This is Gonna Require a Little Finesse
Chapter 14
((RECAP)) ((Kari's POV))
Maybe this is better. I can leave. I can leave and know he doesn't care anymore. I've made him hate me now. I won't hurt him any more.
"Forget it. All of it, okay?" he hissed, refusing to look in my direction. As much as I tried to deny it, I felt my heart splinter and shatter. "Just... get out." he whispered. I turned and wrenched open the door to an angry looking Bobby.
…
About ten minutes later I had set my full bag on the floor, my knees were pulled up against my chest and my bottom lip quivered dangerously. It was cold in bed, even with a long sleeve shirt on and the blankets up to my chin I couldn't shake the cold, and I felt small in the world without Jack there. And I knew he wasn't sneaking in tonight – or any other night – no matter how I wished he would. I closed my eyes, the message of the paper burning on the back of my eyelids.
SORRY ABOUT MIKE.
-JACK PS: I LOVE YOU
The last line was scribbled over, but shined the brightest in my mind. And now I've ruined it. I always fuck things up!! The Mercers' would just be better if they'd never have met me! God Damn-it!
I dropped off into an uncomfortable and superficial sleep.
Goodbye, Detroit Goodbye, Mercers. Goodbye, Jack.
I woke up to Gabe Saporta asking me if I'd heard of his religion. "G-A-B-E gonna get you high..." I sang in a whispery voice. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know I slept in, now shut the fuck up." I grumbled as I slammed a fist onto the off button. "9:37 am" the clock read. God damn-it!
My alarm had originally been set for 6:30. However, I hadn't gotten the best nights sleep; so I'd slept through the alarm. By now everyone would be up, defeating my purpose of waking early. I was now going to be forced to spend the day with him.
My throat tightened at the thought. Hopefully they'll be too caught up with Jerry, I thought dismally. This thought brought a small ray of optimism that I wouldn't have to spend a lot of angry-awkward moments with the youngest Mercer brother. I was angry with him, and he was obviously furious with me, for good reasons, and stupid ones.
I slipped on a pair of ripped up jeans that were old and worn- my favorite pair, tied up my Converse and shoved my cell-phone into my back pocket. I found my best top: a white long-sleeve shirt with black writing: LIFE SUCKS... written on the front; and: ...THEN YOU DIE on the back. This was my best friend’s, Amanda, motto.
Amanda had gone online and made her own shirt and purchased two- hers was the reverse colors. She was my roommate back in Chicago. Wonder what she's up to. Oh, right. Wedding plans... almost forgot. Her boyfriend – Paul – had finally proposed. They were fucking crazy about each other. It made me sick, but I loved them both to death. I'm jealous. I admitted - even though it killed me to do so.
I turned the handle of my door when it was thrown open from the outside, I screamed: "Fuck!" as the door smacked my forehead. "What the hell!?"
There was a quick and half-hearted, "Sorry." Before Sofi attacked with questions, "What was with all the yelling last night? Why's Jack in such a pissy mood? Bobby's being more of a dick than usual." Okay, that last one wasn’t a question but…
All I could do was stand there, with my hand on my throbbing and now swelling head. "Shit." I groaned. I crossed my room, in the process nearly breaking my leg by tripping on my full bag, and struggled to open the window. Once that task was out of the way I gathered a handful of the fluffy white substance that was abundant in the late days of fall in Detroit. I rubbed the snow softly against my injured forehead, Well I don't think my luck could get any better today. I turned back to Sofi who was staring wide-eyed at my duffel bag.
"And what the hell is with the bag, chica?" she asked. Her tone was soft, though, and filled with concern. "What's going on?"
I didn’t want to talk to anyone about this, least of all to some on-again-off-again girlfriend of Angel’s. I lost it. "Nothing! That's what. Not a damn thing is going on, except that I'm leaving first chance I get,” she showed no signs of understanding what I had just said. "The yelling: Jack's apparently the jump-to-conclusions-jealous type. His attitude: well, I don't know. You'll have to ask him; because everything's just going the way he wants it to, now! And Bobby's mood: No FUCKING idea." I finished, throwing my hands in the air and the snow out the window into the street. I slammed the window shut, the glass shaking in its frame.
"I didn't mean Bobby was being mean to me." she said, she was smirking. I think Sofi's been spending too much time here with us – with theMercer brothers. She's even smirking now. She sat on the foot of my bed as she finished, "He's being abnormally cruel to a certain wannabe-rocker."
