Manhunt

Chapter 26

Hanging upside down from her bed, blasting music and singing loudly along to Adele had been Julia's only way of entertaining herself for the last two days. The routine had helped her stay distracted, but now that she was exactly one week away from turning sixteen, she was starting to feel the clock ticking.

Normally, she'd be a little excited about her birthday. She'd look forward to learning how to drive and eating more cake than she allowed herself. But when a crazy assassin from a different organization said he would visit again on that day, she started to feel differently. Especially after he snuck into her house and hid in her closet.

Julia made sure that her father ripped off the closet door and removed the hinges so she could have a full view of the inside.

The sound of drilling drowned out her music and she groaned before turning it off.

"Dad, that's the fifth time you're changing the lock on my window." She complained, twisting herself back into an upright position before walking over to where her father worked. "You already made sure that you couldn't break in, remember? You scared the crap out of me at least seven times during the night while doing your test runs."

"I managed to do it this time, so it's no good." He told her, busying himself with the intricate locks. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're the one who installs them!" Julia cried, flinging her hands up in the air in an exasperated manner. "Of course, you can break in—you know how it works!"

"I'm combining locks this time."

"Will I be able to use this as an easy escape route in case our house catches on fire?" She pointed out, looking at his handy work. It looked incredibly complex and if she were being chased by a killer who she couldn't take on, she'd die trying to open the lock. Pathetic.

"I'll teach you how to do it."

"Dad—"

"I'm doing this in case Matthew keeps his word about seeing you on your birthday." He turned to his daughter, forgetting about the installation for a moment. "We all know he meant it. I'm doing this to protect you. Plus, I've already added extra locks to all the other windows in the house. I just need yours."

"Will this be the last one?" She asked, hopeful.

"Yes," he sighed, continuing to drill like a maniac. "Amber tested these locks out already, and since your window is bullet proof and heat proof, you're good to go."

Julia could imagine Red getting annoyed with the window and resorting to using a laser on the glass. That was always her way of finding a solution: use heat.

"Finally." Julia muttered, looking up at her father. He was putting in too much concentration into a single lock for his own good, but he was doing it to keep her safe. She couldn't help but to feel touched. She moved up to him before hugging him from behind. "Thanks, dad."

"Anything for my little girl." He shot her a grin, earning one from his daughter. As he continued drilling, Julia walked back over to her bed and sat, wondering what she could do to further procrastinate herself from doing any homework. It was a Thursday, so the things that could normally be done on the weekends were limited on the weekdays. Sighing, she flopped her back onto her bed.

"Did you finish your homework?" Julia's mother asked from the doorway, causing her to sit up quickly and give her an innocent smile. "I suppose I should rephrase that to 'Did you start your homework?' but I already know the answer to that one as well."

"I'm not in the mood to do Calculus yet...or History...or English."

"It sounds like you have a lot to do," she pointed out, shaking her head. "I guess I'll have to tell Amber that you can't get frozen yogurt with her—"