So Night Follows Day Pt. 10

The doors opened.

* * *

Helen ran out of the Equals house and through the yard, navigating a path through the used cars that she and the Ultimados had driven here and were now taking up all curbside parking on both sides of Troy & Julie's street. She'd been trying to tell Susan about a hidden emergency roof access from the panic room that she and Rita could use to meet her helicopter on the roof when the call dropped.

She shouted for Ortega and tried to get Susan back on the line, when an incoming text from Whyte's number appeared on her screen.

DEAD FUCKER #174 (WHYTE): Contessa, heard our Eastern friends plan to pay Ms. Delvecchio a visit. Appears no one told THEM about our little bystander rule. I know *I* haven't talked to them recently, have you. ;)

Say, know that lovely signal jammer you've got at home for when you lock the castle down? It turns out, I make those things! And there's one being demonstrated near your hotel even now. Hope that doesn't make warning them a problem. Ta-Ta!

Helena looked up from the phone and heard shouting from Ortega, running toward her. It mingled with Troy and Julie's shouts behind as she made her way between two parked cars and ran right in front of a car that had been trying to navigate between all the vehicles. She connected the shouting with the sound of slammed brakes and a horn that came a second too late to do anything but startle her into stopping and turning to face it before the car hit her.

There was an audible thump as the Ultimados across the street, guns now drawn and pointed at the driver of the car, hurried to the street. Troy and Julie did so from their side, as well. They looked at the terrified driver, turning off the vehicle and raising his hands at the sight of all the gun barrels aimed at him.

Then they turned and saw the unconscious body of Contessa Helena de San Finzione, lying in the middle of their street.