Risks
By: Cheryl W.
Disclaimer: I don't own Houston Knights nor is any copyright infringement intended.
Ratings: PG -13 (Swearing)
Comments: I just wanted to give a huge thank you to everyone who has kept this series alive in their hearts. And, of course, I'm including the standard plea for feedback!
Levon Lundy maneuvered his Jimmy into the long drive of Terry Hollinger's mansion. He shot a look to his partner, Joseph LaFiamma, "You gotta admit, arresting the rich is a civilized experience."
"Yeah, because they let their lawyers do the uncivilized fighting in court," LaFiamma tiredly replied. "You know he'll get a plea bargain and only do a few months in a state run country club."
But Lundy drawled, "Don't go getting' Texas justice confused with Chicago justice. We do things right down here."
This earned Lundy a snort of disbelief from LaFiamma as the two men approached the mansion's door. Their knock was answered promptly by a butler who civilly ushered them inside even as he stared wide eyed at the arrest warrant LaFiamma banished.
"Take us to Mr. Hollinger, please," Lundy ordered with his usual country boy politeness.
But before the butler could even respond, LaFiamma, having caught sight of the bodyguard's appearance at the top of the stairs, yelled a warning, "Gun!" a second before bullets reigned down into the entryway.
Lundy and LaFiamma dove into a room to the right as the bullets embedded themselves into the front door where they had stood a mere instant before. LaFiamma scampered behind the wall and was soon joined by Lundy.
Catching his partner's eyes, LaFiamma teased, "You call this civilized?!"
Lundy shrugged, "Civilized ....for Texas." Both men smiled at that and then they were moving through the room away from the ambush they had stepped into. Cautiously they traveled through three rooms, all without incident.
"This is only to stall us," Lundy whispered to his partner as they entered the dining room.
LaFiamma's response was a curse as he looked out the french doors to the rear lawn. "He's got a helicopter!"
"Great, he'll be in Mexico before we finish calling this in," Lundy snarled as he saw Hollinger was only twenty feet from reaching the helicopter.
Without a word to Lundy, LaFiamma flew out the door and ran for the helicopter.
"LaFiamma!" Lundy called out in frustration, nevertheless, he followed on the heels of his partner. Lundy had only gone a few steps when his instincts had him turning and sending a bullet into the bodyguard. He watched as the man dropped his gun and stumbled back into the doorway even as blood spread across his chest. Suddenly the bodyguard crumpled to the dining room floor and lay still.
LaFiamma heard the report of Lundy's Colt and knew his partner had his back as always. As he watched Hollinger climb into the helicopter, LaFiamma began firing at the helicopter's motor even as the copter began to lift from terra firma. Dropping one gun and hastily holstering the other, LaFiamma poured on the speed toward his prey.
Lundy saw the futility of LaFiamma's pursuit a second before he guessed his partner's intention. "No!" he roared even as he took a few running steps as if he could stop what was about to happen. His gut clenched as LaFiamma leaped for the copter skid and he prayed to God that LaFiamma would fail in the attempt. But LaFiamma caught the skid with both hands a mere moment before the helicopter quickly rose in altitude, unaware that it had another passenger dangling precariously under it.
"LaFiamma!" Lundy screamed and sighted his gun on the helicopter but immediately lowered it. He couldn't risk the consequences of missing the motor or of hitting it. LaFiamma may have no regard for his own life, but Lundy did. Now all Lundy could do was helplessly watch LaFiamma cling to the skid of a helicopter that was now seven stories from the ground and rising. "Hang on LaFiamma! Hang on!" he ordered as his heart thudded in his chest.
Hanging on was a priority with LaFiamma but so was getting into the copter. The wind was buffeting him strongly as he struggled to pull himself onto the skid. Finally, he managed to lope his right arm around the skid but as he attempted to lope his left arm on the skid, he saw a tree looming before him.
Levon saw the impending disaster and sent up a desperate, anguished prayer, "Oh God, no. Don't do this!" Then the miracle happened, the helicopter suddenly gained altitude and LaFiamma cleared the tree by mere inches.
Having braced himself for a collision with the tree, LaFiamma was unprepared for the swift elevation and his left hand lost it's grip on the skid. He bit back a scream as he began to fall. But a second later he was jerked to a painful halt. His right arm's hold on the skid held, though LaFiamma's arm felt close to dislocation.
A "No!" had torn from Lundy as LaFiamma's left hand slipped but on it's heel followed a sigh of relief. LaFiamma was still hanging on like the stubborn fool Lundy accused him of being. "Use those damn muscles of yours and pull yourself onto the skid, boy!" he coached, his terror emerging into anger.
