I nodded solemnly.“Mission parameters received, commander.”
This earned me a snort from Zelda and a giggle from Kira.Small victories, but each one mattered when it came to those girls.They’d been at the compound for nearly a month now, and while I wouldn’t say Zelda fully trusted me yet, she tolerated me.OK, so, more than tolerated.She’d started leaving little notes on my desk when I was working, mostly sarcastic comments about my taste in music or suggestions for “less embarrassing” clothes.Coming from Zelda, this was practically a declaration of love.
And Kira… Christ, that kid had attached herself to me like I was her personal bodyguard or something.She’d taken to sitting between me and Penny during movie nights, her small body gradually leaning into mine until she’d eventually fall asleep.The first time it happened, I’d frozen, terrified of moving and waking her, of breaking whatever fragile trust had formed between us.Since Penny had also fallen asleep, I’d sat there for three hours, arm tingling with numbness.I felt happier than I could remember being since before Julie died.
There had been no incidents since the bomb threat at Haven.Knight had upgraded our security systems twice more, and we’d established new protocols for leaving the compound.Today was the first time we’d ventured out without additional backup, but I’d thoroughly vetted the route, and I’d done three separate passes by the mall over the last week to check for suspicious activity.Nothing.Andrew Harlow had gone quiet.Too quiet for my liking, but Penny needed this.The girls needed this.A normal family Christmas shopping trip.
“This feels like a dream,” Penny said softly beside me, her voice barely audible over the radio playing Christmas songs.“Being in a car, going to the mall two days before Christmas like a normal family.”She looked at me, her eyes bright.“I never thought I’d have this again.I never thought I’d want it.”
Something caught in my throat.I squeezed her fingers gently.“You deserve normal,” I said.“All three of you do.”I cleared my throat and raised my voice.“Even if I do have to listen to ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ on repeat for the next three days.”That got a laugh from all my girls.
Penny leaned over and kissed my cheek, her lips warm against my skin.Behind us, Zelda made a gagging noise, but there was no heat in it.Just a kid being a kid, embarrassed by adult affection.Normal, like Penny said.The kind of normal I’d kill to protect.
We’d been on the road for about ten minutes when I noticed the dark sedan following too closely behind us, its windows tinted beyond what was legal in Tennessee.My gut tightened, the way it always did when trouble was brewing.I’d felt that same tension countless times in the yard at Terre Haute, right before everything went to hell.
I kept my face neutral, not wanting to alarm Penny or the girls.The sedan dropped back slightly but remained behind us through the next three turns.Coincidence, maybe.But I didn’t believe in coincidences, not when it came to protecting what was mine.
“You know what?”I said casually, “I think we might swing by that coffee place you like first.Get some fuel for shopping.”
Penny glanced at me, her brow furrowing slightly.She knew me well enough now to sense the shift in my tone, subtle as it was.Her eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, then back to me, a silent question.
I gave an almost imperceptible nod, then reached for my phone on the console.Knight needed to know we had a tail.My fingers had just brushed the screen when the world exploded into motion and noise.The sedan sped up, ramming us from behind, the impact jolting us forward violently.Penny screamed as did the girls.I gripped the wheel with both hands, fighting to maintain control as the Bronco fishtailed.
“Hold on!”I shouted.Before I could recover, two more vehicles appeared, one cutting in front of us, the other alongside, boxing us in.The maneuver was professional, coordinated.Not random road rage.A planned attack.
The vehicle beside us swerved sharply, forcing us off the road and onto the shoulder.The Bronco skidded over gravel and dirt, the tires fighting for purchase.I managed to bring us to a controlled stop before we hit the ditch.
As dust settled around us, I saw Andrew Harlow stepping out of the lead car, flanked by two men built like linebackers, but not as big as me.Harlow’s face bore none of the polished businessman mask he’d worn at Haven.His expression was pure rage.
“Stay in the car,” I told Penny, softly.“Lock the doors when I get out.”
“Tiny, no --”
But I was already moving.The rage I’d kept carefully banked for years rose inside, familiar and almost welcome.
Andy’s eyes locked with mine as I opened the door, and I saw recognition there.Not so much of who I was, but of what I was.Andrew Harlow knew I represented a big fucking threat to him.I was also the thing standing between him and what he wanted.What he was never going to get.
I charged out of the Bronco as the first attacker reached for the rear door where Kira sat.Penny screamed as a second man yanked open her door when she didn’t get them locked fast enough.Zelda let loose an enraged scream, fierce as any battle cry I’d ever heard.The cold air bit at my skin, but I barely felt it.
The attacker reached for Kira’s door, likely thinking he’d taken me out with the kick he’d delivered to my thigh when I’d staggered.He’d just managed to get his meaty fingers on the door handle when I slammed into him with the full force of my body.The impact drove the air from his lungs in a satisfying whoosh.Pretty sure I heard a rib snap.I didn’t hesitate, following through with an uppercut that snapped his head back.The familiar crunch of cartilage under my knuckles told me I’d broken his nose.
“Tiny!”Penny’s voice cut through the air, sharp with terror.
I spun to see the second man had her by the arm, trying to drag her from the passenger seat.Her feet scrabbled against the floor mat as she fought him, her free hand clawing at his face.The sight of him on her sent a fresh surge of rage through me.
Zelda appeared like a demon from the back seat, her small body launching over her mother’s shoulder.She latched onto the man’s arm, teeth sinking into his wrist while her fingernails raked across his eyes.The man howled, his grip on Penny loosening just enough for her to wrench herself partway free.
“You little bitch!”he snarled, backhanding Zelda hard enough to snap her head back.
Something primal broke loose inside me at the sight of her head rocking back from the blow.I lunged toward them, but the guy I was fighting grabbed me from behind, his arm locking around my throat.I drove my elbow back into his solar plexus once, twice, three times until his grip slackened.
“Get off my mom!”Zelda screamed, her voice cracking with rage and fear.On the other side of the Bronco, I caught a glimpse of Andy yanking open the rear door.He reached in, grabbing for Zelda’s ankle as she kicked wildly at his face.Kira’s terrified shriek filled the air as she scrambled across the seat, away from Andy’s grasping hands.
“Kira, lock the door!”I shouted, then grunted as this guy landed a blow to my kidney.I spun, delivering a headbutt that connected with his already broken nose.Fresh blood sprayed between us, hot against my skin as it painted my face.He staggered back, giving me a precious second to assess the situation.
Penny was half out of her seat now, still struggling with her attacker.It looked like the only thing keeping her in was her seat belt.Zelda had been pulled from the vehicle, her small frame twisting like a wildcat in Andy’s grip.Kira remained in the back seat, Mr.Hoppers clutched to her chest, her eyes wide with terror.I needed to end this fast.
I grabbed my attacker by his jacket and drove my knee into his groin, following with a right hook that dropped him to one knee.Without pausing, I pivoted toward Penny and her attacker, aiming a kick at the back of the man’s knee that buckled his leg.As he faltered, Penny wrenched free of his grip and scrambled backward.
