next.
Ledger rolled onto his back and kicked up to intercept Dez’s next kick, jolted it to a stop in the air, then pivoted and swept her standing leg. She crashed to the floor. He scrambled to his feet, grabbed the corners of one of the overstuffed chairs and shoved it at Lindsey with all of his strength. It chunked into her and the girl went down with a yelp of pain. But Dez, on the floor, pulled out her blackjack and whipped it at Ledger. He danced backward but the heavy lead and leather caught him on the left heel hard enough to detonate white-hot pain through his foot and ankle. He staggered, and dropped, catching himself on his palms as Dez threw herself at him, trying for his head this time.
She almost had him.
He rolled sideways again, parrying her swing with one forearm and swinging a tight, hard palm-heel strike at her as she dropped onto him. His hand caught her right behind the ear and it rocked her. Hard. She crashed down onto the floorboards beside him, gasping and blinking and wincing.
Ledger got to his knees, grabbed her hair and pulled her head back as far as it would go, then whipped a rapid-release folding knife from its sheath inside his right front pants pocket, snapped the three-point-seven-five inch blade out, laid it against her windpipe and snarled at Lindsey, who was in the process of raising a heavy vase.
“ Stop! Right goddamn now!”
She stopped.
Right goddamned then.
“Put the fucking vase down,” he roared. “Do it.”
Lindsey took a step back and let the vase fall.
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