Set to Kill, Chapter 9 excerpt

This is just a small fragment of chapter 9. Otherwise, there would be too many spoilers.

I'm now on 33,566 words. Enjoy.

*****

Faith and Sophia James burst into the hotel, charging through the Hyatt with all the exuberance of children.

They knew exactly where their group was going, they knew exactly where they were going to be, so the two teens darted straight for it, knowing full well that their parents, and the entourage they came with, would be swamped with fans for a while now.

So when they were attacked by a Ninja Turtle with a four-foot staff, they were all alone.

The first swing came from relatively nowhere. First they were dashing down the stairs, and then, the staff came at them, shoulder-high.

Sophia dropped and rolled under the swing, and Faith burst back, narrowly missing the attack.

But this left the attacker with Sophia behind, Faith in front, and the turtle in the middle.

Faith burst in, slamming her shoulder into the turtle's chest padding, checking his arm with hers, so he couldn't swing back.

Sophia grabbed a chair and smashed it over the turtle's head. Faith took the staff away, then thrust it into the attack's face. Blood and teeth went flying. Faith swung the other end of the staff into the turtle's leg, just missing the knee.

“Kids! Stop attacking that man!”

Faith and Sophia stopped, and looked up the stairs as the turtle wandered away. Barbara James stood at the top of the stairs, hands on black, leather-clad hips, looking like Blue Sonja.

“But mom!” they cried. “He started it!”

Barbara's eyes narrowed. “Oh did he?”

She charged down the stairs, looking like nothing so much as a Valkyrie in full swing.

They looked around, and he was already gone.

Stormtroopers came down the stairs, “blasters” at the ready. “Is there a problem, ma'am?”

Barbara looked at them. “Yes. A man in a turtle costume went after my children.”

The Stormtroopers looked at the staff, then each other, nodded, and sent out a BOLO order for Donatello.