I raised an eyebrow at her, "Are you shitting me?"
"Nope." she smiled. She sat next to me and pushed my shoulders gently so I rocked side-to-side. "I may not be an expert, but, uh...I'm pretty sure Bobby knows now."
I laughed and shook my head, "Ya think!?" Bobby had been there when he'd heard Jack and I yelling. He'd be lying if he told me that he wasn’t worried Jack would snap again and I'd run off. Well, I was running off this time, but Jack had meant it when he said it would never happen again.
I would have hit me. I admitted silently. Bobby probably made Jack tell him. Good. I hope he gets a fucking earful from his older brother. Asshole. But the curse was only half hearted, and just a little spiteful.
I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair exasperatedly. I told Sofi the story; there was no getting her to just drop it.
"Aye-yah. Es muy malo, no?" she grumbled.
I laughed a little despite myself. "And today I've got the worst fucking luck. I was planning on leaving early this morning – don't give me that look – but I overslept. Then when I finally built up enough courage to actually go downstairs, I get beamed in the fucking head with my DOOR. And you dragged the story out of me and now that it's out there it means it wasn't a sucky-nightmare and it really happened and I... I am so screwed." I finished by throwing my hands in the air in frustration.
"I'm sorry he's a moron," Sofi hugged me. I nearly fell off the bed in surprise. She pulled back and gave me a sisterly smile, "and I'm sorry I hit you with the door."
I snickered, "It's okay, I deserved it. Let's go, shall we?"
The two of us ventured downstairs to find Bobby and Jack passing profanities at each other.
I didn't even look their way; there was no reason to. I made it into the kitchen to find Angel shaking his head, "What the fuck is going on?" he was obviously starting to get a headache from his family.
I just looked at Sofi and sighed. I walked over to the cupboards and found an apple that looked like it hadn’t gone bad yet. I took small bites, each time forcing myself to swallow; I wasn't exactly hungry.
"Well, that does explain it." Angel whistled. Sofi told him for me.
I just nodded slowly.
"You all right, baby girl?" he asked.
Angels' gentleness panged something inside of me. I felt the tears well up in my eyes as I opened my mouth to speak. To tell someone that I felt like shit; that the back of my shirt was the thing that kept crossing my mind: dying; that I felt like an asshole; that I was furious; that I was sorry.
Before I could, Bobby yelled for me from the other room. My body tightened up, adrenaline pumping through me as the thought of facing him became inevitable. But I wouldn't let him win; I blinked back the tears coolly and took a bigger bite of the apple. I'm a tough gal; holding in my emotions was a highly developed skill.
When I walked into the room I only looked at Bobby. However, out of the corner of my eye I could see Jack, tall, lean, in a white shirt with some black print on it. I could just see that his face was turned away from me and something unseen in the hall was captivating his sight.
"Look, Bobby." I said, interrupting whatever rant he was going to go on, "I really don't care. Whatever you feel you have to say isn't going to change anything. For once it really isn't your fight. So I suggest that whatever bad mood you've got now: stop wasting it on him and don't even start with me. Save it for Jerry. I think what happened to Evie is a hell of a lot more important than this." I said. My voice was cold and only angry. The overall emotionless attitude that was carried even scared me a bit; it was like I wasn't me. I raised the apple again to my mouth and took a bite.
Bobby just glared at me, angry and stunned. He was also obviously listening to what I said. He visibly relaxed his body.
Suddenly, my phone went off, "Well, shit. Most calls I've gotten all month." I joked dryly. I walked across the room and passed Jack, keeping myself away from him like he had a disease. It was only so that I wouldn't touch him; I'd crumble if I got that close.
I saw Jerry’s car pull up around the back of the house as I stepped onto the glass porch, "Jer's here!" I warned. I pulled my phone out and snapped it open. AMANDA. Well, that's ironic. I smirked.
"Hey! What's up, slut?" I giggled into the phone.
"Nice to hear from you, too." she said, I could hear her laughing. "Nothin' much. Where the fuck are you, you whore!? I stopped by to give you my last rent check and you was gone."
"'You was gone'...? I see your grammar went straight to hell. I had to get back to Detroit. Evelyn Mercer, the one I'm always talking about, she was shot and I had to come back and help her boys find her killer." I explained. I situated myself into the chair in the corner.