'This is not the best idea I've ever had,' LaFiamma rebuked himself as he loped his left arm onto the skid and slowly pulled himself onto the metal beam. He laid on the relative security of the skid there a moment, letting the wind calm his rattled nerves. Then with the determination that he was known for, LaFiamma reached for a hand hold to help secure his climb to the helicopter door. Gaining that hold, LaFiamma stood slowly on the skid, balanced himself against the onslaught of the wind and made his move.
As LaFiamma had made the move to stand on the skid, Lundy wanted to close his eyes, to spare himself the agony of watching his friend fall to his death. But he had to watch, couldn't not watch. This was his partner up there, his friend, and he wouldn't turn his back on him. Ever.
When LaFiamma had stood on the skid, Lundy felt as if it were his own life balanced fifteen stories in the air. And when his partner opened the copter door, it was like his own heart began to pound, his own nerves were surging with adrenaline, his palms that were sweaty. Then LaFiamma leaped into the copter and Lundy was left wondering, worrying.
LaFiamma's surprise appearance in the helicopter had Hollinger scrambling to the other side of the copter. Before Hollinger could recover from his shock, LaFiamma had his gun pointed into Hollinger's face. "Tell your pilot to turn around. It's time to go to jail, Hollinger."
When the helicopter loped around, Lundy hung his head and closed his eyes in relief. He sent up a prayer of thanks before he resighted on the welcomed approach of the helicopter.
The helicopter landed again in the lawn and Hollinger and the pilot obediently stepped from the copter, followed closely by LaFiamma. As Lundy approached, he saw the cocky smug smile on LaFiamma's face and suddenly his relief morphed into fury.
Having cleared the worst of the helicopter's wind, LaFiamma cuffed Hollinger and he watched as Lundy roughly slapped cuffs on the pilot. Two uniformed cops had suddenly appeared on the scene and were only too glad to take Hollinger and the pilot into custody.
"This is one hell of a job, Levon," LaFiamma greeted his partner with a laugh. He was totally unprepared for the roundhouse punch Levon sailed into his jaw. LaFiamme dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. His eyes, full of shock, flew up to his towering partner.
"You bastard!" Lundy snarled as he glared down at his partner. "You ever do another stunt like that and I'll do the mob's work for 'em!" And then Lundy was stalking away without a backward glance.
TBC - I would love some feedback!
By: Cheryl W.
Disclaimer: I don't own Houston Knights nor is any copyright infringement intended.
Ratings: PG -13 (Swearing)
Comments: I just wanted to give a huge thank you to everyone who has kept this series alive in their hearts. And, of course, I'm including the standard plea for feedback!
Levon Lundy maneuvered his Jimmy into the long drive of Terry Hollinger's mansion. He shot a look to his partner, Joseph LaFiamma, "You gotta admit, arresting the rich is a civilized experience."
"Yeah, because they let their lawyers do the uncivilized fighting in court," LaFiamma tiredly replied. "You know he'll get a plea bargain and only do a few months in a state run country club."
But Lundy drawled, "Don't go getting' Texas justice confused with Chicago justice. We do things right down here."
This earned Lundy a snort of disbelief from LaFiamma as the two men approached the mansion's door. Their knock was answered promptly by a butler who civilly ushered them inside even as he stared wide eyed at the arrest warrant LaFiamma banished.
"Take us to Mr. Hollinger, please," Lundy ordered with his usual country boy politeness.
But before the butler could even respond, LaFiamma, having caught sight of the bodyguard's appearance at the top of the stairs, yelled a warning, "Gun!" a second before bullets reigned down into the entryway.
Lundy and LaFiamma dove into a room to the right as the bullets embedded themselves into the front door where they had stood a mere instant before. LaFiamma scampered behind the wall and was soon joined by Lundy.
Catching his partner's eyes, LaFiamma teased, "You call this civilized?!"
Lundy shrugged, "Civilized ....for Texas." Both men smiled at that and then they were moving through the room away from the ambush they had stepped into. Cautiously they traveled through three rooms, all without incident.
"This is only to stall us," Lundy whispered to his partner as they entered the dining room.
LaFiamma's response was a curse as he looked out the french doors to the rear lawn. "He's got a helicopter!"
"Great, he'll be in Mexico before we finish calling this in," Lundy snarled as he saw Hollinger was only twenty feet from reaching the helicopter.
Without a word to Lundy, LaFiamma flew out the door and ran for the helicopter.
"LaFiamma!" Lundy called out in frustration, nevertheless, he followed on the heels of his partner. Lundy had only gone a few steps when his instincts had him turning and sending a bullet into the bodyguard. He watched as the man dropped his gun and stumbled back into the doorway even as blood spread across his chest. Suddenly the bodyguard crumpled to the dining room floor and lay still.
