Chapter 19

Hunter had woken that morning with Maggie in his arms. Last night his whole world had changed with each kiss. With each touch. With each thrust. Between times they'd lain in bed, touching each other, and talking. Hunter had pulled her against him as Maggie rested her head on his chest and they bared their souls, their dreams, their hearts.

Then Maggie had thrown her leg over his hips and taken control. He was only too happy to let her. Seeing Maggie completely uninhibited was something he wished he saw every day. Maybe he could if he married her.

Hunter shook his head. Who was talking about marriage? Not them. It was one night. A night he wished to repeat every day of his life.

"Swing!" Leo Langston pulled him from his thoughts. However, they only shifted to wondering if Maggie would want a big family.

Hunter and Damon each had a kid in their arms in the late afternoon sun. Damon was feeding baby Lennie as Hunter lifted Leo up and set him on the swing. Granger and Landry Jr were off surfing and would be back after dinner. Maggie was with Landry Sr., waiting to pick up Lacy and Leah for weapons training. Stone had Levi at the ice rink. And Forrest and Rowan were playing hide and seek with Lindsey and Lyle even though there weren't a lot of places to hide in the park.

"I take it last night went well. You have a stupid little smile on your face and everyone is talking about the full moon over Shadows Landing."

"No thanks to you all," Hunter grumbled.

"It's sweeter if you work for it." Damon didn't seem bothered by Hunter's annoyance at their interference last night.

"There will be payback," Hunter promised, and he never broke a promise.

Damon shrugged as if he wasn't scared. And knowing Damon, he wasn't.

"Wait, full moon? There wasn't a full moon last night," Hunter said, thinking back to last night.

"Oh yeah there was. A full Maggie Moon. It's the rarest of full moons."

Hunter closed his eyes and inwardly groaned. He'd tossed Maggie over his shoulder in that short little skirt of hers. Hopefully not too many people saw it. Only, he'd been interrupted by half the town. Great. Just great.

Hunter pushed Leo in the swing as the kids raced around the playground with Rowan and Forrest in full pursuit.

"There's something else I want to talk to you about. I'm worried that Kane hasn't found Hamid Saeed or found a connection between Alexey and Pablo," Damon told him. "Do you think the threat to Landry is over?"

Hunter frowned. Kane was bribing people left and right and coming up empty. It was frustrating for everyone. However, Kane was still positive he'd find out the truth. "These things take time," Kane had told him that morning when they'd talked.

"I don't like it, that's for sure." Hunter pushed Leo, who giggled, and then there was a loud bang.

"Was that a backfire?" Damon asked, but Hunter was already grabbing Leo off the swing.

"Gunfire," he said, shoving Leo at Damon. "Get the kids to safety!" Hunter yelled as his brothers jumped into action.

Maggie sat with Landry, Mr. Gann, and Mr. Knoll as Lacy and Leah got ready for weapons class. Lydia had gone grocery shopping and would meet them there. They were going to be five minutes late, but Maggie didn't rush them. The girls had been having fun playing a game with Landry and she hadn't wanted to interrupt that.

Mr. Gann and Mr. Knoll arrived just minutes ago. The two old men had her and Landry in stitches as they told old racing stories. Mr. Gann had built cars for dirt track racing and Mr. Knoll had been both a competitor and a neighbor. They had a very close friendship built on intense competition, including which one of their motorized handicap scooters could go faster. They'd both been altered, and listening to them now, could go almost forty-five miles per hour.

Landry shook his head as they got into a tiff over who had the better engine on their scooters. Blythe sat in the corner of the room. When Maggie's and her eyes met, they both struggled not to laugh.

BANG!

Blythe was moving before Maggie even registered the sound of a gun. She knew it was a gun, but it didn't cross her mind it was a threat until she saw Blythe pull her own gun and aim it at the door.

"What was that?" Lacy asked as she and Leah raced down the stairs right as the window exploded from another shot.

"Girls!" Landry was trying to jump out of his wheelchair to get to his daughters, but Blythe wasn't letting that happen, so Maggie went on instinct. She ducked down and ran as bullets peppered the front of the house.

"Get down!" Maggie reached out, grabbed their arms, and yanked them down. They half fell down the last few stairs, but then Maggie was covering them with her body. Her gun was in the truck outside. She was useless here.

"Blythe? Do you have another gun?"

"Over the refrigerator. 1-7-3-0."

"Under the mattress," Landry called out too.

"Stay here," Maggie ordered the girls. The bedroom was closest so she grabbed the gun and handed it to Landry as she ran bent over for the kitchen.

