As they entered the basement, Anna headed towards a paneled wall.

“Mom! Why are we down here? We need to get going! These guys are just killing people for no reason. We need help!”

“Honey, you need to calm down! I have a bit more experience when it comes to this!”

At that, Anna took a hammer from a work bench and started knocking holes in the paneling. When she finished, two safes were there. Kari hadn't remembered that..
Once opened, a large cache of weapons were revealed.

“Mom…what is all this??”

“After what happened with your father, your uncle decided that we should prepare in case we were found out. He used the last of his connections to prepare the house for a damn war. We will need to supply heavily just in case. There's also a safe house underground. It's accessed through a crawl space in the other side of the room. We can spend the rest of the night in there. It's safe. Assuming you were followed, we need to get some rest.”

“I doubt we were followed, mom. Stu was very careful.”

“Careful or not, I'd be willing to bet that we have company real soon.”

As if on cue, gunfire was heard erupting into the upstairs. Glass was shattering as bullets were tearing through the place.

“Ok, mom…you were right!”

“Grab all the weapons and gear you can and let's get into the safe room!”

They all three grabbed what they could carry as if the world wasn't crumbling above them. They made their way into a room that resembled the sleeping space for the crew of a submarine. Anna sealed the entrance and they listened to the continued barrage.

“This is what it means to be involved with the mob. The only safe places are the ones you create for yourself. Your father gave that to us. He knew what it would take. I do wish your uncle was here. He's much better equipped for a siege.”

At that, Anna laid down in a cot. It would appear she was more interested in rest than discussing a plan.

“ I'm sorry, Stu. I didn't know that things would go this way.”

It's ok. Del knew. That's why he sent me with you. He knew you'd take off. He figured we'd be tracked somehow. I know he hoped your mom had a plan, but I didn't follow your blindly. I actually agree with your mom. I think we are going to need to rest. You should try as well. We've been going non-stop. We'll make a plan after the dust settles.”

Stu found himself a cot after wishing Kari goodnight. Now, she didn't know what to think. Everyone had been prepared for this excerpt her. She'd been flying blind this whole time. Del had known. Even her mom had. How was she supposed to be ready for this?

Kari laid in one of the cots. The gunfire had finally stopped. She had no idea how many were up there. Hopefully, they believed them all dead. She dozed off to the thought of whether she could take a life. Would she have to?

*

Steel watched the remnants of the house burning. He'd only brough ten of his men with him. That had been plenty. Del was in his trunk. He couldn't let the old man escape, even if he had been the one to give up the location. He motioned for his to pack up and take the pre-planned routes home. He now knew why Demetrius has been so obsessed with the girl. The daughter of Steven would rally a lot of other organizations to align themselves with Demetrius. Most monsters were about honor and loyalty. Luckily, Steel didn't suffer from such outdated notions. Romanticizing the life they led is how Steven was beaten so easily. Steel watched Demetrius's plan go up in smoke. They needed to escape before the authorities showed up. Demetrius couldn't know that Steel had moved against him. He took one more look behind them before telling his driver to get moving. He had a bigger fish to fry.

Del thought to himself that he was too old for this treatment. It had been years since he was shoved in a trunk. It would've been nostalgic if not for all the gunfire. He had to hope that Anna wss prepared for this kind of scenario. Knowing Steven and his brother, this place was always prepared. He hoped beyond hope that he hadn't just gotten them all killed. Though, in hindsight, this would probably be better than Kari being married to Demetrius. Lord, he hoped she was alright in spite of the thought. He wasn't sure he'd be around long enough to find out.

It was dark outside before the trio emerged from the safe house. Feeling rested, they surveyed the damage. The house was gone. Most of the basement was as well. The safes had both survived, and they looked as if there hadn't even been a fire.

“Ok. How do we get back now?”, Kari was feeling upset at the idea of leaving Del to possibly be killed.

“Honey, I told you I have more experience.”
Anna walked to the edge of a ridge not far away. Pulling a hidden lever, an opening appeared. Inside the hidden garage was a combat ready Humvee.

“It's not the most up-to-date model. We had to scavenge for some of the weapons and plating. As long as the stick to bullets we should be fine. What was your name again? Stu?”

He perked up.

“Yes, ma'am.”

“What do you know about firing a mounted forty cal.?”

“I did a tour in Iraq and Afghanistan, ma'am.”

Anna smiled and nodded.

“Thank you for your service. I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask a little more of you.”

I don't mind, ma'am. I've only just met Kari, but if she's enough to get Del back in the game, I'll gladly fight to protect her!”

“Well soldier, I appreciate your eagerness, but we are more like mercs than soldiers. And phrase, stop with the ma'am nonsense. You can call me Anna. I promise not to have you court martialed!”

“Yes, ma…..uma.....uhhh…. I mean thank you, Anna.”

As they both smiled a little too long at each other, Kari was getting flustered.

“Oh my god! You two can get a room later! Can we please get going!?!?”

Stu blushed as Anna gave a full facial frown.

“Honey, life doesn't wait for you. That's one thing you young people take for granted. You have t take chances. We are about to take a big chance for a man i don't even care about. But he my baby girl. Even if I'll always blame him for your father's death. So, if I see a handsome hunk of man that knows how to handle his….his….forty cal, I'm gonna be sure he knows how attractive he is!

Stu went pure crimson.

“I'll load the truck”, he said as he walked away.

Kari and Anna looked at each other and started laughing.

“I've missed you, mom!”

“I've missed you too, daughter!”

For a moment, they managed to put aside the seriousness of the task at hand. But as they stayed towards the city, they were trying to mentally prepare themselves. Anna and Stu understood the score, but neither was sure about Kari.

Before going into hiding, her uncle had stayed around to teach her survival skills as she grew older. Hopefully, that little bit stuck with her. At age sixteen, she had stopped sitting guns and started shooting texts. Anna had wanted her to have a normal life. She should've kept preparing her. Would she be able to aim with one eye? No one wanted to bring that up. They rode on in silence. They'd know in another half an hour.

****

As Steel got back to the club, he was met by some of Demetrius's men. Their guns were already drawn. He told his men to stand down. Before exiting the car, he whispered to his chief guard “If it looks like things are going bad, we will be sure to fight our way out. Tell the others.”

“Whoa fellas! I'm coming along peaceful-like. Let's not let those trigger fingers get itchy.”

He handed over his holstered weapon and put his hands up. He overheard once of them telling their mic that they had him and were bringing him in. So, Demetrius already knew what he'd done. He hadn't planned for that. It didn't change this though. He'd find a way to turn this around. Big Simple should've stayed out of the way. Change was coming. And it was coming soon.

Del heard the commotion and decided to keep quiet. If he was very lucky, they'd forget he was in the trunk. They had much more pressing matters to attend to. He counted out ten minutes and pulled the release lever. He guessed Steel had forgotten this little modern convenience. Rolling out onto the ground, he hit a little harder than he meant to. An “oof” escaped his lips, and he feared a guard might've heard it. There weren't any guards. Del knew the signs of a power struggle when he sees one. He slipped into the driver's seat of the car and drove away. He really was getting too old for this game. He headed towards his emergency safe house. The game wasn't over yet. He needed to know if Kari survived the attack. And what of Anna and Stu. He didn't even know about his people at the other safe house. Too many variables to plan. He knew one thing for sure. It was time to call in a few favors. He had to see this through to the end. No place in the city would be safe until this was settled.

© The Moonlight Bard