I stuck my tongue out at her, because that was the adult thing to do and put the cutting board and the garlic on the island.
“I’ve got this.” I said it more for Scarlett than Faye, but I doubted either of them believed me.
“I think she should pick the midtown bungalow,” Scarlett said, focused on the show again.
“Seems kind of pricey for the square footage.” Shorty shook his head.
I started peeling the white crispy outer part from the garlic.
A car horn honked as I made a mess of papery garlic layers. The conversation in the living room stopped abruptly and the TV clicked off.
Shorty darted past and pulled the curtain away from the back window before letting it go and backing away. “All of you, in the hallway.” He pulled his gun from his hip holster and flicked off the safety.
I shuffled Faye away from the stove as Scarlett came around the couch.
“What is it?” Faye asked.
Shorty put his finger to his lips and walked around flipping off all the lights.
Scarlett took Faye’s elbow and stood next to her in the hall as I snagged my wallet, keys, and .45 off the dresser in my room. Shorty and I closed all the bedroom doors.
The house was dark and no more noise came from outside other than the scratchy sound of the palm tree leaves sliding against each other in the breeze.
Shorty took position at the end of the hallway toward the living room. I glanced down to Scarlett and Faye. Scarlett kept her gaze toward the front of the house. Faye trembled between us, and even in the gloom, I could tell her eyes were wide.
Scarlett ran her hand along Faye’s upper arm and whispered, “We’re fine. Don’t worry.”
A shot fired outside, like a small pop. Someone was using a silencer on their pistol, but I didn’t know if it was Clarence or an attacker. I flicked off the safety on my .45 and pulled back on the action, loading a round into the chamber. I wasn’t much of a shot, but up close I didn’t need to be.
Another series of three shots, these closer and louder. Faye jumped, and Scarlett wrapped her arm around her.
We waited a full minute, but didn’t hear anything else.
“I’m going to check it out. Stay here. Watch the doors.” Shorty pointed to the bedrooms.
“All right.”
He crouched down and crept into the living room. I kept him in my peripheral vision and raised the gun. If anyone came through one of those doors, it would be the last move they made.
A few more tense moments passed, sweat beading on my forehead even though it was cool in the house. Shorty moved again, this time to the back door, where he peeked out.
He motioned for us to come with him. Scarlett led and Faye followed, her muumuu making swishing sounds as the fabric rustled against itself.
“Go on, I’m coming.” Scarlett darted to the living room and snatched her bag off the table at the front door. I followed her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward the kitchen.
Glass shattered somewhere in one of the bedrooms and then gunshots rang out closer to the house. “Come on!” Shorty yelled, and flung the back door open.
Faye dashed to him as a door in the hallway slammed. I pulled Scarlett toward the back door, but someone was firing wildly from the bedrooms. I squeezed off a round down the hallway, the .45 giving more than just the small pop of the silenced gun.
Dust flew from the living room wall, the assailant’s gunshots separating us from Shorty and Faye. I pushed Scarlett behind me, pinning her between the wall and my back.
“Go!” Shorty pointed to the front door and pushed Faye out the back while firing shots toward the bedrooms. “Now!”
I ripped open the front door, holding my gun up. No one was there, so I grabbed Scarlett, and we ran to my car. “Get in!”
She dashed around to the passenger side as I pulled my keys from my pocket. I fumbled them and they hit the ground. When I knelt to pick them up, the driver’s-side window exploded above me, showering me with glass.
Scarlett screamed and my blood went cold. I dropped to my back and whipped my right hand out, shooting several rounds at the front door. Whoever was there darted back inside.
“Scarlett, you okay?”
“Yes.”
I found they key fob and unlocked the car. “Get in.”
Rolling to my side, I kept my eyes on the front door as I got to my knees and then my feet. I squeezed off another round for good measure and jumped into the driver’s seat. The engine started right up, and I squealed tires out of the driveway.
“Get your head down!” I yelled right as a barrage of thumps hit the rear of the car and the back window shattered. Scarlett put her head to her knees and I hunched against the steering wheel as we came to a screeching halt in the road.