Maggie pulled out a chair, reached up, and entered the lock combination. A rifle was there waiting. Maggie grabbed it and the ammo. As she jumped off the chair, movement behind her caught her eye. "They're two men coming up the back from the river!"

"We need to get Landry out of here," Blythe called out.

"Where to?" Maggie asked. She aimed the rifle, placed the crosshairs on her target, and pulled the trigger. The second man took cover behind a tree. "One man down in the back."

There was a blast of gunfire, but no bullets hit the house. "They just shot up the cars. We don't have transportation," Blythe called out.

"Sure you do. I have my all-terrain tires on. This thing can climb a mountain or drive through a swamp if you need," Mr. Gann said.

"Only after mine made a path for it," Mr. Knoll challenged.

"Daddy!" Leah screamed as the gunfire started up again.

Maggie rushed toward the girls. She'd kill anyone coming in through that door to protect them. "Stay down," Maggie ordered, wrapping her arms around them, prepared to shield them with her body.

"Landry, we need to evacuate as we discussed," Blythe told him as she took a tactical position and asked for the rifle. "Maggie, how are you with a handgun?"

"Not as good. I only have a 99% accuracy rate within two inches of the target at twenty-five yards when standing still and a 96% rate when running."

"You're a damn wonder, Maggie. That's better than anyone I know. We need to take out the man in the back. Then, wheel Landry and take the girls to Skye and Trent's house. The gate between the properties is unlocked. Then, get him to the church. I'll lay cover out front until the sheriff's department gets here."

"Landry, take my wheels," Mr. Gann ordered as he climbed off his scooter. "It'll get you there faster than any car, and you can cut through the backyards to remain unseen."

"Lacy, take mine," Mr. Knoll instructed. "Put your sister in the basket."

"What about you both?' Landry asked. "We can't leave you here."

"Bah! I've been in more fights than you can imagine, sonny. We got this," Mr. Gann said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"We can't leave Maggie," Lacy said as she got onto Mr. Knoll's scooter.

"Landry," Maggie said as she looked at the scooters, "we're about to get to know each other a lot better. Give me the gun and get on the scooter. Lacy you're always to be on the far side of your dad. Never between him and the danger. Can you do that?"

"Yes, Miss Maggie," Lacy said seriously.

Maggie bent and used all her strength to help Landry get on the scooter. Thank goodness she was dressed for weapons class in athletic leggings as she faced Landry and tossed her leg over his lap, effectively straddling him as she sat in his lap on the motorized scooter. "Does this hurt you?"

"A little, but I'm more worried about explaining this to Lydia."

"Yeah, let's not mention this to Hunter either. Now, give me your gun."

Maggie checked the gun, and leaned to the side. "The man in the back?"

Blythe turned to the two old men. "Who is comfortable shooting a gun? You don't have to hit anything. Just keep them busy while I take out the man in the back."

Mr. Knoll cursed so creatively that Lacy and Leah giggled. "You have to give it to Gann. My cataracts will mess up my aim."

Mr. Gann looked victorious as he took the gun and hobbled to the window. With a nod to Blythe, he got in position.

"Let's go," Blythe ordered as she ran to the back, kicked the door open, and aimed her rifle. "Hey, asshole!" The idiot stuck his head out from behind the tree. He shouldn't have done that. "Now, Gann!" Gunfire erupted out front as Blythe held the door open and out they flew on the most powerful scooters Maggie had ever seen.

Hunter wasn't armed. Why the hell didn't he have a gun on him? Because he was playing with kids, that's why. It also meant they didn't have a car. They'd all walked to Ryker's, picked up the kids, and walked to the park to help them burn off some energy.

His brothers had the kids in their arms and were racing toward Granger's boat. They would get the kids onto the boat and drive it behind the church after Damon hotwired it. They'd be safe. Hunter's concern was now for Landry and Blythe. Hopefully Maggie and the girls were already safe at the church.

All Hunter could do was run. He sprinted as fast as he could up to the street, then ran full speed down the road. All his years of training kicked in. He saw and heard everything. The sirens from the sheriff's station as they got in their cruisers. The sounds of doors opening and people shouting. The sound of two rumbling engines to his right and the revving of a car engine ahead of him.

Hunter was approaching Oliva and Granger's cottage when the source of the rumbling engines showed itself. Hunter skidded to a stop as Lacy, with Leah standing on the back of Mr. Knoll's scooter and clinging to her sister, burst from the hedge, slid on the concrete like a dirt track racer, and took off toward downtown. Right behind her was Mr. Gann's scooter. Landry was driving and Maggie was straddling him. One hand was clutching Landry's waist as she leaned to the side so that he could see over her shoulder. They took the same slide onto the road as Lacy had, but now he could see the gun in Maggie's hand.

