mm_kel (mm_kel) wrote in morningstar_mnr, @ 2010-01-26 16:43:00 |
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Entry tags: | connor, kara, niles, npc |
Lamb; Late; Kara, Niles, Connor and uninvited guests
The nice thing about the Lamb being right next door to the Manor was that Kara wasn't nervous about locking up on her own. After all she only had to walk a few yards and she was in one of the safest buildings in the city. Even still Cook usually hung around to see her out and on her way - a sweet gesture, even if he usually was cussing at her to hurry up the whole time - and now that Connor was back he often helped lock up too.
Tonight though Cook had had to leave right away - family emergency - and Conn had needed to run a few errands and then make a few phone calls so had gone on to his flat above the pub, and that left Kara in the pup on her own. Despite the time she was still fairly awake and so decided to get a bit of book keeping done before she left. She locked the front door, flipped off the lights, and headed to her office.
It was an hour later when Kara thought she heard something. She paused, the computer screen the only real light in the room and listened. Kara was used to some noises - usually from the basement. Maybe it had been her imagination... No - there it was again. Glasses clinking? Figuring it was just the - thing - in the basement Kara got up and quietly headed into the main room.
She flipped on a light and froze - and so did the man in black and wearing a ski mask at the nearest register. For a second they just stared at each other then he moved to vault over the bar at the same time as Kara turned to run for the office. And she might have gotten there if it hadn't been for the second man that stepped out of the kitchen and blocked her way, grabbing her and throwing her against the wall where Kara's head hit with a thud that made her see stars.
"Thought you said it was empty," the first man growled at his companion and the second, a smaller guy, shrugged.
"Thought it was. But this way we can get into the safe easier," he pointed out and the first man crouched down to where Kara was sitting against the wall trying to blink the world back into focus.
"Little thing all here by yourself," he said and touched her face and Kara snapped back to reality and automatically slapped at his hand. "Oh - fiesty. I like it."
He gripped Kara by the hair and she cried out as he hauled her up and forced her towards the office. "Now you're gonna open up that safe," he growled. "And we'll take what we want and be on our way."
Kara knew that tone and the look she could feel the two men giving her said clearly that what they wanted wasn't only going to be in that safe. Sick with fear but keeping her cool she went to the safe and began doing the combination. You didn't grow up running a bar and not learn what to do if you were robbed. Kara had a gun - had two actually. One behind the bar and one in her desk. It was a matter of getting to one or the other and right now, with both men watching her closely, she wasn't sure she'd manage.
"Jackpot," he said, pulling out a bag and scooping the cash into it and his friend edged closer, looking at the loot. Kara took a step back, then another, and when neither man seemed to notice she turned and ran. If she could just get to the gun behind the bar.
There was a shout and the pounding of boots as they came after her and just as she reached the main room one of them tackled her from behind. She went down, the wind being knocked out of her and began to struggle in earnest. One elbow caught her attacker in the ribs and he grunted then grabbed her hair and slammed her head on the wooden floor then flipped her over, straddling her hips.
"Fucking bitch," he growled and Kara took the brief second to suck in air and scream before his fist hit her jaw.
Niles had been trying to get up with Kara for a good half an hour. She was supposed to have given him a call when she thought she was getting ready to leave, but she never had. Out of curiousity he walked to the Lamb, ready to tease her about getting so caught up in her books that she forgot about him, but his knocks on the door didn't bring her to him. He called again, then started walking around. Had she fallen asleep or something? Maybe he should knock on a window...
As he rounded a corner and saw the door to the bar of all things slightly ajar. When he got closer, he saw that the door had obviously been broken into. He felt bile rise up in his throat and when he heard Kara scream, he took off in a dead run. He slid inside the bar, already seeing a red haze before he found the man straddling her small body. He didn't see what the man was doing or had done to her, didn't bother to take in the details. All he knew was that he wanted to maime, maybe even to kill for someone daring to hurt her in whatever way they had.
He grabbed the man's arm in one big fist, jerking him away from Kara so hard that the man let out a shout of pain before Niles sent his other fist crashing into his face once and then another time for good measure.
Kara blinked, vision blurred, jaw throbbing, head feeling like it was going to explode but even in all the she registered that the weight that had been pinning her down was gone and she scrambled backwards.
Niles? Niles was there - beating the hell out of one of the robbers and Kara sent up a silent prayer of thanks. Then she remembered the second man and scrambled to her feet. Fear was all well and good but now, now she was angry. Someone had broken into her bar, her bar!, and the fear and pain was pushed aside for a moment as she spotted the second robber moving towards Niles.
"Niles watch out!" she yelled and grabbed for the nearest thing she could find - a heavy glass ashtray - and threw it at the second attacker then again ran for the bar.
Niles winced as a large body threw itself at his back, knocking him away from the man he'd been beating the shit out of and onto the ground where he got a good punch in the ribs. He spun around, legs already kicking as he tried to get his barings and protect himself and take in how many of them there were. The one he'd already beaten was limping away, which left him to deal with the new one that had him at a disadvantage on the ground. He kicked at the man's knee, making him cry out in pain and bringing him down somewhat to his level so that Niles could rise up and deliver a punch, not as powerful as the one he'd given to the man's buddy but still got the point across, to the man's jaw, sending him flying backwards. He felt another pair of rough hands grab at his arm before he could pound the shit out of this new attacker and vaguely thought he heard Kara's voice before the man behind him froze.
It had been the unmistakable sound of a shot gun being cocked that had done it and Kara slowly came round the bar, the sawed off shotgun aimed at the men.
"Get off him," she demanded, and the two men carefully backed away. "Fucking bastards, break into my pub and attack me will you? I'll blow your bollocks off!"
To late she realised the door was behind them. They realised it too and bolted. The sound of the shotgun cracked through the bar and the wood of the door frame splintered where the bullet hit but the robbers were gone.
It was only then that the fear hit again and, hands shaking, Kara sank down next to Niles. "Are you okay?"
Niles had scrambled to his feet and was about to take off after the men when Kara spoke and he turned to look at her. Her lip was busted and there was blood in her hair from a head wound that he couldn't see. Jesus, what had they done to her?
"Kara," he said, cupping her face in his hands to look her over better and feeling that same familiar wave of rage again. "What did they do to you? Are you okay?"