\r\nCarmen took a deep breath before knocking. She made sure her hat was\r\non straight and her jacket looked even, then gently knocked on the\r\ndoor. She heard footsteps coming up to the door, along with the sound\r\nof a crying infant. The door opened and she was greeted with the\r\nsight of a woman about her age, holding a very upset baby.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n“Yes? Can I help you?” the woman asked, trying to comfort her\r\nchild.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n“Good morning, ma’am, I’m-” The wail of the child interrupted\r\nCarmen, causing her to awkwardly smile. “I’m Carmen Ahearn of\r\nAhearn Investigations. I was hoping to-“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\nOnce again, the child let out a scream, causing the woman to get\r\nflustered as she tried to calm her child.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n“I’m sorry, miss Ahearn; my daughter hasn’t been well,” the woman\r\nsaid.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n“No, my apologies, miss; I’m sorry to-“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\nAnother wail from the child came out, almost piercing Carmen’s ears.\r\nShe was about to speak when Nuala interjected.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n“Pardon me, miss, but may I hold her?” Nuala asked, displaying\r\nthe sweetest smile she could.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\nThe woman raised an eyebrow at Nuala, seeing her standing just barely\r\nabove half of Carmen’s height. “Uh… I suppose so. You won’t steal\r\nher?” the woman asked. Nuala shook her head, still broadly smiling.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\nThe woman gently bent over, allowing Nuala to take the girl. Nuala\r\ngently held the child, her brilliant face reflecting happiness at the\r\nbaby.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n“Poor dear, she’s really not well at all,” Nuala remarked, gently\r\nbrushing the baby’s hair. The child instantly calmed down and looked\r\nat Nuala’s face with curiosity. Then Nuala held a hand to the side of\r\nthe child’s face and whispered a barely audible incantation, one\r\nwhich she knew the woman wouldn’t be able to hear. The baby instantly\r\nsmiled and blubbered, moving it’s hands around and causing Nuala to\r\nlaugh.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n“She’s beautiful, miss. You’re very fortunate,” Nuala said,\r\nletting her brilliant smile make the child happy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\nThe woman held a hand to her chest and smiled. “You’re the first\r\nstranger to hold her, miss. Do you have any children of your own? You\r\nseem experienced.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\nNuala shook her head, then looked up to the woman. “No, I haven’t\r\nhad the pleasure yet. Soon, I hope.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n“She’s my first and it’s been difficult, but I wouldn’t trade it\r\nfor the world. Now, what can I do for you?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\nCarmen cleared her throat and began, “We’re looking for a boy,\r\nabout 9 years old, English accent, looks Italian, amber eyes, goes by\r\nthe name of ‘Wyn.’ “<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\nThe woman thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Sorry, I\r\ndon’t know anyone by that name. What’s he done?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n“Nothing; his family is lookin’ for him, thinks he ran away. We\r\nobtained information that indicates that he might be in this area, so\r\nwe’re investigating any leads here.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\nThe woman frowned and looked at Nuala. “He’s not your husband, is\r\nhe?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\nNuala, still playing with the child, let out a light laugh. “No,\r\nno. I’m not part of any tribe; I’m engaged to a barista.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\nCarmen lifted an eyebrow at Nuala. “Engaged”? She gets one\r\ndate with Ranieri and she’s already “engaged”? And she hasn’t\r\neven gone on the date yet!<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe woman chuckled. “Oh, okay. Maybe you can invite me and my\r\nhusband to your wedding; we’ll be happy to witness it for you.\r\nGertrude seems so accepting of you.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nNuala looked up to the woman and smiled. “How kind of you! I would\r\nlike that, since I don’t have many friends here.” Nuala looked back\r\nto the baby. “And I very much would like to see you, Gertrude,\r\nthere as well.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nGertrude squealed with happiness and blubbered a bit more, causing\r\nNuala to laugh again.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“My name is Margaret Weaver and my husband is John. He manages a\r\ntextile factory in Lawndale. Please, come in,” Margaret said,\r\nopening the door and offering Nuala and Carmen to enter.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nCarmen cleared her throat again. “Apologies, miss Weaver, but we\r\nhave much more work to do. Perhaps another time. If you see the boy I\r\ndescribed to you, will you give him my card?” She pulled another\r\ntattered card from her satchel and handed it to Margaret.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nMargaret smiled and took the card, looking at it and nodding. “I\r\nwill, detective Ahearn.