Hunter looked down the road, and coming up fast behind them was an SUV. The passenger window was down and a man was leaning out with a gun. "Look out!" Hunter yelled, but he didn't need to. Maggie was already firing.

"This isn't what it looks like, Hunter! Don't tell my wife!" Landry yelled as they took off down the street.

Hunter grabbed the first thing he could. A decent sized rock Olivia used to line the flowers around her mailbox. He waited for the SUV to draw closer. Maggie fired once more. The driver suddenly jerked. It was a direct hit. The wheel spun and the SUV headed straight for Hunter.

Hunter jumped out of the way as the SUV careened toward him and straight into a tree. Hunter made his move then. He was racing toward the passenger door even as it opened. Hunter grabbed it, and slammed it, catching the shooter"s arm in the process. There was a howl of pain as a second SUV went flying by him and heading for downtown.

Hunter glanced behind him and saw a third SUV tearing down the street toward him and toward Maggie and Landry who had now turned onto Main Street.

There was no time for interrogation. He could only diffuse the situation as fast as he could and hope he wasn't too late. He yanked the door open, grabbed the man by the shirt, and pulled him to the ground. One whack with the rock in his hand and the threat was eliminated.

Hunter picked up the gun the man had been firing and took off running back in the direction of downtown. Suddenly Gavin's car raced by, heading to Ryker's as a sheriff's cruiser pulled a U-turn and slid to a stop.

"Get in!" Tristan yelled.

Hunter raced across the front of the cruiser and into the passenger's seat. "Status?"

"Injuries at Ryker's. Gavin's on it. Threats at the church. Kord is trying to contain it, but he needs backup."

"Maggie? Landry?" Hunter's heart was pounding. Please let them be safe.

"Drove the scooters straight into the church. The women's group is in there. It's the safest place they could be. Now, let's go get ‘em."

Tristan gunned the cruiser as cold anger seeped into Hunter's bones. They attacked the woman he loved. They attacked children. Whoever these assholes were, they would pay for it with their lives.

Landry skidded the scooter to a stop as Reverend Winston bolted the church doors closed behind them. The entire women's weapons class was waiting for them.

"Blythe sent out an SOS text," Miss Ruby said as she tossed a sword to Maggie.

"Here you go, dearies," Miss Winnie said, handing a dagger to Leah and a rapier to Lacy.

"Thank you for protecting my babies," Lydia said, sword in hand. "Now, open the doors, Rev."

"I don't think that's a good idea. Let the sheriff's department handle this," Reverend Winston said as bullets crashed through the front window.

"They came after my family. I'll handle it," Lydia said in a manner that brooked no argument and sent shivers down Maggie's spine.

Maggie nodded as she came shoulder to shoulder with Lydia, Lacy, and Leah.

"We'll handle it," Edie corrected, stepping forward to join them.

"Maggie, give me the gun. I'll protect you all," Landry said, holding out his hand.

"Honey, I love you, but get your ass back out of our way. Let the women handle this," Lydia snapped just as the first man tried to breach the window.

Lydia leaped forward and swung. Three fingers fell to the floor as the man screamed.

"Yes, ma'am," Landry said, backing up the scooter.

"Don't worry, Daddy. I'll protect you," Lacy said, placing herself between the front of the church and her father.

"I'll help," Kord said, appearing from the hidden tunnels. "Tristan and Hunter are on their way."

Maggie nodded, but her eye was on the window. There was a deep thump sound and then a canister flew into the church. "Smoke!"

"I got it!" Leah grabbed it and tossed it out of the window before anyone could move.

"Good throw, baby girl," Landry cheered.

"Two by two at the window," Maggie said as the women broke off into formation.

"Let them in," Lydia whispered.

"What do I do?" Melinda asked.

"Stay behind me. You're not trained yet," Reverend Winston said. He pushed open his clerical robe and pulled out a double-bladed spear. Melinda gasped but tightened her grip on her dagger. "Ladies. Defend the innocent. Protect the weak. Destroy those who wish us harm."

Maggie should be scared. Instead, she was furious. The calm, tight focus she got when she was shooting settled over her. She had her sword in one hand and handed her gun to Landry who looked a little wide-eyed. Not at the terrorists trying to kill him, but at his wife who had just lopped off some fingers and his young daughters, armed to the teeth and ready to protect him.