I could see into the house through a window, Jerry came in and got a face full of Bobby's fist.
"Wait. You had to help the Mercer brothers find their mothers' killer? Isn't that what the police are for?" she was genuinely confused.
Jerry was on the floor now, Bobby screaming in his face. I felt a pang of betrayal. I was unsure if it was against what Jerry might have done, or for Jerry that his brothers would believe he'd do that to their own mother.
"You obviously did not grow up in Detroit, honey. The cops don't do shit."
Jerry jumped to his feet; he punched Bobby in the mouth and the same to Angel, who stumbled across the room. I couldn't understand what they were saying, but they were furious. I could make out the back of Jack's head; he twitched uneasily in his seat.
"It's not working out with me here though. I'm headin' back west."
"You ok? You sound depressed." she was worried about me. At least somebody is.
"Yeah, I'm fine. And before you ask: yes I'm SURE." I teased. "I've just been a serious idiot, I was being stupid and blind."
"OK. Well I just wanted to check in and make sure you were still alive!! Paul, my mum and I were getting worried – we haven't heard from you in while – that's all." Amanda's mom was like Evie. She had a huge heart and was too nice for her own good. The fact that she reminds me of Evelyn is probably why she and I are closer than Amanda and I.
Jack must have raised a question because Jerry was yelling at him now.
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
I didn't even turn in my seat. "I gotta go Amanda, I'll see you soon." Jack got up, glancing out the window; I caught his eye, his expression softened for a second. I waved him off. I've got it. He narrowed his eyes at me like a child and sat back down.
I grasped the doorknob and pulled it open.
Only to be hammered in the face with a snowball. "Evelyn was a whore!" the hooded asshole flipped me off over his shoulder.
I leapt over the steps and scooped up a ball of snow all in one fluid motion. "Get your ass back here you little fuck! I'm only gonna kick your ass!"
My legs propelled me after him at an amazing speed. I was furious at what he said and he was there, why not take my pent-up anger out on him? He was the reason why my mother beat me. The reason why Evie was gone. The reason why Jack hated me. The reason why I didn't hate Jack. The reason why the Mercer family was beginning to rip itself apart. All I wanted to do was punch this kids face in to make everything better.
He had other plans.
He stopped suddenly in the middle of the road. He whipped around to face me; he wore a Jason-style hockey mask.
A flash of silver made my blood run cold, and I froze, all the anger rushing out of me with a barely audible moan. “Fuck.”
The bullet hit me in the chest even before the snowball slid to the ground from my fist.
I fell to my knees as the world around me descended into chaos.
((JACKS POV)) ((Short RW))
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
I moved to get up, but something caught my eye. It was Kari. My chest hurt and it was hard to breath looking at her. People talk about broken hearts, I always thought it was a cheesy expression; but I was beginning to believe it, I could feel it continuing to break.
She waved her hand in the air carelessly and traveled toward the front door. I glared at her; she was completely fine while I was suffering. What the hell are you suffering for, Jack? You called it off. Forget about it! I argued with myself.
"It's all about Jerry, right?" Angel hollered, everyone’s emotions were strained and everyone was angry.
Bobby looked past me out the window, and then glanced around the room, he looked pale. I felt my stomach flip, something was seriously wrong. "Legs!?" Bobby called.
No answer.
Fuck. I got up out of my seat like it bit me, "Kari!" I yelled. I don't know why but I was suddenly scared out of my mind, she wasn't at the door - which was flung open and swaying in the icy breeze.
The four of us rushed to the front door and looked down the street…
…only to see Kari standing in front of a man in a mask with a gun.
…only to see a quick spray of blood from her chest after he pulled the trigger.
I felt sick. I screamed her name, trying to call her back to the house. It was no use though, she fell to her knees as her legs gave out. The shooter stepped forward and lowered the gun to her head, right between the eyes. NO!
"Get the fuck back, Jackie." Bobby growled quickly, shotgun in hand. My oldest brother walked in a dead calm down the front steps and brought up the weapon with amazing speed to shoot the masked man in the chest.
He fell, dead I assumed, onto the pavement. For a brief moment I thought it was over; but a van came peeling around the corner, buddies of the shooter.
Kari stumbled away trying to get to some level of safety. I blinked at the rapid gunfire that erupted against her leg, bringing her involuntary to her knees once again in a snow pile. I made a move to run to her, but Bobby forced me back into the house. Above the cracking of gunfire I could hear her screams.