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Okay, Gertrude; you need to go back with your mother,” Nuala\r\nsaid, preparing to hand Gertrude back to Margaret. Margaret bent over\r\nand took her daughter back, noting that she was fast falling asleep\r\nin Nuala’s arms.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You have a way with children, young woman. You’ll make an\r\nexcellent mother,” Margaret said, then frowned. “I don’t think I\r\nheard your name.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Nuala Saar, miss Weaver. Soon to be Nuala Pietro,” Nuala\r\nanswered, positively beaming.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nMargaret gently laughed. “Remember to invite me to your wedding,\r\nmiss Saar. Good day, detective Ahearn.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nNuala lightly bowed and Margaret closed the door behind her, leaving\r\nCarmen and Nuala alone again. Nuala pulled out the small notebook she\r\nwas using to record where they’ve visited and made another note.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Another one busted. Guess we’ll have to continue down the street,”\r\nCarmen remarked, turning back to the sidewalk. Nuala followed while\r\nstuffing her notebook back into her bag.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“There’s not many houses left on this block; we’ve got to be\r\ngetting close soon,” Nuala said, adjusting her glasses.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“By the way, ‘engaged’? Somehow I doubt you’ve told Ranieri about\r\nthat yet.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nNuala shrugged. “It put her at ease, so you can’t say it didn’t\r\nwork. Besides, you know I’m hoping to get that far.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Just be careful with the spells. I saw you cast that healing\r\nspell; some people might not be too appreciative of you doing that.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Gertrude needed it, Carmen. She was starting to catch a cold.\r\nMargaret probably hasn’t been keeping her warm enough nor well-fed\r\nenough; Margaret needs to eat more herself, as well — she can’t\r\nprovide enough milk for Gertrude in her current state.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nCarmen shook her head. “I’m a bit scared to ask how you were able\r\nto figure all that out.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Let’s call it lessons from my mother and grandmother, then leave\r\nit at that,” Nuala replied, her face turning slightly red as she\r\ntried to suppress a blush.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Fair enough. Well, let’s see that-” Carmen halted for a moment\r\nand narrowed her eyes at a house across the street.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“See what?” Nuala asked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Hey, Nuala — does that door look damaged to you?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nNuala looked around, unsure of what Carmen was talking about. “Which\r\ndoor?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nCarmen pointed across the street and Nuala squinted her eyes, trying\r\nto focus.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I can’t tell,” Nuala mumbled after a moment.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Let’s check it out,” Carmen said, making a brisk pace across the\r\nstreet while Nuala tried to keep up. Nuala jumped up and flew for a\r\nshort distance to maintain her pace with Carmen.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Carmen! Slow down!” Nuala exclaimed, trying to catch her breath.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nCarmen stopped and began to reach for her pistol. “Nuala, hide\r\nbehind the tree there. This is going to get messy.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nNuala panted and looked up to Carmen. “What’s going on?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“There’s traces of magic here — not portal magic, but attack\r\nmagic. Someone used a firebolt to open that door.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nNuala looked to the door on the house and saw the scorch marks —\r\nthey were subtle on the black door but the white frame emphasized the\r\nbrown discoloration. She looked up to Carmen and nodded, then flew\r\nover to the oak tree by the sidewalk, hiding behind it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nCarmen drew out her pistol and thumbed the hammer back, then held the\r\npistol behind her back as she casually walked up to the door. She\r\nknocked on the door with her left hand, the door slightly rattling\r\ndue to the looseness on the frame. Yeah, that’s been hit alright.\r\nThe place doesn’t look abandoned and the scorch marks look recent. I\r\nthink I can even smell the sulfur, too.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yeh, yeh! Comin’!” a voice shouted, a thick Irish accent behind\r\nit.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nAs I suspected — probably Irish mafia. McAleese’s goons, most\r\nlikely, <\/em>Carmen thought to herself.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe door opened and Carmen found herself face to face with a short,\r\nugly looking Irish man.