The ladies moved into position silently. A second smoke grenade was tossed into the window. Maggie kicked it to the side, but let it explode. The women were prepared. Their ears were covered so when the sound went off no one was startled. Smoke began to fill the church, but that's what they wanted.

Maggie ducked behind a pillar. Leah rolled under a pew. Edie, Lydia, Miss Winnie, Miss Mitzi, and Miss Ruby, were all in positions. Tamara, the waitress from the Pink Pig, seemed to melt into the smoke. No one made a sound as the men climbed through the window.

"Just hand it over, Langston, and no one needs to be killed. Except you. You've been a pain in our ass." The accent was unknown to Maggie, but it was an accent. Possibly Middle Eastern? Northern African? It was too hard to tell.

"What do you think I have?" Landry asked as Maggie watched the men walk through the smoke and up the aisle toward Landry.

"You know what you have. Have you told anyone about it? It won't matter. Nothing will stop us now."

The man raised his gun. The sound of tapping began. Miss Ruby was tapping her pike against the stone floor and the sound was echoing through the church. Miss Winnie started hers up across the church from Miss Ruby. They began to speed it up. Maggie knew what was happening, but it still gave her chills. The cold breeze through the church told her the pirate ghosts weren't happy with these uninvited guests either.

Maggie only saw the smoke blur and then the man screamed. A dagger was sticking out of his foot and Leah rolled back under the pew.

The sound of a sword slicing through the air and into a body, blood splattering on the stone, and the scream of a man, filled the church as Maggie crept forward in the smoke. They were all closing in on them the invaders who didn't even realize their time was up.

The man with the dagger in the foot chuckled as he leaned down and yanked it free with a grunt. Then suddenly he lunged at Landry. Landry's gun fired and then Maggie heard it drop to the ground and skid on the stone a moment before there was another scream and the sound of a second body hitting the ground.

"Step away from my husband or I'll let my daughter have at you. You have no idea how much rage a teenage girl has with all those hormones."

"Mrs. Langston. Tell your husband to hand it over and I won't gut your children like the brats they are. Nice dagger though. Can you see it as I cut your husband's throat?" he asked as he stood to Landry's side, his feet wide, and holding the dagger to Landry's throat.

Maggie finally got a clear view as the smoke began to clear. Lacy rose silently from the smoke behind the man.

"Can you see my rapier as I cut your balls off?" Lacy asked, but she didn't wait for a response. She held the two foot long blade up close to her body as she dove between the man's legs, rolled onto her back, and sliced upwards.

The door to the church crashed open at the same time. The women turned, ready for battle, but it wasn't a threat. It was Hunter and Tristan. Maggie moved then. They didn't need the backup, but it was nice to have it. Shots were fired. Swords, pikes, and daggers were swung.

"Behind you," she heard Hunter yell as she felt the air shift behind her. Maggie dropped to the ground as a shot rang out.

Instead of a bullet to her head, she got a kick to the stomach. She tightened her grip on her sword, rolling and bringing it up, but she was too late. Hunter had the man by the throat, his feet dangling off the ground, and then he slammed him against the stone pillar. The man went limp, and Hunter dropped him without a second thought.

"Are you hurt?" Hunter asked as he picked her up and ran his hands over her.

"I'm good. Protect the Langstons."

Hunter gave her a quick kiss and waded back into the fight. Maggie looked over and saw the Langston family didn't need help. Lydia, Lacy, and Leah were fierce in their defense of Landry. The man who had held Landry at knifepoint was rolling on the floor, clutching what was left of his balls as Miss Mitzy clucked at him.

"I'd be crying too, if I was you. That's one ugly pecker. And it's so small. No wonder you're an angry man, bless your heart."

It felt as if the fight went on forever, but it was over in a few short minutes. Some men were tied up. Others were dead. But Shadows Landing was still standing.

The smoke cleared and Landry grabbed Lydia, pulled her onto his lap of the scooter and kissed her so passionately that Lacy gagged.

"Is that how Lennie was made?" Leah asked with a grossed-out look on her face as Lydia deepened the kiss.

"Hey," Maggie overheard Tristian say to Hunter. "Blythe's been shot. Gavin got her stabilized and is racing her to the hospital."

Hunter's jaw tightened. He turned to Maggie, grabbed the sword from her hand, and walked to the nearest live terrorist. The tip of the blade was pressed to his stomach, slowly cutting into the skin. "Who sent you and what is your objective?"

The man laughed even though he was in pain. "You'll all find out soon enough. It's clear he doesn't know and our mission is safe. You'll all know soon. You can't stop it."