Chapter Twenty-Six ~
Hami Ibraham watched from the tree across the road as the car pulled out
of the driveway. All four men were inside, and this made him happy. He knew
from his source that Jackson had hidden the thumb drive at his house in Salt
Lake. It was in the very safe it started in so many days ago. He let the
binoculars fall to his chest and pulled one arm from the tree and stretched it
as far as it would go, and then did likewise with the other. He was cramped and
crabby from sitting in the same position for hours on end.
He shimmied down the tree and headed for the barn out back. He was
curious what they’d been doing back there.
Amy sat on the couch with the children while they watched SpongeBob. It
wasn't one of her favorites, but they liked it. Pretty soon she started
nodding-off.
She was awakened by Angie poking her in the side. "Mamie, there's
someone on the front porch."
Amy looked up, trying to focus on the front door. She thought she
detected movement, and that brought her to her feet. Benji was sound asleep on
the couch and Teenie asleep in her swing, which was still rocking
back-and-forth. A noise brought her head up and she froze in terror when she
saw a shadow outside the window.
"Angie, I want you to wake your brother and take him upstairs,
right now." She ordered, fully expecting the child to obey, and she did.
Amy grabbed Teenie from the swing, hoping she wouldn't wake up. She slept
soundly as Amy rushed up the stairs behind Angie and Benji.
The sound of the door glass breaking caused Amy to cry out in horror.
She ran to her room, put Teenie in the baby bed, and grabbed the gun Jackson
left for her. She came out with her body flat against the wall, like she'd seen
so many times on TV. She held the gun upward, her arms bent, and the barrel
close to her chin. She sidled slowly down the hallway toward the steps. She
heard more glass falling, and then steps inside the house. Her breathing became
erratic, but she tried to stay quiet.
"Come out, come out wherever you are. I know you're here, girlie. I
watched all the men leave from across the road." Hami Ibraham said in a
heavily accented voice.
"What do you want?" Amy yelled back. She went over to Angie’s
door, opened it and turned the lock on the knob. "Don't open this door
until I say you can." She went back to her place up against the hallway
wall.
"You know what I want. You should've just given it to me instead of
trying to beat me to death. You’ll pay for that, don't think you won't."
The man said as he appeared around the corner of the stairs.
Amy gasped at his mutilated-looking face. There were deep, angry gashes
running in all different directions. She’d done that! Even though he was a
terrorist, Amy was aghast she could inflict that kind of damage on another
human being. She prayed to God at the same time she pulled the gun up and
pointed it squarely at the evil and crazed-looking man. "Don't take
another step, I mean it!"
The man stopped and a demonically evil smile spread across his face.
"What are you gonna do, shoot me?" He began to advance toward her
again.
Amy's finger started an almost imperceptible squeeze on the trigger.
Hami saw it and came to a halt with one foot still poised to move forward.
"I know you won't do it, you're too, what do you Americans say, sissified?"
His foot hit the floor and he advanced quickly now.
A loud noise from downstairs caused Hami to stop in mid-stride, but this
time a worried look took the place of his previous sneer of superiority.
Jackson came barreling up the steps two at a time. He rammed into Hami
Ibraham so hard they both went rolling down the hallway. Amy stepped to the
side to avoid being bowled over by the moving mass of humanity.
"Thank God you came back Jackson!" Amy’s terror turned to
relief at the sight of Jackson and tears sprung to her eyes.
"Get back, Amy. I don't want him anywhere near you." Jackson
yelled. A red streak of blood showed through his blue dress shirt and Amy ran
toward him in concern.
Hami Ibraham took that one moment when Jackson was off-guard and punched
him as hard as he could in his blood-soaked wound. Jackson screamed in
pain before toppling over. Puke came streaming out his mouth and Amy screamed
with him. She never saw the fist coming that knocked her lights out.