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Whaddya want, lady?” the man asked, rubbing his eyes. His jaw\r\nthen dropped open as he got a better look at Carmen. His brain fired\r\ninto a higher gear and he tried to salvage his situation. “Oh,\r\ner… Pardon me, miss! Dun usually git ladies of yer caliber ‘ere!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nCarmen smiled. “I’m lookin’ for a boy — about 9 years old,\r\nItalian appearance, amber eyes, English accent, goes by the name of\r\n‘Wyn.’ Have you seen him around here?”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe man’s eyes widened as he recognized Carmen’s description, then he\r\nfrowned and looked away as he tried to come up with a decent lie.\r\n“Uh… Nope! Ain’t seen no boy lahk that ’round ‘ere, miss! But\r\nuh… I could… Give ya one,” the man said, a grin appearing on\r\nhis face.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nCarmen laughed. “You’re cute. I like you,” she said, trying to\r\nhide her disgust.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe door rattled and opened fully, with a more handsome, taller Irish\r\nman pushing the first one aside. “Git outta the way, Ham! My\r\napologies, miss! Ham lacks manners; pay ‘im no mind,” he said,\r\nstill struggling to push the first man aside.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nCarmen felt a grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. Ah, boys —\r\nsometimes they’re just so easy to manipulate. Too bad McAleese didn’t\r\ngive them a good description of me; they don’t have a clue.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“So, have you seen a boy matching that description?” Carmen asked\r\nthe other man.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Uh, describe him for me again, please,” the man said, a bright\r\nsmile on his face.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“About 9 years old, thick English accent, looks Italian, amber\r\neyes, answers to the name of ‘Wyn.’ “<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Hmm.” The man thought, rubbing his chin before responding,\r\n“Maybe. Not common ’round these parts, but I might’ve seen a boy in\r\nour yard out here before. Woulda been a few days ago, though, and he\r\ndidn’t stick around for long.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nHam came up and tried to push his companion away. “Git outta the\r\nway, Gerry! I saw ‘er first!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nGerry pushed back. “Yer too ugly, Ham! You ain’t never gonna bed a\r\nwoman like this, ‘less you pay ‘er! Git!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Ya ain’t givin’ me a chance, Gerry! C’mon!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Back da fuck away, Ham! You ain’t good ’nuff!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Uh, gentlemen-” Carmen tried to interrupt.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“C’mon, Gerry! I need ‘er! She’s a fine’un!” Ham exclaimed,\r\nignoring Carmen.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“‘Need’ ‘er?! Ham, ya only need a whiskey n’ a spare hand!” Gerry\r\nshouted back.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Guys!” Carmen shouted, causing the two men to quit arguing and\r\nlook to her. She sighed and adjusted her jacket with her left hand.\r\n“Please, it’s important that I find this boy. His family is looking\r\nfor him and they’re all very concerned about his well-being.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I’s toldja, I neva-” Ham tried to say, but was cut off by Gerry.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“He was in the yard a few days ago, miss,” Gerry said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Wasn’t!” Ham exclaimed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Was too!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Ain’t neva been in dis yard befo’!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“God damn it, Ham! He wa-“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nThe sound of tires screeching on the street caused all three of them\r\nto look to the street to see a car coming to a sudden stop on the\r\ncurb. A man jumped out and Carmen instantly recognized him as Jessie\r\nEoghan. Ah, shit.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Ya fuckin’ idjits!” Jessie shouted, “That’s Carmen! Carmen\r\nAhearn!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nCarmen looked back to Ham and Gerry, giving them an embarrassed\r\nsmile. The two men frowned, then looked at one another.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Fer real? Dis smokin’ hot lady is Carmen Ahearn?!” Ham said with\r\ndisbelief.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Nah, canna be!” Gerry exclaimed, looking at Carmen from top to\r\nbottom. “This gal is way too polite!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Ya slack jawed fuckin’ morons! She’s got a fuckin’ gun behind her\r\nback!” Jessie shouted from the street.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Oh. Oh. Yeh. That be bad,” Ham said, his brain running in\r\noverdrive to process what Jessie meant.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nGerry looked with surprise as he realized that Carmen’s right hand\r\nwas behind her back, then opened his jacket to grab for the revolver\r\ntucked in his waistband. Carmen, being faster on the uptake, grabbed\r\nhis shoulder with her left hand, pulling him closer and off balance,\r\nthen thrust her knee right into Gerry’s crotch, causing him to grab\r\nhis nether regions and painfully groan.