Wind-lashed Dugongs (aka Bike) Part 615 by Angharad

“And what am I supposed to tell my children if they wake up?”

“Whatever you like, darlin’, just get them into the ‘ouse and keep quiet.” The rather large copper carrying an automatic rifle with some sort of high tech sight, stood his ground and pointed at the house.

I grumbled as I picked up Mima and carried her into the house and was directed up to a bedroom with two single beds in it. My shoulder was sore but tolerable. I placed her gently on the bed and ran down to get Trish, but met another of the coppers carrying her up to me. I nodded a thanks and he gave me a very white toothed smile. Until then I hadn’t noticed he was quite dark skinned. Ten out of ten for observation, I don’t think.

Our cases were carried upstairs for us and placed immediately inside the door. “What have you got in here?” asked the big copper.

“A portable Chieftain tank, why?”

“Yeah, feels like it, besides hasn’t that been superseded by the Challenger?”

I shrugged, “Dunno, I went round the Tank museum at Bovington a couple of years ago, can’t remember what I saw altogether, loads of tanks–seen one, seen ‘em all.”

“I don’t think so, darlin’, but it’s a good job you don’t fly Apache helicopters, or you’d be shooting up the wrong ones.”

“I’m a woman, in case you hadn’t noticed–we don’t fly attack aircraft.”

“Yes they do darlin’, maybe not in the UK, but they do elsewhere.”

“What happened to the idea that women were supposed to be the peacemakers, while men ran around bashing each other, because they were too stupid to talk to each other?”

“That bloke who tried to shoot you, he talked, didn’t he?”

“Oh bugger, go away and shoot somebody, it’ll really cheer you up.”

“How do you know?”

“I’m making a calculated guess.”

“I don’t enjoy killing people, you know?”

“I’m glad to hear it, neither do I.”

“You’ve killed someone?”

“I contributed to that bloke this afternoon, sort of helped him step backwards, I didn’t see the truck any more than he did.”

“From what I’ve heard, he stepped out in front of it, so I wouldn’t worry about it, darlin’.”

“You didn’t see the mess.”

“True, but you’ve not seen what happens when a swat team goes in all guns blazing.”

“I don’t think I want to.”

“Special forces, are even worse. If the SAS go in, no one else comes out except in body bags.”

“Well, it’s been charming talking with you, we must do it again sometime,” I smiled an artificial smile and he chuckled to himself and went downstairs again.

Tom was shown into a room just along the hallway. “Your room is actually next door Miss Watts.”

“If the girls wake up in a strange room without knowing where I am, they’ll get very upset.”

“There’s a connecting door,” the woman, who’d shown Tom up, was walking through the children’s room and opening a door into another bedroom, with two single beds in it as well. There was an en suite on the far side.

I dragged my two cases into my room and left the girls in theirs. I’d unpack it tomorrow. Looking around I found a kettle, some tea and coffee and, in a dinky little fridge, there was milk, fruit juice and yoghurts.

She pointed out all the facilities, “I do breakfast between half past seven and half eight. If you want full English, I prefer a bit of notice.”

“I won’t, but thank you. Some cereal or toast is fine for me and the girls, perhaps some fruit too.”

“We have all that.”

“Where are we exactly?”

“They haven’t told you?”

Duh, like I’d be asking you if they had?, “No, they haven’t.”

“I’d better not say anything, then.”

“Why?”

“This is a special government-owned place, they use it for high profile witnesses in big trials and that sort of thing. You must be important if you’ve got armed guards with you.”

“What’s the point of a safe house if it’s not?”

“We have our own guards here, two of them.”

“So that makes four. Okay, I like to know what the odds are.”

“Odds of what?”

“Survival.”

“Oh come on, no one has got to a guest who’s staying here.”

“That doesn’t mean there won’t be a first time.”

“Hey, the guards are very good, you’ll be okay.”

“Today, I got involved in killing someone, he was threatening me and my children. If anyone threatens my kids, I hope your guards are good, because I won’t answer for my actions, which will probably be extremely prejudiced.”

“I though you were telling your policeman friend that women didn’t fight wars.”

“Only if it’s personal. If they hurt my kids, it’s very personal.”

“They won’t. We’re as safe as houses, in fact as safe houses.”

“I do hope so. I’d better go and tuck Tom in.”

“I thought he was your father.”

“Adoptive father, but I knew him as Tom first.”

“I think he was having a nightcap.”

“Sounds like Tom, single malt?”

“I don’t know, but I think it was Scotch.”

“It was, he likes his nip every night.” I went along to his room and he was lying on top of the bed snoring, a small bedside light was still on. I closed the door quietly and went back to my own room and assembled my bow. With a forty pound pull, it was on the limit of my strength, but it would fire an arrow through an internal door, and stop a man from a couple of hundred feet, probably further. I kept meaning to buy a compound bow, except they’re bulkier than a recurve and take longer to assemble from scratch. I wrapped the weapon in a towel and placed it in the wardrobe along with the quiver of a dozen arrows.

Then I dug about in my bag and got out the image intensifier viewer and checked the battery. It was fully charged. I closed my door and locked it, did the same with the girls’ door and lightly shut the connecting door. I switched off the lights and then went behind the curtains of my bedroom. The windows had shutters and they were locked. Oh well, check them out in the morning. I suppose if no one can get in, it makes it safer. If no one can get out, what happens in the event of a fire or need to make an escape?