For help.
For me.
Maybe this is better. I can leave. I can leave and know he doesn't care anymore. I've made him hate me now. I won't hurt him any more.
"Forget it. All of it, okay?" he hissed, refusing to look in my direction. As much as I tried to deny it, I felt my heart splinter and shatter. "Just... get out." he whispered. I turned and wrenched open the door to an angry looking Bobby.
…
About ten minutes later I had set my full bag on the floor, my knees were pulled up against my chest and my bottom lip quivered dangerously. It was cold in bed, even with a long sleeve shirt on and the blankets up to my chin I couldn't shake the cold, and I felt small in the world without Jack there. And I knew he wasn't sneaking in tonight – or any other night – no matter how I wished he would. I closed my eyes, the message of the paper burning on the back of my eyelids.
SORRY ABOUT MIKE.
-JACK PS: I LOVE YOU
The last line was scribbled over, but shined the brightest in my mind. And now I've ruined it. I always fuck things up!! The Mercers' would just be better if they'd never have met me! God Damn-it!
I dropped off into an uncomfortable and superficial sleep.
Goodbye, Detroit Goodbye, Mercers. Goodbye, Jack.
I woke up to Gabe Saporta asking me if I'd heard of his religion. "G-A-B-E gonna get you high..." I sang in a whispery voice. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know I slept in, now shut the fuck up." I grumbled as I slammed a fist onto the off button. "9:37 am" the clock read. God damn-it!
My alarm had originally been set for 6:30. However, I hadn't gotten the best nights sleep; so I'd slept through the alarm. By now everyone would be up, defeating my purpose of waking early. I was now going to be forced to spend the day with him.
My throat tightened at the thought. Hopefully they'll be too caught up with Jerry, I thought dismally. This thought brought a small ray of optimism that I wouldn't have to spend a lot of angry-awkward moments with the youngest Mercer brother. I was angry with him, and he was obviously furious with me, for good reasons, and stupid ones.
I slipped on a pair of ripped up jeans that were old and worn- my favorite pair, tied up my Converse and shoved my cell-phone into my back pocket. I found my best top: a white long-sleeve shirt with black writing: LIFE SUCKS... written on the front; and: ...THEN YOU DIE on the back. This was my best friend’s, Amanda, motto.
Amanda had gone online and made her own shirt and purchased two- hers was the reverse colors. She was my roommate back in Chicago. Wonder what she's up to. Oh, right. Wedding plans... almost forgot. Her boyfriend – Paul – had finally proposed. They were fucking crazy about each other. It made me sick, but I loved them both to death. I'm jealous. I admitted - even though it killed me to do so.
I turned the handle of my door when it was thrown open from the outside, I screamed: "Fuck!" as the door smacked my forehead. "What the hell!?"
There was a quick and half-hearted, "Sorry." Before Sofi attacked with questions, "What was with all the yelling last night? Why's Jack in such a pissy mood? Bobby's being more of a dick than usual." Okay, that last one wasn’t a question but…
All I could do was stand there, with my hand on my throbbing and now swelling head. "Shit." I groaned. I crossed my room, in the process nearly breaking my leg by tripping on my full bag, and struggled to open the window. Once that task was out of the way I gathered a handful of the fluffy white substance that was abundant in the late days of fall in Detroit. I rubbed the snow softly against my injured forehead, Well I don't think my luck could get any better today. I turned back to Sofi who was staring wide-eyed at my duffel bag.
"And what the hell is with the bag, chica?" she asked. Her tone was soft, though, and filled with concern. "What's going on?"
I didn’t want to talk to anyone about this, least of all to some on-again-off-again girlfriend of Angel’s. I lost it. "Nothing! That's what. Not a damn thing is going on, except that I'm leaving first chance I get,” she showed no signs of understanding what I had just said. "The yelling: Jack's apparently the jump-to-conclusions-jealous type. His attitude: well, I don't know. You'll have to ask him; because everything's just going the way he wants it to, now! And Bobby's mood: No FUCKING idea." I finished, throwing my hands in the air and the snow out the window into the street. I slammed the window shut, the glass shaking in its frame.
"I didn't mean Bobby was being mean to me." she said, she was smirking. I think Sofi's been spending too much time here with us – with theMercer brothers. She's even smirking now. She sat on the foot of my bed as she finished, "He's being abnormally cruel to a certain wannabe-rocker."
