"Nancy Kress - Nano Comes to Clifford Falls" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kress Nancy)

"Look at this--not just the one, two of them," one man said, while I was already reaching for the phone.
He got there first and knocked it out of my hand. "Not that it would help you, lady. Not a lot of police
left. Kenny, I'll take this one and you take the fat girl."

Kitty had shrunk back against the sofa. I tried to think fast. The kids--if I could just keep any noise from
waking the kids, the men might not even know they were there. Then no matter what happened to us, the
kids would be safe. But if Will saw either of their faces, if he could identify them ... and Kitty, Kitty was
only fifteen....

I said quickly, "Leave her alone. She doesn't know how to do anything, she won't be any fun for you. If
you leave her alone, I'll let you both do me. I won't even fight. I'd be a lot more fun for you." My gorge
rose and I tasted vomit.

The two men looked at each other. Finally "Kenny" shrugged and said, "The fat one's ugly, anyway."

The other one nodded and his piggy eyes gleamed. Noise--the important thing was no noise. I got down
on the floor and unzipped my jeans. Oh, God--but no noise, no noise to wake the kids, and I had to
protect Kitty, God, fifteen....

My head exploded.

No, not my head, the head leering above me. Blood and brains splattered over me. Then there was a
second shot and the other man went down. I staggered up, puked, and heard Will and Kimee screaming.
When I could see again, the kids stood in the doorway, clinging together, and Kitty still sat on the sofa,
the gun in her hand.

She was the calmest one there, at least on the outside. "I stole it to use on my stepfather if I had to, just
before you said I could live here. Carol--" Then she started shaking.

"It's okay," I said stupidly and, my own hand trembling, picked up the phone to call the cops.

I got a recording at 911. "I'm sorry, but due to reduced manpower, your call may have to wait. Please
stay on the line until--" I hung up and called Barry Anderson's cell.
It was turned off. When he finally got there, three hours later, he said it was the only sleep he'd had in
two days. His deputy quit last week and left for Florida. By that time I'd gotten the kids back to sleep,
the room and myself cleaned up, and Kitty to stop shaking.

The next day, Hal Bellingham moved us all out to the farm.
****
By spring, there were fifty-four of us on the farm, plus ten kids. And in the spring, Jack came back.

I was coming out of the lamb barn with Will, who saw Jack first. He cried, "Daddy!" and my heart froze.
Then Will was running across the muddy yard and throwing himself into Jack's arms. I trailed slowly
behind.

"How'd you get past the guards?" I said.

"Bellingham let me in. What kind of set-up you got going here, anyway?"

I didn't answer, just stared at him. He looked good. Well-fed, well-dressed, maybe a little heavier but