Switching back to Jane voice, I showed him my teeth, pulling back my top lip in a snarl when I said, ‘I stopped a hideous monster.’
Madness filled his eyes. ‘You’re not worthy of my song, you freak.’ He rushed me then, throwing himself at me bodily.
I’m not a fighter, and I had to weigh fifty pounds less than him. Good thing I’d picked up a large wooden ornament from a shelf then.
His lunge was uncontrolled and ill-thought presenting his head as an easy target. I brought the novelty carved owl upward in a two-handed swing that connected under his chin.
Honestly, I wanted it to last longer. There was a primal need in me to rain down blow after blow in a cathartic release of pent-up rage.
Yet the first blow felled him as surely as someone pressing the off switch.
I got to do that because Tempest beat the crap out of the remaining two acolytes before they could get to me. I’d done something heroic. I’d beaten the Sandman and I felt a sense of relief that defied words.
When Tempest pulled me into his arms and hugged me, I burst into tears.
Tempest. Grey Hair. Saturday, December 24th 1648hrs
Emerging from the house, we found ourselves surrounded by armed police. Mercifully, they recognised us for what we were and treated us as gently as they could when they dragged us to the side so they could swarm into the building.
The scene in front of the house was one of relatively organised chaos. There were police everywhere and the noise from a helicopter high above was causing them to have to shout to be heard. The Sandman’s followers in the black robes had been rounded up and were in cuffs. Medics were attempting to resuscitate someone – it looked like another of the monks – but I was looking only for my friends and the other freed captives.
Amanda spotted me and called out. Waving and shouting until she was sure she had my attention, she barged her way through the press of people to get to me.
‘Oh, goodness, Tempest, you’re bleeding,’ she gasped on seeing my face up close.
‘It’s just a small cut on my scalp.’ Actually I didn’t know how big it was and figured it might need stitches to close it. ‘Is everyone okay?’ I asked the only question I wanted an answer to.
‘We’re all fine,’ Amanda sobbed, a happy and relieved tear running down her cheek as she pulled Jane into a hug.
Jan arrived then, embracing Jane, and staying that way as Amanda took my arm and we wandered away.
Big Ben emerged from the dark with a monk’s robe over his left arm.
‘Is there a naked monk around here somewhere?’ I asked, unsure what was going on.
Amanda sniggered.
Big Ben adjusted his arms, producing a pair of underpants. With a grin he said, ‘Yup. I found Smiler and thought he might enjoy a little natural time.’
Shaking my head, I said, ‘Ben you are so weird.’
It was a moment of joviality at the end of a day that had been filled with awfulness and fear.
‘Weird?’ he scoffed. ‘I think you mean gorgeous, brave, and back in the game.’
‘What are you talking about?’ Amanda asked.
Big Ben flicked his head to make his hair shimmy in the night sky. It was like watching a commercial.
‘I figured out why I kept striking out today,’ he claimed, looking around for something. When his eyes stopped roving, he said, ‘Ah, she’ll do.’
Amanda growled grumpily. ‘Ben, you’ve been striking out because women don’t like being shagged and never called again. Trust me on this. We had a meeting; you’re not getting any more action. Ever.’
He shot her a grin and waved his arm to attract a member of the tactical unit.
‘I’ve been striking out,’ he announced, ‘Because I had a grey hair. I used my phone to take a video of my strikingly beautiful face and spotted it at the front of my hair line.’
I couldn’t stop myself from laughing at him. ‘Ben a single grey hair is not going to have any effect on whether a woman finds a man attractive.’
‘Oh, yeah? Well, watch this. I had a grey hair and I’ve been striking out all day. I’ve plucked the grey hair …’ the cop in the tactical unit uniform arrived and we got to see that beneath the helmet and armour it was a woman.
She unclipped her chinstrap and removed the helmet, shaking out her hair which fell in lustrous locks, cascading over her shoulder to frame olive skin and full, pouting lips.
Ben said, ‘Hey, babe, that was exciting. How about you and I go somewhere and get to know each other?’
Amanda and I were both silent, waiting for her to slap his face or make a disgusted noise and wander off.
She grabbed his sleeve and dragged him away.
Amanda’s jaw dropped open. I nudged it shut again with a gentle finger and held her to me.
Tempest. Doing Something I Probably Shouldn’t. Saturday, December 24th 1715hrs
Big Ben caught up with us as we were wandering back down toward the carpark. We had to pass the bunker to get there and saw the police bringing out the Sandman’s men. I didn’t know if we had them all or not, I figured the police would work that out, but I wasn’t going to put any thought to it now.
‘Feeling better?’ I asked my oversized friend.
‘Much better, thank you.’
Amanda made a disgusted