I raised an eyebrow at her, "Are you shitting me?"
"Nope." she smiled. She sat next to me and pushed my shoulders gently so I rocked side-to-side. "I may not be an expert, but, uh...I'm pretty sure Bobby knows now."
I laughed and shook my head, "Ya think!?" Bobby had been there when he'd heard Jack and I yelling. He'd be lying if he told me that he wasn’t worried Jack would snap again and I'd run off. Well, I was running off this time, but Jack had meant it when he said it would never happen again.
I would have hit me. I admitted silently. Bobby probably made Jack tell him. Good. I hope he gets a fucking earful from his older brother. Asshole. But the curse was only half hearted, and just a little spiteful.
I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair exasperatedly. I told Sofi the story; there was no getting her to just drop it.
"Aye-yah. Es muy malo, no?" she grumbled.
I laughed a little despite myself. "And today I've got the worst fucking luck. I was planning on leaving early this morning – don't give me that look – but I overslept. Then when I finally built up enough courage to actually go downstairs, I get beamed in the fucking head with my DOOR. And you dragged the story out of me and now that it's out there it means it wasn't a sucky-nightmare and it really happened and I... I am so screwed." I finished by throwing my hands in the air in frustration.
"I'm sorry he's a moron," Sofi hugged me. I nearly fell off the bed in surprise. She pulled back and gave me a sisterly smile, "and I'm sorry I hit you with the door."
I snickered, "It's okay, I deserved it. Let's go, shall we?"
The two of us ventured downstairs to find Bobby and Jack passing profanities at each other.
I didn't even look their way; there was no reason to. I made it into the kitchen to find Angel shaking his head, "What the fuck is going on?" he was obviously starting to get a headache from his family.
I just looked at Sofi and sighed. I walked over to the cupboards and found an apple that looked like it hadn’t gone bad yet. I took small bites, each time forcing myself to swallow; I wasn't exactly hungry.
"Well, that does explain it." Angel whistled. Sofi told him for me.
I just nodded slowly.
"You all right, baby girl?" he asked.
Angels' gentleness panged something inside of me. I felt the tears well up in my eyes as I opened my mouth to speak. To tell someone that I felt like shit; that the back of my shirt was the thing that kept crossing my mind: dying; that I felt like an asshole; that I was furious; that I was sorry.
Before I could, Bobby yelled for me from the other room. My body tightened up, adrenaline pumping through me as the thought of facing him became inevitable. But I wouldn't let him win; I blinked back the tears coolly and took a bigger bite of the apple. I'm a tough gal; holding in my emotions was a highly developed skill.
When I walked into the room I only looked at Bobby. However, out of the corner of my eye I could see Jack, tall, lean, in a white shirt with some black print on it. I could just see that his face was turned away from me and something unseen in the hall was captivating his sight.
"Look, Bobby." I said, interrupting whatever rant he was going to go on, "I really don't care. Whatever you feel you have to say isn't going to change anything. For once it really isn't your fight. So I suggest that whatever bad mood you've got now: stop wasting it on him and don't even start with me. Save it for Jerry. I think what happened to Evie is a hell of a lot more important than this." I said. My voice was cold and only angry. The overall emotionless attitude that was carried even scared me a bit; it was like I wasn't me. I raised the apple again to my mouth and took a bite.
Bobby just glared at me, angry and stunned. He was also obviously listening to what I said. He visibly relaxed his body.
Suddenly, my phone went off, "Well, shit. Most calls I've gotten all month." I joked dryly. I walked across the room and passed Jack, keeping myself away from him like he had a disease. It was only so that I wouldn't touch him; I'd crumble if I got that close.
I saw Jerry’s car pull up around the back of the house as I stepped onto the glass porch, "Jer's here!" I warned. I pulled my phone out and snapped it open. AMANDA. Well, that's ironic. I smirked.
"Hey! What's up, slut?" I giggled into the phone.
"Nice to hear from you, too." she said, I could hear her laughing. "Nothin' much. Where the fuck are you, you whore!? I stopped by to give you my last rent check and you was gone."
"'You was gone'...? I see your grammar went straight to hell. I had to get back to Detroit. Evelyn Mercer, the one I'm always talking about, she was shot and I had to come back and help her boys find her killer." I explained. I situated myself into the chair in the corner.
I could see into the house through a window, Jerry came in and got a face full of Bobby's fist.
