Dollar Runaways

Chapter 38: Pieces

MEGAN HEARD THE crack of the gun and watched her husband's head disintegrate in front her. She felt her heart shatter, as she knew that while her daughter's childhood had been on shaky grounds before, her innocence was truly over now.

She could see her on the hillside just getting up from her position behind a log, and with tears streaming down her face, ran to her as quickly as she could to wrap her in her arms and say everything was okay... It was then that she noticed the military helicopter hovering a hundred yards up and away.

I WATCHED AS Mom ran towards me, safed my rifle quickly, before using the strap and throwing it on my shoulder to go meet her. She grabbed me in her arms and said, "Ashley I love you; I love you so much... No matter what you had to do..."

After a while I was finally able to get a word in, "Mommy, I didn't shoot."

"But?"

"No, the sniper in the helicopter beat me by a breath."

She hugged me even tighter then and I wished it would help take the image of dad's head out of my eyes. I did take some solace in that I hadn't had to take the shot. His blood wasn't on my hands, and I didn't want it to be either. I hated his guts, but I didn't want to be the one to kill him. Within a moment we watched six men jump down ropes and land next to us.

"FBI!" They shouted, introducing themselves. "Would you please lower your weapons?"

It was then that I realized I still had my rifle on my shoulder and slowly put it down on the ground. The sniper came and collected it then. He hefted it for a moment and looked into the scope, "Nice rifle," he said.

I just cried and hugged him... Something I'm sure that he wasn't expecting. To his credit he hugged me back for a moment before I found my voice.

"Thank you for doing that," I told him.

He looked at me with eyes that looked like they understood, "I probably shouldn't have young lady... It wasn't a sure shot. But I saw you getting ready and didn't want you to have to shoot someone, let alone your own Dad."

I shrugged, "I didn't want to do it, but I would have done it. He was going to shoot Mom."

"I know, your Aunt told us about you. I also know you were about to... Maybe someday you'll have to do something like that, but I don't ever want to see an eleven-year-old kid have that on their conscience," he said.

I just hugged him again and said, "Thank you."

The FBI Agents who introduced themselves to us as members of the Hostage Rescue Team filled us in on what happened with the ranch. "The only problem is there were two men that got away," one of them said. That explained why most of them still seemed ready for action.

I saw the bush next to the trail that Dad had jumped out from and some blood leading into it. "Sir, there's a blood trail here, if you follow it you may find the other one."

There were some words said that I would have had my mouth washed out with soap for using and the five of them converged through the bushes. "Found him!" I heard.

"He's still alive... Barely!" another called.

As if to make everything perfect timing, I heard hoofs and saw Gloria emerge with six other people on horseback and others on foot immediately behind them. One man jumped off the horse and ran towards Mom and I. He was beaten to the punch by Gloria though who practically tackled Mom and I with a hug.

"I'm so glad you two are okay!!!!"

I lost track of time after that through the sobs, tears, and confusion over all that had happened. After a while though the oldest man in the FBI vest came over to Mom and I. "Megan Franchino, Ashley Franchino?" He asked.