24. Showdown!

The tension is thick as Chrissy faces off against the younger Brankovic. Which one will blink?

Chrissy walked across the parking lot as slow as she dared. It was impossible to judge the passage of time in such a situation. She eventually reached the Serb and stopped. She hoped like hell that she had given Jonathon and Stefanie enough time to find the other one. Keeping her face calm and impassive was the hardest thing she had ever had to do as the b*****d stood there with his gun pointed at Emily's head. She felt fear, rage and pity for Emily run through her. Emily stood stock still with a pleading look on her face. Chrissy glanced at her and then at the Serb showing no emotion on her own face.

“I said to come unarmed!” he growled.

Chrissy shrugged. “You want me to leave?” she asked.

His face barely hid his fury. “Do you have the card?!”

She stared at him for several seconds before she held it up for him to see. He held up an e-reader in front of him. Chrissy had never seen one like it before. “Put the card in there,” he ordered.

Chrissy waited several moments again before she inserted the card into a slot on the reader. He pulled it back and looked at the display for several seconds before he smiled. He seemed satisfied that the card was genuine because he then held it above his head as if in triumph before he lowered it again.

“Okay,” she said, “You have the card. Now let her go.”

But he only stood there and smiled at her as he continued to hold the gun to Emily's head. It was a smug, self satisfied smile. Chrissy began to grow alarmed. He was up to something. He was too happy. Then it hit her. Raising the reader into the air hadn't been a triumphant gesture, it had been a signal! She raised her gun toward him and glanced around, looking for signs of a trap.

“Let her go!” she growled.

He continued to smile and hold the gun on Emily, but the smile was beginning to fade. Chrissy could see concern starting to show on his face. Had something gone wrong with his plan? Had Jonathon and Stefanie found the other Branković? He started glancing toward the windows on the building, the worry on his face obvious now. He looked back at Chrissy like a cornered animal. She began to worry that he would become desperate and turn to violence.

She tried to keep her calm appearance, but it was becoming more and more difficult. “Let her go,” she said as she pointed the gun at him.

Just then there came the sound of squealing tires behind him. He turned and looked back. At the other end of the parking lot a car was careening around the corner of the building and accelerating toward them. All three of them stood transfixed by the sight for about three seconds.

It was Emily who was the first to react. She pushed his gun to the side, kicked him hard in the shin and then bolted as fast as she could across the parking lot. He grabbed his leg with a bark of pain and then, with a snarl of rage, he took aim at her receding form with his gun. Chrissy squeezed off three rounds at him as she walked backward. All three shots missed, but it drew his attention away from Emily. He turned his gun on Chrissy. She dove to the right. At the very last moment he realized that she wasn't diving to avoid being shot. She was diving to avoid the car. He dove after her. Too late! The left front fender of the car caught his ankle as he dove and the impact spun him completely around once in midair before he hit the asphalt, his gun clattering away out of reach.

Quick as a cat, Chrissy jumped up and aimed her gun at him. “Don't move!!” she shouted. But he was too busy holding his leg and cursing in Serbian to pay any attention to her. The car circled around and stopped next to Chrissy. The driver's door opened and Becka got out.

“What the hell!!” Chrissy yelled at her angrily, “Were you trying to run us BOTH down?!”

Becka smirked and held out her hand. “Can I have my gun back?”

“Here! Take it!” said Chrissy as she handed it to her, “Can't hit the broad side of a barn with the goddamn thing!” She turned and saw Jonathon, Stefanie and Emily jogging across the parking lot toward them. Emily reached her first and threw her arms around her.

“Oh, Chrissy! Are you alright?!” she asked.

“Yeah, Kid,” she answered, hugging her back, “I'm okay... I'm okay.”

Stefanie arrived next with some zip ties in her hand. Becka held her gun on Radic Branković while Stefanie tied his hands behind him. He spat and cursed at them in a raging fury.

Chrissy looked at Jonathon. "Where's Papa?"

"Let's just say he's all tied up at the moment," he answered.  Then he turned to Emily and said with a smile, “That kick in the shin was a great move, young lady.  It probably saved your lives.”

“I was aiming for his crotch,” she replied sulkily.

Jonathon laughed out loud. Then he turned to Chrissy and said, “The card?” She nodded to the reader lying on the asphalt. He picked it up, took the card out of it and put it in his pocket.

“What the hell is on that thing, anyway?!” she asked.

He smiled and replied, “Shouldn't you be getting to the hospital?”

“Ian!! Christ! I forgot about him! C'mon, Squirt, let's go see how your father is doing.” They took a few steps toward their car and stopped. Chrissy turned around and looked at Jonathon. “The cops are going to be asking questions,” she said.

“I imagine they will. Along with the FBI and a couple of other agencies, too,” he replied.

“What should I tell them?” she asked.

“In situations like this, I always find that it's best to tell the truth.”

“You don't mind?”

He shook his head. “We're very good at disappearing. And that's just what we plan to do as soon as the two of you leave,” he responded, “Of course, the longer you take to tell them what happened, the bigger our head start will be.”

Chrissy smiled. “Thanks for helping me rescue Emily.” He smiled back. She looked at Stefanie and gave her a nod. Stefanie gave her a faint smile in return. Then she turned to Becka. “I like it better when we're on the same side,” she said.

Becka smiled and rubbed her jaw. “Me, too.”

Chrissy turned to Emily. “C'mon, Kid. Let's get out of here.” They ran to their car, got in and sped off.

Author's Note

Action scenes are a challenge to write. I hope everyone was able to follow the action okay and that it made sense.

Next... Chrissy finally finds out what's on the card.

Reviews

[Taylorgwebb]

Thank you for your submission to the Combat Scene Contest! (http://www.writerscafe.org/contests/Combat-Scene-Contest!/48892/). This is a very good scene with a firm grasp on the geography of the conflict. It is dramatic and tense, but still as engaging as a more action-packed sequence might be. It is a little confusing as a stand-alone scene, as a handful of (unintroduced) characters emerge at the end, but that's natural when taking a scene from a broader work. Great job, and good luck!

[Craig2591]

Thank you very much! I realize it probably wasn't what you had in mind for the contest, but it was the closest I had. Thanks for considering it.

[C. Rose]

“You want me to leave?”
“Can I have my gun back?”
Great lines and a happy ending .. but there's another chapter oh dear. I hope nothing bad is coming.

[SpeedyHobbit Armstrong]

Go Emily! And yes, very much curious as to what is on the card. going to laugh if it's something trivial haha. I like the pun about Papa!

[Craig2591]

Thank you.

[Tina Kline]

The action was very good and not hard to follow. I enjoyed this chapter.

[John Lauterbach]

I especially enjoyed the moment where Jr. starts losing his confidence that Dad's not backing him up any more. I'd like to see a moment of Jr. losing his cool after that, but before the car comes into the scene. Could be super-intense since he's been established to be unstable.