"Wait. You had to help the Mercer brothers find their mothers' killer? Isn't that what the police are for?" she was genuinely confused.
Jerry was on the floor now, Bobby screaming in his face. I felt a pang of betrayal. I was unsure if it was against what Jerry might have done, or for Jerry that his brothers would believe he'd do that to their own mother.
"You obviously did not grow up in Detroit, honey. The cops don't do shit."
Jerry jumped to his feet; he punched Bobby in the mouth and the same to Angel, who stumbled across the room. I couldn't understand what they were saying, but they were furious. I could make out the back of Jack's head; he twitched uneasily in his seat.
"It's not working out with me here though. I'm headin' back west."
"You ok? You sound depressed." she was worried about me. At least somebody is.
"Yeah, I'm fine. And before you ask: yes I'm SURE." I teased. "I've just been a serious idiot, I was being stupid and blind."
"OK. Well I just wanted to check in and make sure you were still alive!! Paul, my mum and I were getting worried – we haven't heard from you in while – that's all." Amanda's mom was like Evie. She had a huge heart and was too nice for her own good. The fact that she reminds me of Evelyn is probably why she and I are closer than Amanda and I.
Jack must have raised a question because Jerry was yelling at him now.
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
I didn't even turn in my seat. "I gotta go Amanda, I'll see you soon." Jack got up, glancing out the window; I caught his eye, his expression softened for a second. I waved him off. I've got it. He narrowed his eyes at me like a child and sat back down.
I grasped the doorknob and pulled it open.
Only to be hammered in the face with a snowball. "Evelyn was a whore!" the hooded asshole flipped me off over his shoulder.
I leapt over the steps and scooped up a ball of snow all in one fluid motion. "Get your ass back here you little fuck! I'm only gonna kick your ass!"
My legs propelled me after him at an amazing speed. I was furious at what he said and he was there, why not take my pent-up anger out on him? He was the reason why my mother beat me. The reason why Evie was gone. The reason why Jack hated me. The reason why I didn't hate Jack. The reason why the Mercer family was beginning to rip itself apart. All I wanted to do was punch this kids face in to make everything better.
He had other plans.
He stopped suddenly in the middle of the road. He whipped around to face me; he wore a Jason-style hockey mask.
A flash of silver made my blood run cold, and I froze, all the anger rushing out of me with a barely audible moan. “Fuck.”
The bullet hit me in the chest even before the snowball slid to the ground from my fist.
I fell to my knees as the world around me descended into chaos.
((JACKS POV)) ((Short RW))
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
I moved to get up, but something caught my eye. It was Kari. My chest hurt and it was hard to breath looking at her. People talk about broken hearts, I always thought it was a cheesy expression; but I was beginning to believe it, I could feel it continuing to break.
She waved her hand in the air carelessly and traveled toward the front door. I glared at her; she was completely fine while I was suffering. What the hell are you suffering for, Jack? You called it off. Forget about it! I argued with myself.
"It's all about Jerry, right?" Angel hollered, everyone’s emotions were strained and everyone was angry.
Bobby looked past me out the window, and then glanced around the room, he looked pale. I felt my stomach flip, something was seriously wrong. "Legs!?" Bobby called.
No answer.
Fuck. I got up out of my seat like it bit me, "Kari!" I yelled. I don't know why but I was suddenly scared out of my mind, she wasn't at the door - which was flung open and swaying in the icy breeze.
The four of us rushed to the front door and looked down the street…
…only to see Kari standing in front of a man in a mask with a gun.
…only to see a quick spray of blood from her chest after he pulled the trigger.
I felt sick. I screamed her name, trying to call her back to the house. It was no use though, she fell to her knees as her legs gave out. The shooter stepped forward and lowered the gun to her head, right between the eyes. NO!
"Get the fuck back, Jackie." Bobby growled quickly, shotgun in hand. My oldest brother walked in a dead calm down the front steps and brought up the weapon with amazing speed to shoot the masked man in the chest.
He fell, dead I assumed, onto the pavement. For a brief moment I thought it was over; but a van came peeling around the corner, buddies of the shooter.
Kari stumbled away trying to get to some level of safety. I blinked at the rapid gunfire that erupted against her leg, bringing her involuntary to her knees once again in a snow pile. I made a move to run to her, but Bobby forced me back into the house. Above the cracking of gunfire I could hear her screams.
For help.
For me.