Excerpt



Hed never forget the day the cute girl his age and her uncle moved in next door.

Ribit Froges home, in Creek Valley on the California Mojave desert, edged the steep foothills below the high San Bernardino mountains. Ribit had grown up with Charm living next door and rode the girl to school on his bikes handle bars. It was 6 level miles across the desert to school. Charms academic uncle, Professor Matthew Horn, explained hed been a teacher in Europe before he retired to the desert to write. That was all he ever revealed to anyone.

They had been swimming in Major Saladias private lake up in the hidden gorge. The Majors home was the last ranch on the dead end road where Ribit would leave his car parked. They had hurried home to dress and go out for dinner. Charms uncle was away on one of his mysterious sojourns; probably with his girlfriend. It was standard procedure for Charm to stay with Ribits folks when her uncle traveled.

This weekend both her uncle and Ribits parents were away. Riding beside Ribit in his Chevy, Charm said she had added a beautiful nightgown to her trousseau for their wedding. Both her Uncle Horn and his parents approved of them marrying after high school graduation; theyd attend college together.

You wont need it, he teased as he turned his car into her driveway. She and her uncle were nudists and she had swum naked with him since she was seven years old. Charm retaliated by tickling him before he stopped his car.

The sharp pops like exploding firecrackers stopped their wrestling. There was a sudden, BANG, CRASH! as his windshield shattered. Ribit gripped his steering wheel astounded. Now he saw he was parked behind a black Chrysler in the driveway ahead of him. Also a blue sedan parked out on the street?

He was shocked a bullet had shattered his windshield. Men were shooting at the house! Someone was shooting back from inside. Charms uncle must have come home? Ribit stretched his leg to get a throwing lead out of his pocket. As he reached for them, the door on Charms side was jerked open by a dark skinned man who grabbed Charms neck and pointed a pistol across her face at his head. Ribit ducked as the gunman shot, but Charm had desperately hit his arm up and made the bullet miss his head. The black mustached brute angrily slammed his gun barrel viciously against Charms head and she slumped in the seat. The time taken to hit Charm saved Ribits life.

Ribit moved! He slammed his door open and dived out of his Chevy before the next shot rang his ears. The bullet went out the window, instantly followed by another shot that struck the door frame where Ribits head had been.

Ribit landed flat on his back out of the killers sight. Ribit's stomach muscles tightened as he discovered he had not escaped. He would be killed before he could get a throwing lead out of his jeans. A glowering black bearded man with angry eyes rushed up to stand glaring down at him. He was swarthy, a bearded small man holding a UZI machine gun and he pointed the barrel end at Ribits head.

Ribit frantically tried to grab the mans feet and trip him. Ribit gasped! Looking up he saw the terrorists head explode!

From the house, Charms Uncle Horn had fired a shotgun slug that had turned Ribits would be killer faceless. Blood and bone sprayed Ribit who watched the lifeless body collapse. The UZI fell to the ground behind him. Ribit scrambled over onto his knees to crawl and get the weapon, but a barrage of bullets splattered the car door above his head. The shots came from the car in the street; he had to duck for cover.

Using his track star speed Ribit streaked around the front of his Chevy. A pattern of bullets followed him making a sieve of the hood. Raging with anger, Ribit pulled a throwing lead hed made from fishing sinkers from his pocket. They could be lethal when he threw them hard.

He saw Charm was being dragged by one arm towards the black Chrysler in front. She was unconscious and the man pulling her saw him dodge out between the two automobiles. He fired a hand gun shot at Ribit from 30 feet away. Ribit leaped sideways and the bullet burned flesh away on the ribs under his armpit. Ribit tumbled forward as though he was fatally shot, knowing if he charged the mans next shot would kill him.

Lying still Ribit heard Mister Horn send a barrage of rifle shots that distracted the killer. Ribit fearfully waited the opportunity to peg his 4 ounce weight.

The man holding unconscious Charm at his feet called out in English with a foreign accent, Ive got the girl! he yelled. Come out. Or I blow er head off!

Risking a peripheral peek, Ribit saw the man was kneeling behind the right front fender of the Chrysler sedan. Charm was grotesquely sprawled on her back with her head by the mans knees. Ribit knew her uncle couldnt come out. Theyd kill him. But the hideous fact was, the terrorist would murder Charm if Mr. Horn refused to come out. Ribit peeked again and nearly screamed aloud when he saw her captor lower his pistol to shoot the unconscious Charm in the head.