Take A Chance On Me

Chapter 9

Ned watched the four from the corner of the restaurant. One of these days he will find the opportunity to attack the enemy. Sarah had left him as soon as she had found out about his cheating.
'Great', he thought. 'Another girlfriend the great Mr. Frank Hardy has taken away from me. Slowly destroying everything you love like how it feels like you're doing to me.' Ned quivered in anger. It was now or never. He put his hoodie over his head and slowly took out his gun and placed it behind his back. Ned paced behind the Hardy's table and shot. The hooded figure ran out the door as chaos ensued. 

Everything seemed to go in slow motion. Parents, children and everyone in between got down and started screaming. Frank hurried over the table to his father as Laura rang 911. Nancy not really thinking, ran after the hooded figure. By the time she got to the street, the figure disappeared in a sea of people. The figure could be anyone, so Nancy didn't bother running after anyone. She rushed back inside to Fenton. A crowd was already forming around the small family.

'Not Fenton as well', Nancy thought. The devilish figure was picking the Hardy's one by one. Who was going to be next; Nancy? Frank? Laura? Nancy had to figure who this person was and fast.

An ambulance finally arrived and rushed Fenton to the hospital for emergency surgery with Laura riding in the back of the ambulance with her husband and Nancy and Frank following closely.

'I couldn't find him. He must've thrown out his hoodie, there was no one resembling that exact hoodie outside,' Nancy broke the silence.

'That's alright we'll pull security footage from the restaurant and ask the front desk people. They  must've had a good look at his face, I think he was sitting in the back corner somewhere. There wasn't that much of a commotion and he came around Mum and Dad's side of the table.' The car slowed down at a stop sign, Nancy looked Frank in the eyes. She grabbed his hand off the gear stick and squeezed it slightly. Nancy didn't know if she could love anyone more than Frank Hardy and his family. She always had that feeling about Frank but didn't know if he felt the same. He always had Callie Shaw and Nancy had Ned. Until a couple of days beforehand. They arrived at the hospital just after the ambulance and they ran inside to find Laura in the waiting. Nancy held his arm before he ran to his Mum.

'Hey Frank, you stay here with your family as long as you need. I'm going to check a few things out. Bess is at George's at the moment so I'll take my opportunity and see if they can help.' Frank grabs her and gives her a bear hug.

'Be safe,' he whispers into her ear, kissing her forehead.

'You as well, now go and be by your Mum's side. I'll be back later, don't you worry about a thing,' and with another kiss Nancy leaves. 'Crap, the keys.' Running in after Frank, grabbing the keys and running back out to the car, she returns to the restaurant that now has polices barricades surrounding it. Showing her ID to the police, she rushed to the security room and asked the police if she could look over the footage.

Sitting down in the chair the police officer had offered, Nancy played the tape over in normal speed and then again in slow motion.

'Detective what are you looking for?' Officer Driver asked.

'This is the second attack on the Hardy family. They are like family to me and I have a hunch that its someone what we know. Is there any possibility I can grab a copy of this and show it to my contacts?' Nancy turned and fced the officer.

'The famous Drew Hunch, just as famous as the Hardy Hunch,' Officer Driver chuckles. 'Yeah do whatever it takes to get the son of a bitch who did this. Anyone who is important to you is important to us. You're like family here Drew.' Driver waves to Nancy as she bolts to her car. It was time Bess, George and Nancy put their heads together.