Chapter 32

Outside the ornate bedroom window, the sun was unsuccessfully trying to pierce the dense cloud cover. Liv yawned and stretched out on the comfortable bed. The hands on the bedside alarm clock showed three PM. Liv hadn't moved from the spot where she had collapsed, seven hours earlier. She hadn't even used a pillow.

Liv noticed a pile of folded clothes beside her and scooped them up before heading to the shower. In the warm steam, she took her time shampooing and conditioning her hair. The twin shower heads pounded her body with nearly scalding water.

After half an hour, she exited the shower and toweled off. She put the black camisole with pink lace on over her sports bra, then her Scooby Doo pajama pants, and finally, her bunny slippers. The right bunny was missing an eye after the previous night's excitement. "I know how you feel," she said, looking down at the disfigured slipper.

She found Finn in the living room. He and Stephen were watching a football game on a gigantic, flat-screen television. Snacks were scattered across the coffee table. Liv plopped into a black, leather recliner and watched the action while stuffing her face with hot wings and chips.

At halftime, Finn muted the game. "I've been thinking. They must have known where the call came from. We should go check out the salvage yard. Dad has a really nice surveillance system and I bet our friends stopped by before or after they attacked your place last night. We might be able to figure out who did this, if the system is still intact!"

"I'm down," Liv replied. She was rested and angry. She wanted to find the bastards who tried to kill them the night before.

At first, Stephen protested their foolhardy plan, but finally gave in once he realized they could not be deterred. "You kids be careful," he said worriedly. "I have a state of the art security system and panic room, so your grandma will be safe here. She's sleeping right now. Guess I wore her out- er, she was worn out."

Liv laughed and kissed the kindly man on his balding head. "Thanks, Stephen. We'll be back. Take care of Grannie."

"Here, take this." Stephen pulled a small remote from his pocket. "Just press the top button to open the gate. You'll probably want a jacket, it's really cold out there. I have some extras in the closet, next to the garage. Weather channel says a storm is moving in."

Liv and Finn each grabbed a jacket before entering the garage. They unloaded most of the weaponry from the trunk of the Starfire and stacked it in a neat pile in front of the Viper. The rest was hidden under a blanket in the back seat.

"Wow, do all the guns have your dad's brand on them?" Finn examined the familiar longhorn in a triangle that was engraved in the handle of a Smith and Wesson, .357 revolver.

"Yeah, he loved that brand. Every time he got a new gun he would break out the Dremel tool and carve it in the grips. He was really good at it too. See it's on my P-22 too." Liv handed him the gun, then turned and started digging through the pile. "Ah ha, here's what I was looking for." Liv found a holster for her P-22 in the pile of supplies. She took the gun back and strapped the little weapon securely to her right hip.

"Didn't want to carry that little pea shooter in your waistband?" Finn teased as he adjusted a shoulder holster rig. Damn! Finn thought. Do all women look so sexy with a gun strapped to their hip, wearing bunny slippers, or was it just her? Finn concluded that all women probably would, but Liv made the look particularly alluring.

Liv noted Finn staring at her and stuck her tongue out at him. She turned and continued digging through the pile of weapons and supplies until she found what she was looking for, a lock pick set. She stuffed the kit into the pocket of her flannel pants. "Don't knock the P-22," she replied. "I can put the whole magazine through a hole the size of a quarter before you even get one round out of that Glock," she retorted as she checked out Finn. The muscles on his shoulders and torso pressed against his T-shirt. The gun under his shoulder gave him a look that was equal parts dangerous and sexy.

"Yeah, but that .22 will just bounce off a guy like a BB," Finn responded with a smile as he opened the Starfire's driver door and hopped in the seat.

"Whoa, who said you were driving, bucko?" Liv poked her head through the driver window.

"Uh, dibs?" he asked playfully.

"Fine." She laughed and rolled her eyes. She started to pull her head back out the window.

"Why don't you just come in this way?" Finn reached out the window, cupped his left hand under her butt, lifted her up, and pulled her through.

Liv protested and giggled as she was dragged through the window. She flopped into the passenger seat, upside down. She struggled to sit upright then flipped her black hair from her face, which was red from laughing and buckled in. Finn hit a button on the remote Stephen had given him and the garage door rose smoothly. At the same time, the wooden gates guarding the estate swung open. Finn started the car, turned on the headlights, shifted into reverse, and pulled out into the darkness.

"Wow, snow already?" Liv reached out to touch the windshield. Thick flakes clung to the other side of the glass. "Let's get over to the salvage yard and then come back here, quick! I could go for sitting in front of that giant fireplace in the living room." Finn nodded and they headed for the yard, a little over three miles away. Along the way, they swapped humorous stories about their lives and were in good spirits by the time the lights from the yard broke through the snowstorm.

"Shit, they must have been here!" Finn pounded the steering wheel in frustration. "They crashed the damn gate down!" The Starfire's headlights revealed a mangled metal gate, violently torn from its hinges. Simultaneously, they turned and reached under the blanket in the back seat.

Finn found the P-90 and Liv had grabbed the AR-15. Attached to both weapons were holographic sights and high-power flashlights. They got out of the car then crept through the broken gate, watching for any sign of an unseen enemy. But nothing had disturbed the newly fallen snow. The only tracks were the ones that Liv and Finn left behind. After checking the perimeter, they headed for the warehouse. The wrecker was parked where they had left it, but the tarp was lying on the floor, leaving both the Jeep and the Porsche exposed.

"Guess our little secret is out," Liv commented wryly. She went to the cab of the truck and opened it up. Luckily, her Go Bag was still on the floor. Her Steyr was where she had left it, under the truck's seat. She placed the gun in the bag and rejoined Finn.

"Wonder why they didn't take the Jeep?"

"Who knows. Maybe they don't want it anymore. In that case it's mine ... just so you know." She smiled in his direction. "So, where's your dad's security system?"

"In the office, I'll show you," Finn motioned for her to follow him. The two moved slowly from one concealed position to the next as they made their way to the tin covered building. When they arrived, they found the door kicked in. Splintered wood littered the floor. The single window was shattered. Glass sparkled under the weapons' lights. The tiny room looked as if a tornado had ripped through it. "Jesus," Finn gasped, "glad the family went to the car show. They'd be dead if they had been here!"

Liv nodded grimly as she surveyed the demolished office. She didn't have much hope that the security system had survived.

Finn used the beam from the Surefire to find a panel on the wall. He reached up and found a coat hook. He grasped it firmly, twisted, and pulled. The panel that the coat hook was mounted to flipped down, revealing a high-tech surveillance system with several monitors. Each showed different angles of the yard. "Dad always wanted a secret passageway. He figured this was the next best thing. Glad whoever wrecked the office didn't find it. All the cameras are hidden in different car parts. I think even a professional would have a hard time finding them."

The adrenaline from searching the yard was wearing off, and Liv found that she was getting chilly. The jacket she had grabbed at Stephen's was not thick enough and she started shivering.

"Let's go to the house. We can check out the recorded activity from there. I bet some of Mom's clothes will fit you," Finn said. They left the office and cautiously approached the house. Its front door had also been kicked in, and the house was wrecked.

Furniture, electronics, and clothes were strewn everywhere. It took several minutes of searching to convince themselves that the house was clear. The last room they checked was the master bedroom, where Finn pointed to a large closet.

Liv picked out a warm sweater, some socks and tried to find a pair of shoes.