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Mother… Fuck… Er…” Gerry whimpered out, falling to his\r\nknees. Carmen then came around with her right hand, using the butt of\r\nher pistol to smack Gerry in the side of his head, causing him to\r\nfall completely over while holding his crotch and his head. She then\r\nleveled her pistol right at Ham’s head, causing him to go cross-eyed\r\nas he stared down the .44 caliber bore.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Playtime’s over, Mr. Ham!” Carmen growled. “Where’s the kid?!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“We missed ‘im! Honest to God, we missed ‘im!” Ham shouted,\r\nholding his hands up.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nCarmen\r\npointed her pistol at Ham’s crotch. “Last chance, or say au\r\nrevoir <\/em>to\r\nyour favorite toy!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I’s swear, da good Lord strahk me down, I ain’t-“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nGunshots rang out and the sound of impacts over Carmen’s head caused\r\nher to dive aside while Ham ducked back inside and slammed the door.\r\nCarmen looked back to the road to see Jessie holding a revolver,\r\ntaking careful aim at her. She swung her pistol around and fired a\r\npair of shots, the sound of authority emitting from her pistol. She\r\nwas rewarded with a pair of hits on Jessie’s car, just missing him\r\nbut causing him to fall back and hide behind it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nCarmen got up and tried to run around behind the house, but was\r\ntripped by Gerry, reaching out to grab her ankle while still holding\r\nhis crotch.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“If’n you hurt me balls, I’ll toss ya right to Ham instead!”\r\nGerry growled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nCarmen brought her leg around and kicked Gerry in the face, causing a\r\ncrunch to sound as she broke his nose. He screamed and let go of her,\r\nbringing both of his hands to his face as his nose started bleeding.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I’d be more worried about your face, asshole!” Carmen shouted,\r\nleaping up just in time to hear more gunshots as she ducked around\r\nthe corner of the house.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Give it up, Carmen! You can’t win!” Jessie shouted.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Neither can you, cabbage-brains!” Carmen shouted back.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n “I- What the fuck?! What kinda insult is that?!” Jessie exclaimed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nCarmen ducked out and took careful aim at Jessie while he was\r\nconfused, firing off a single round. She forgot to compensate for the\r\ndrop, so instead of hitting him in the chest, the round bounced off\r\nthe ground and went into his right calf. He screamed and bounced\r\naround on one foot, cursing with all his might.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Shit! God damn it! Fuck! Bitch!” Jessie screamed, but before\r\nCarmen could finish him off, he ducked back down and sat behind the\r\nwheel of his car, leaving her no openings.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nCarmen\r\nslid back and dropped the magazine from her pistol, counting the\r\nrounds. Three in\r\nthe magazine, one in the chamber. And I’ve got no reloads — shit.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nCarmen slipped the magazine back into the pistol, then carefully\r\nducked out to see Jessie eyeing her from his car. He fired one round\r\nat her, forcing her to return to cover.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I toldja, you can’t win, whore!” Jessie shouted, “Give it up!\r\nDon’t make me kill ya — the boss would like ya alive!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Over my dead body!” Carmen shouted back.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Fine, be that-“<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nA burst of lightning hit Jessie’s car, leaving behind a nasty scorch\r\nmark and causing him to fall backwards.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“What da-” Before Jessie could finish his sentence, another bolt\r\nof lightning struck him in the chest, causing him to blubber and fall\r\nflat on the ground, shaking as if he had grabbed a live electric\r\nwire.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Carmen! I have you covered!” Nuala shouted, standing on a branch\r\nof the oak tree she had been hiding behind.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I gotta check the house, Nuala!” Carmen replied.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“He’s not there, Carmen! We have to leave!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“You don’t know that!” Carmen moved around, looking for a back\r\ndoor. She saw one and ran up to it, using her foot to break it down\r\nand roll through it. She did a quick analysis of her surroundings and\r\nnoted the washroom to her right and a doorway to her left, leading to\r\na dining room. She carefully went forward, seeing a common room for\r\nthe entryway ahead and a stairway on her left.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Wyn?!