Jennifer Apodaca - Samantha Shaw 04 - Batteries Required by Jennifer Apodaca Page A
Book: Jennifer Apodaca - Samantha Shaw 04 - Batteries Required by Jennifer Apodaca
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Authors: Jennifer Apodaca
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door handle. I pressed my ear up to the wood and listened.
Angel’s voice bled through. “What do you want? Get out!”
Could it be Hugh in there? Or someone else? I hadn’t brought my stun gun or Ali. God. But I had my cell phone! I set down the shopping bag, then reached into my purse and pulled out my cell phone. I dialed 911, but my finger hovered over the send button.
Vance had been really pissed off over the last false emergency. Accusing me of trying to get close to him. On the other hand, Vance didn’t answer 911. But he’d said the entire police station knew that Vance had handled the last call as a kidnapping and Angel had turned up fine. Would they believe me now?
There was shuffling noise coming from inside the house.
Make a decision! I shouted in my head. I looked around for a weapon and spotted the bottle of Zinfandel inside the shopping bag on the ground. I hooked my cell phone onto my jeans, then got the bottle of wine out. All I would have to do was push “send” and the phone would dial through to 911.
I was going into the house.
With the decision made, I refused to consider it anymore. Just move. I put my hand on the doorknob and turned it as quietly as I could. Once I’d turned it as far as it would go, I took a breath, steadied the wine bottle in my right hand, and pushed the door open.
The first thing I saw was a man’s back as he stood over Angel, who was sprawled on the couch. He was waving a gun in her face.
A bag of groceries had spilled out eggs, Diet Coke, and a few other items onto the hardwood floor. Somewhere in my brain, facts were being catalogued: Angel had gone shopping, maybe surprised the intruder. And it didn’t appear that the intruder had heard me come in.
Angel must have realized though, because her gaze shifted past the man toward me.
The man screamed at Angel, “Where is it?”
Angel looked back at the man as I hit the send button on my cell phone hooked to my jeans.
The man added, “I want my—”
I lunged forward, swinging the wine bottle toward his head.
The man whirled around and brought his right arm up. The wine bottle missed his head, but slammed into his right arm, knocking the gun from his hand and then breaking. He yelped and brought his arm into his body.
Angel saw her chance, stood up, and launched her body into the intruder, slamming him into the hardwood floor. “Sam! Get the gun!”
I wrenched my cell phone off my jeans and got it to my ear while rushing to get the gun, which had dropped to the floor. It was only a few feet from the man’s reach. In my ear, a seriously annoyed phone operator said, “Hello? Anybody there? 911, do you have an emergency? What’s the address?”
“Yes! A man with a gun!” I rattled off the address, dropped the phone and reached down to get the gun.
The man’s large, strong hand clamped around my wrist. He yanked hard and I fell over him and Angel into a big dog pile.
“Let go of my hair, you prick!” Angel bellowed.
I scrambled off the mound and got to my knees. The gun was on the other side of Angel and the intruder. He had a handful of Angel’s long red hair.
Blood ran down his arm. The wine bottle must have broken the skin.
I grabbed the first weapon I could find, a six-pack of cans of Diet Coke. The man hung on to Angel’s hair while getting to his knees. I swung the six-pack into the back of his head.
“Ooof!” He flew forward, letting go of Angel’s hair to land on top of the gun. He didn’t move.
Dead?
Angel leaped up and ran toward her bedroom. I stood there holding a single can of Diet Coke. It had slipped the plastic ring, so that the remaining cans hit the man in the head and fell to the ground. One can had exploded, spraying us with cola. The man appeared stunned but he was stirring.
Not dead.
I heard the distant sound of sirens.
The sound snapped me out of my fog. My heart thudded against my chest. Shit! The man started getting to his knees. He shook his head once, and
Angel’s voice bled through. “What do you want? Get out!”
Could it be Hugh in there? Or someone else? I hadn’t brought my stun gun or Ali. God. But I had my cell phone! I set down the shopping bag, then reached into my purse and pulled out my cell phone. I dialed 911, but my finger hovered over the send button.
Vance had been really pissed off over the last false emergency. Accusing me of trying to get close to him. On the other hand, Vance didn’t answer 911. But he’d said the entire police station knew that Vance had handled the last call as a kidnapping and Angel had turned up fine. Would they believe me now?
There was shuffling noise coming from inside the house.
Make a decision! I shouted in my head. I looked around for a weapon and spotted the bottle of Zinfandel inside the shopping bag on the ground. I hooked my cell phone onto my jeans, then got the bottle of wine out. All I would have to do was push “send” and the phone would dial through to 911.
I was going into the house.
With the decision made, I refused to consider it anymore. Just move. I put my hand on the doorknob and turned it as quietly as I could. Once I’d turned it as far as it would go, I took a breath, steadied the wine bottle in my right hand, and pushed the door open.
The first thing I saw was a man’s back as he stood over Angel, who was sprawled on the couch. He was waving a gun in her face.
A bag of groceries had spilled out eggs, Diet Coke, and a few other items onto the hardwood floor. Somewhere in my brain, facts were being catalogued: Angel had gone shopping, maybe surprised the intruder. And it didn’t appear that the intruder had heard me come in.
Angel must have realized though, because her gaze shifted past the man toward me.
The man screamed at Angel, “Where is it?”
Angel looked back at the man as I hit the send button on my cell phone hooked to my jeans.
The man added, “I want my—”
I lunged forward, swinging the wine bottle toward his head.
The man whirled around and brought his right arm up. The wine bottle missed his head, but slammed into his right arm, knocking the gun from his hand and then breaking. He yelped and brought his arm into his body.
Angel saw her chance, stood up, and launched her body into the intruder, slamming him into the hardwood floor. “Sam! Get the gun!”
I wrenched my cell phone off my jeans and got it to my ear while rushing to get the gun, which had dropped to the floor. It was only a few feet from the man’s reach. In my ear, a seriously annoyed phone operator said, “Hello? Anybody there? 911, do you have an emergency? What’s the address?”
“Yes! A man with a gun!” I rattled off the address, dropped the phone and reached down to get the gun.
The man’s large, strong hand clamped around my wrist. He yanked hard and I fell over him and Angel into a big dog pile.
“Let go of my hair, you prick!” Angel bellowed.
I scrambled off the mound and got to my knees. The gun was on the other side of Angel and the intruder. He had a handful of Angel’s long red hair.
Blood ran down his arm. The wine bottle must have broken the skin.
I grabbed the first weapon I could find, a six-pack of cans of Diet Coke. The man hung on to Angel’s hair while getting to his knees. I swung the six-pack into the back of his head.
“Ooof!” He flew forward, letting go of Angel’s hair to land on top of the gun. He didn’t move.
Dead?
Angel leaped up and ran toward her bedroom. I stood there holding a single can of Diet Coke. It had slipped the plastic ring, so that the remaining cans hit the man in the head and fell to the ground. One can had exploded, spraying us with cola. The man appeared stunned but he was stirring.
Not dead.
I heard the distant sound of sirens.
The sound snapped me out of my fog. My heart thudded against my chest. Shit! The man started getting to his knees. He shook his head once, and
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