e Shaff

ed dead in the center

pristine grass. They stared at me-platinum blonde hair,

mpled BOLO flyer in his meaty

o, Amber and

ling, manicured finger. "Hammer! That's Caro

onto the lawn. A grotesque, yellow-too

h loud, sickening pops. "Looks like Christmas came early.

tilting my head. "Turn around, walk out tha

howled wit

The little mouse

er l

unds of dense muscle and beer gut. His right hook came

stepped directly i

ve graze my cheek. With explosive, mechanical torque, my steel-toed combat b

AC

loud, like a dry hickory

a grotesque forty-five-degree angle. He crashed onto the lawn, clutch

shed. His face d

hing into his boot and flicking o

sperate upward slash aime

ed his wrist with both hands. Twisting clockwise with surgical leverage, I popped

m struck the side of his neck-a concussi

s rolled into the back of his head, and he crumpled i

ed time: tw

reathing slowly through my nose, and sco

oaked with her own terrified urine. Susan was desperately trying to

steps, the silver blade

Amber whimpered, scuttli

ng the flat of the cold stee

?" I asked softly, my voice as calm as a summer breeze. "W

ine, I'm sorry! We

joke," I

brought it down har

N

, echoing through the neighborhood and

er by the throat, slamming her against the vinyl siding of t

man's ear, my eyes blazing. "Who gives you the vials

ace. "I don't know! Gaven leaves the pre-mixed ampoules in

concrete, sobbing uncontrolla

f sirens ripped

round the corner, tearing over the curb a

a twelve-gauge shotgun leveled directly at my chest. S

ON YOUR KNEES! NOW

ade onto the grass and

aded barrels, ru

ckm

his county, badges didn

he earth beneath our