\r\nAre you here?” Carmen shouted. She suddenly felt an arm around her\r\nchest, then another grabbed her hand and pointed her pistol away. She\r\ntried to fight with her aggressor, glancing behind herself to\r\nrecognize it as Ham. Naturally!\r\nSmart detective work there, Carmen! Who else would it be?!<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I toldja, da kid ain’t ‘ere!” Ham grunted out, fighting with\r\nCarmen.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Why don’t I believe you, then?!” Carmen growled back, trying to\r\nget Ham to release her chest. He swung her arm around and smacked her\r\nright hand against a wall, causing her to drop the pistol. He then\r\nused both his hands to hold onto Carmen, trying to control her with\r\none hand on her chest and the other on her arm.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Ya got fight in ya, lady! Whys dontcha lemme give ya a kid — ya\r\ndun need Wyn!” Ham lustfully said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“In the words of John Paul Jones,” Carmen grunted, grabbing Ham’s\r\nneck with her left hand, “I have not yet begun to fight!” She put\r\nall of her might into leaning forward, pulling Ham over her head and\r\nusing her legs to swing him forward and down. He went over and down,\r\ncrashing into the floor with a solid thunk, releasing her as the\r\nimpact forced air out of his lungs and her hat tumbling off along\r\nwith him.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Whoof… Yer… Yer good…” Ham wheezed out. Carmen panted and\r\njumped forward, grabbing her pistol off the floor and pointing it at\r\nHam as he sat up.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I suggest you gather your friend,” Carmen said, breathing\r\nheavily, “and get the fuck out of here before I give you a .44\r\ncaliber lobotomy.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nHam stood up then bent over to brace himself, both hands on his\r\nknees. “Nah. Ya ain’t gonna shoot me. Ya woulda dun it by now.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Don’t push your luck,” Carmen growled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Imma take you n’ youse gonna lahk it,” Ham said, standing up\r\nstraight and beginning to walk over to Carmen. She responded by\r\nfiring a single shot, hitting Ham right in the chest. He wheezed for\r\na moment and shivered, then fell to his knees, gently holding his\r\nchest wound.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“I’s…\r\nThought… Lobot… Loboto…” Ham mumbled out, then fell over\r\ncompletely. Carmen sighed and relaxed her arm, looking around.\r\nShoulda listened\r\nto Nuala. Damn it.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nCarmen moved around and looked out a window to see Gerry stumbling\r\naround in the yard, making his way toward Jessie’s car. She grabbed\r\nher hat from the floor, then walked around to the front door and\r\nopened it, then made a brisk pace up behind Gerry. She timed herself\r\njust right and gave him a solid kick from behind, right into his\r\ncrotch again.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Agh…” Gerry wheezed out, grabbing his crotch and falling to\r\nhis knees, then finally passing out on the front yard from the pain.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nCarmen\r\nsighed and fell down on her butt, taking her hat off and rubbing the\r\nsweat off of her face with the sleeve of her jacket. She looked to\r\nthe street, hearing sirens going off as the police finally made their\r\narrival. Guess\r\nsomeone has a phone around here. Took ’em long enough.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Carmen!” Nuala shouted. “Are you all right?” She flew down\r\nfrom the oak tree, running up to Carmen. Carmen gave her a lazy\r\nsmile, noticing that she was at eye level with the fairy. She then\r\npulled Nuala in and embraced her with her right arm.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n“Yes, I’m fine. Thanks,” Carmen answered.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nNuala wormed her way out of Carmen’s hug and balled her hands into\r\nfists. “You should have ran, Carmen! I’m telling your mother what\r\nyou did! You could have gotten yourself killed!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nCarmen laughed. “You’re so cute when you’re angry. Just cute, cute,\r\ncute! You make me want to hug you when you’re like that.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nNuala rubbed her forehead. “For crying out loud… Now I’m going to\r\nmiss my date with Ranieri!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nCarmen waved her hand dismissively. “Ah, don’t worry about it. I’ll\r\npull some favors with the force and get ’em to take you right back to\r\nthe office. You’ll have plenty of time.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nNuala fell on her butt as well, drawing her legs up to her chest.\r\n“You’d better, Carmen. If you’ve ruined my chances with Ranieri,\r\nI’ll never forgive you!”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nCarmen scooted over and put an arm around Nuala. “Nuala, you’ll get\r\nthere in time — I promise. Besides, Ranieri loves you too much to\r\nlet one date ruin it; he’ll understand once he learns what happened\r\nhere.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nNuala sighed. “I’m still telling your mother.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n –<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n