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special
parts.   Just the bike and the
road.   The way it should be.”  
    “Do
you ride them or just collect them?”              
    “I’m
a rider first.   A collector
second.”   He smiled.   “Those guys that just collect them blow
my mind.   Never made a lot of sense
to me.”   The garage door started
closing behind them; the Maxima beeped, and then revved to life.
    “Sorry
that I can’t take you for a ride on one right now, but I think it’s best if we
don’t stick around here.”
    “Why? 
Won’t we be safe here?”
    “I
doubt it.”   His reply was
blunt.   “My guess is the cops will
be here soon.   And then there is
the concern about the person following us.”
    Instant
paranoia struck Allyson’s face as she turned around, trying to see out of the
garage windows.
    “Don’t
freak out,” he said calmly.   “I
doubt we have a tail.   But I am
pretty sure we have a homing device on my Camaro.   That’s one of two reasons we’re changing cars.”
    “What’s
the other reason?
    “At
the coffee shop, I noticed a guy in a Lexus in the parking lot just sitting
there.   His windows were tinted, so
I didn’t get a good look at him.   At first, I thought he was just waiting to meet someone.   But he was still sitting there when we
left.   It was almost like he was
trying to look casual, even had a newspaper with him.   Just struck me as odd, given the bullets flying around and
all.”
    “So
you think he saw the plates?”
    “I
think he had already looked at them.   I keep a spare set of fake tags here in the shop, registered to a very
old friend.   They’re on the Nissan,
so I’m hoping that will buy us some time.   The police will come here and find my car, search my house, etc.”
    “Just
a typical day for Sean Wyatt, huh?”   Her sarcasm was cute.
    “The
cops mean well, or at least I think they do.   Nothing will be taken from my house.   I just hope things are left as they
found them.”
    “You
get searched often?”    
    He
ignored the question.   “Don’t
worry.   We’re going to figure this
out, and trust me, you’ll be back in the office in no time.  But I just
killed two guys back there, and if that guy in the car has anything to do with
it, I don’t think we are on the right side of the law at the moment.  Call
it a hunch.”
    His
words didn’t ease her mind much.
    He
walked quickly over to the running car. “We should probably be going.   I’ll be glad to give you a tour of the
whole place some other time.”  
    She
was amazed that he could still flirt at a time like this. She followed him and
opened the front passenger door simultaneously with him.  
    “Promise?”   Her voice was playful as she slid into
the front of the car.   Apparently,
she had put the double homicide behind her for the moment.
    He
smiled at her, careful not to show the concern in his mind.  He wasn’t
sure he trusted her.  She shows up, and then all of the sudden he’s
getting shot at.  And was her fear legitimate or an act?  He couldn’t
tell at the moment, but it was a little odd how one moment she had been
terrified and the next she was ready to hop in the car and go.  A normal
person might have tried to escape.  
    Suddenly,
she screamed at the top of her lungs.
    In
the reflection of the tinted black windows, he saw a quick movement.  
    Sean’s
reaction was immediate and fluid. He dropped to his knee to avoid the swinging
elbow that was intended for the back of his neck.   His fist launched at the attacker’s groin, finding the
vulnerable area with a confirming groan of pain.  
    Hunched
over, the attacker, dressed in a black sweater, staggered towards his prey, who
had side-stepped quickly over to a row of garden tools.  
    The
man’s recovery was too slow.   Sean’s hands moved quickly, scooping up a shovel and bringing the head
of it crashing against the face of the intruder.   The stunned assailant crumpled into an
unconscious heap