~Chapter 9~

Ten minutes later Nathan and Wraith had explained what they suspected, and Josh had to agree with them. He even went so far as to predict when they would attack.
“Tomorrow.”
Nathan looked surprised, “You sure?”
Josh nodded an affirmative, “Positively, they won’t be sure whether or not Wraith saw them, so instead of risking us getting out and escaping, they will attack before we can move.”
Wraith was cleaning a pistol at the kitchen table, and he looked up at Josh.
“So, what’s the plan?”
Josh grinned, his gray eyes gleaming.
“They won’t expect us to be waiting for them. Tomorrow Lexy and Nathan will take the kids down into the garage until this is over. Wraith, you and Scarlet and me will be waiting for them right here. Remember, we want to know who sent them, so try and take at least one alive.”
Nathan grimace, “Ah crap…”
Lexy was standing in the kitchen. She put her hands on her hips and glared defiantly at her husband.
“I want to fight.”
Josh shook his head, “Not this time. We need someone down there to keep the kids out of trouble and to take care of them if we don’t make it up here. You are the best choice, being their mother and everything.”
Lexy nodded reluctantly, his logic undeniable.
Josh put his arms around her, “It will be alright. But if something does happen, take the Trailblazer and get out of here, understand me?”
Lexy nodded and hugged him tight.

~June 21st, 2019- Josh Taske’s House in Eugene, Oregon
The next morning Pallas and Apollos were ready to strike. They sat in their car, taking one last look at the house and talking over their simple, yet hopefully effective, strategy.
Pallas nodded at the front door, “I will go in that way.”
Apollos nodded, “And I will go in the garage…”
“…And out the back door, whereupon…”
“I will enter the back door of the house and we will have them pinned down.”
Pallas’ smile was deadly, “A simple pincer-movement.”
Apollos agreed with his sister, “Yes, Sun Tzu would be pleased.”

The kids woke up early, only to be rushed through a quick breakfast and gathered in the living room. There the older kids were each given an Alcatraz Kit, while Lexy took Jackson’s.
Josh knelt down and looked each of his kids in the eyes.
“Listen, I need you to do exactly as Mommy and Uncle Nathan tell you, understand?”
They all nodded, and Maria raised her hand.
“Daddy, what’s wrong?”
Josh smiled comfortingly, “Nothing, Hon, we are just practicing.”
Elijah grinned, “Like a fire drill at school!”
Josh nodded, “Yeah, kinda like a fire drill.”
Lola grimaced, “I don’t like fire drills.”
Josh stood and gestured to Nathan and Lexy. Lexy held Jackson, and Nathan held two extra Alcatraz Kits.
“Ok, get going.”

Pallas and Apollos split up at the driveway, Pallas headed for the front door of the house while Apollos made for the closed garage door. Almost simultaneously, they each pulled out a lock pick set and began to work at the locks on the garage door and front door, respectively.

Pallas was the first to make it through her door. After a second or two of working her lock picks in both the deadbolt and the door handle, there was a click and the door swung partially open.
Pallas reached behind her back and drew a short katana-style sword, and then un-holstered a Glock 9mm with extended clip. Sword and gun at the ready, she carefully entered the house.
She made her way through the entry and into the hallway leading past the door to the exercise room and the smaller hallway leading to the stairs. She turned the corner and entered the living room, and it was there she stopped cold.
In the reflection on the screen of the big-screen TV in the corner, she could see Josh Taske and Scarlet standing in the kitchen area, waiting.

Nathan had just closed the ramp leading into the underground garage where he had left Lexy and the kids, and was about to leave via the garage’s backdoor, when Apollos finally picked his lock.
The garage door slide up with a rasp and Apollos stepped in.
The assassin’s blue eyes flicked over Nathan and, seeing him unarmed, Apollos grinned.
He held out his hand, in which he held a short metal rod. With a sharp flick of his wrist the rod extended into a five-foot metal bow staff.
Nathan gave Apollos an “are you kidding me?” look and, looking around, picked up a wooden-handled whiskbroom resting against the wall by the door.
He dealt the broom a kick where the head met the handle, breaking the head off the broom.
He then swung the handle around his head and took a step towards Apollos.
Nathan grinned at the surprised assassin, “Didn’t see that one coming did yah?”