Deep Waters

pinpoint flashlight swept past the doorway. Otis muttered again, a soft, curious hiss.
    Elias waited until the ray of light had moved on, and then he slipped through the doorway.
    Charity nearly screamed then. Her mouth opened. Everything inside her wanted to cry out for him to come back to the safety of the bedroom.
    She bit back the useless words. There was no safety in the bedroom.
    "What the fuck? Lenny, watch it. There's someone—"
    "Sounds like a bird."
    "It's no goddamned bird." A man's voice broke off on a sharp exclamation.
    "Christ, what the hell? Get him. Get him, damn it."
    Charity heard a resounding crash. She scrambled up from the futon and grabbed the shirt Elias had left draped over the carved wooden chest. The garment fell to mid-thigh on her.
    "Lenny? Lenny? Where the fuck are you?"
    Silence from Lenny.
    Silence from Elias.
    Another thud.
    Charity remembered the heavy glass bowl that sat on the low table in the front room. It was the only thing she could think of at that moment that might serve as a weapon.
    She took a deep breath and plunged through the bedroom door. She veered awkwardly to the right, tripped over a cushion, and sprawled painfully on the low table.
    She heard a shuffling sound on the floor behind her. Just as her fingers brushed against the rim of the bowl, a man's arm locked around her throat.
    "No. Let me go." Charity clawed at the imprisoning arm.
    She was hauled forcibly to her feet and pinned against a sweating male body.
    "Freeze, you sonofabitch," the man named Lenny shouted into the darkness. "I've got your girlfriend. Move and I'll break her neck, I swear it."
    Everything went still. Charity fought for breath. Lenny was a hulking bear of a man. The panic welled up inside her.
    "Okay," Elias said in an oddly calm voice. "I'm not moving."
    "Turn on the light," Lenny ordered. He sounded shaken. "Do it slow."
    There was a sharp click. The lights came on. Charity blinked against the glare. Lenny's arm tightened spasmodically around her.
    "Let her go." Elias stood next to the door, near the wall switch. The prone figure of a man lay on the floor, unmoving.
    Charity felt an insane urge to laugh. Elias was the only one in the room who wasn't wearing clothes, but he somehow managed to make everyone else look overdressed for the occasion. The harmless-looking strip of leather that he usually wore around his waist still dangled from one wrist.
    "I ain't lettin' her go." Lenny edged back a step, dragging Charity with him. "What d'you think I am? Stupid?"
    "You won't get far if you try to take her with you. Let her go and make a run for it."
    "I need her to keep you from following. Get away from the door," Lenny snapped. "Move."
    Elias took two steps away from the door.
    Lenny started to haul Charity toward the entrance. She tried to make herself a dead weight.
    "Stop it, bitch." Lenny jerked his arm around her throat. He looked at Elias. "Go on. Back. Farther. I 1 don't want you gettin' any ideas."
    Elias took another step away from the door. He glanced briefly at Charity as Lenny dragged her past. She looked into his eyes and did not know whether to be reassured or completely panicked by the controlled savagery she saw there. He switched his attention back to Lenny before she could decide.
    Lenny stretched out his hand and groped for the door handle.
    Elias moved. The leather thong that had hung from his wrist flicked out so swiftly that Charity never even saw exactly what happened.
    She felt the violent jolt that went through Lenny as the leather whipped around his extended arm. He screamed, reflexively releasing her in order to free himself.
    Charity leaped to one side. Elias brushed past her to get at Lenny.
    It was all over in a few stunning seconds. Charity turned in time to see Lenny fly through the air. He crashed against the kitchen counter and slid silently to the floor. He did not move again.
    Charity touched her throat as she stared at the two prone figures. A baseball bat and what looked tike a tire iron littered the front room.
    "Are you all right?" Elias asked. His voice still sounded strangely neutral.
    "What?" She turned to gaze at him. "Yes. Yes, I'm all right."
    "Did he hurt you?"
    "No. I'm okay. Really. Oh, Elias." With a cry, she threw herself against him.
    His arm closed around her, fiercely protective. The panic receded.
    After a moment, Charity raised her head and stared at the loop of leather. "What is that thing?"
    "It's called Tal Kek Chara. I'll tell you