LaFiamma heard the report of Lundy's Colt and knew his partner had his back as always. As he watched Hollinger climb into the helicopter, LaFiamma began firing at the helicopter's motor even as the copter began to lift from terra firma. Dropping one gun and hastily holstering the other, LaFiamma poured on the speed toward his prey.
Lundy saw the futility of LaFiamma's pursuit a second before he guessed his partner's intention. "No!" he roared even as he took a few running steps as if he could stop what was about to happen. His gut clenched as LaFiamma leaped for the copter skid and he prayed to God that LaFiamma would fail in the attempt. But LaFiamma caught the skid with both hands a mere moment before the helicopter quickly rose in altitude, unaware that it had another passenger dangling precariously under it.
"LaFiamma!" Lundy screamed and sighted his gun on the helicopter but immediately lowered it. He couldn't risk the consequences of missing the motor or of hitting it. LaFiamma may have no regard for his own life, but Lundy did. Now all Lundy could do was helplessly watch LaFiamma cling to the skid of a helicopter that was now seven stories from the ground and rising. "Hang on LaFiamma! Hang on!" he ordered as his heart thudded in his chest.
Hanging on was a priority with LaFiamma but so was getting into the copter. The wind was buffeting him strongly as he struggled to pull himself onto the skid. Finally, he managed to lope his right arm around the skid but as he attempted to lope his left arm on the skid, he saw a tree looming before him.
Levon saw the impending disaster and sent up a desperate, anguished prayer, "Oh God, no. Don't do this!" Then the miracle happened, the helicopter suddenly gained altitude and LaFiamma cleared the tree by mere inches.
Having braced himself for a collision with the tree, LaFiamma was unprepared for the swift elevation and his left hand lost it's grip on the skid. He bit back a scream as he began to fall. But a second later he was jerked to a painful halt. His right arm's hold on the skid held, though LaFiamma's arm felt close to dislocation.
A "No!" had torn from Lundy as LaFiamma's left hand slipped but on it's heel followed a sigh of relief. LaFiamma was still hanging on like the stubborn fool Lundy accused him of being. "Use those damn muscles of yours and pull yourself onto the skid, boy!" he coached, his terror emerging into anger.
'This is not the best idea I've ever had,' LaFiamma rebuked himself as he loped his left arm onto the skid and slowly pulled himself onto the metal beam. He laid on the relative security of the skid there a moment, letting the wind calm his rattled nerves. Then with the determination that he was known for, LaFiamma reached for a hand hold to help secure his climb to the helicopter door. Gaining that hold, LaFiamma stood slowly on the skid, balanced himself against the onslaught of the wind and made his move.
As LaFiamma had made the move to stand on the skid, Lundy wanted to close his eyes, to spare himself the agony of watching his friend fall to his death. But he had to watch, couldn't not watch. This was his partner up there, his friend, and he wouldn't turn his back on him. Ever.
When LaFiamma had stood on the skid, Lundy felt as if it were his own life balanced fifteen stories in the air. And when his partner opened the copter door, it was like his own heart began to pound, his own nerves were surging with adrenaline, his palms that were sweaty. Then LaFiamma leaped into the copter and Lundy was left wondering, worrying.
LaFiamma's surprise appearance in the helicopter had Hollinger scrambling to the other side of the copter. Before Hollinger could recover from his shock, LaFiamma had his gun pointed into Hollinger's face. "Tell your pilot to turn around. It's time to go to jail, Hollinger."
When the helicopter loped around, Lundy hung his head and closed his eyes in relief. He sent up a prayer of thanks before he resighted on the welcomed approach of the helicopter.
The helicopter landed again in the lawn and Hollinger and the pilot obediently stepped from the copter, followed closely by LaFiamma. As Lundy approached, he saw the cocky smug smile on LaFiamma's face and suddenly his relief morphed into fury.
Having cleared the worst of the helicopter's wind, LaFiamma cuffed Hollinger and he watched as Lundy roughly slapped cuffs on the pilot. Two uniformed cops had suddenly appeared on the scene and were only too glad to take Hollinger and the pilot into custody.
"This is one hell of a job, Levon," LaFiamma greeted his partner with a laugh. He was totally unprepared for the roundhouse punch Levon sailed into his jaw. LaFiamme dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. His eyes, full of shock, flew up to his towering partner.
"You bastard!" Lundy snarled as he glared down at his partner. "You ever do another stunt like that and I'll do the mob's work for 'em!" And then Lundy was stalking away without a backward glance.
TBC - I would love some feedback!