No Angel

Part 8

Simba woke with a start and sat straight up in bed. It was completely dark outside and for a moment, all she could hear was her own breathing and Andy's light snoring, but she stayed perfectly still. Then, again, she heard the noise that had woken her.

It was a simple snap of a twig outside the window, and the sound of it sent a cold feeling down her spine.

Covering Andy's mouth, she shook him awake. His eyes flung open in shock before he saw it was only Simba, but she had a finger to her mouth to tell him to be quiet and the moment's relief was gone.

Simba slipped out of bed without a sound and grabbed the lightweight silk robe she'd left at the end of it. She slipped the robe on, covering herself more modestly than just her underwear, and realised her gun had been left in the other room, where someone had just broken in through the front door.

The first thing Simba could think to use was the tie to the robe, so she pulled it free of the robe and wrapped it around her hands. Andy watched her, terrified to move and make any noise that gave them away, and wondered how useful that simple cotton strip was going to be to the agent.

Still not making the slightest sound, Simba stood next to the opening of the door until she saw the intruder begin to open it. Once the door was open enough, Simba kicked the person straight in the chest and sent them stumbling back into the living area. They stood hunched over with their back to Simba, catching their breath after her attack. The agent came up behind them and just as she got close enough, the mystery person turned and struck out at her face.

Simba pulled her head back, out of reach, and when she straightened herself, the intruder attempted to strike again with the other hand. Simba, ready for it this time, wrapped the tie around the intruder's hand, pulled them towards her, spun slightly and tried to give a swift elbow to the face, only to have her attack blocked. The intruder tried to kick Simba but she stepped out the way and, with the other's hand still trapped, she pulled at her opponent again, this time hoping to flip them to the ground, but they moved too swiftly and released their hand from the tie.

Andy watched from the bedroom door as the evenly matched opponents tried to gain the upper hand. Andy could only make out their outlines in the small amount of moonlight that created the only source of light, but each movement they made flowed into the next, neither person pausing for a second. Andy saw it like the world's deadliest dance and wished he could have moved so swiftly, with such purpose in every movement, the way the two fighters did.

After a few more moments back and forth between the two, the mystery intruder struck out at Simba and she used the tie, still wrapped between her hands, to block the attack before she wrapped it around the other's wrist. With a quick step, Simba was able to twist the attackers arm around behind their back and she pinned them to the wall.

Then the mystery person laughed. "Looks like I taught you well, Little Lion."

Simba froze. If she hadn't recognised the voice, she would have known who it was, because the only person who had ever called her Little Lion was . . . "Phantom?"

Simba released Phantom, who then turned to face her as she reached to flick on the lights. "Miss me?" the taller woman asked with a broad smile.

"You bitch," was all Simba could say before she punched Phantom across the face.

Phantom's smile didn't even falter as she recovered from the hit and brought a hand to her cheek. "Yeah, I probably deserve that."

"Simba?" Andy asked from the bedroom door. He honestly couldn't tell if it was safe to come out now.

Putting her hand out to Andy, Simba never took her eyes off Phantom. "Stay there, Andy."

Phantom flicked her eyes over to the musician before she locked her gaze with Simba's. "Look, I know you probably don't know who to trust right now, but I promise, I'm here to help."