11:50 am- The Ninth Floor 
  
After suzy cut Ko’s zip ties he ran toward Rica who hovered over Lilia’s dead body by the open window. 
  
“Rica?” 
  
“Nya!” She turned and pulled him by his waist before yelling, “That stupid bitch killed my wolf Ian so I fucked her up with his gun!” she scowled waving the thirty eight revolver at the corpse. 
  
“Yes, you certainly did,” said Ko holding her, calming her. 
  
But Rica’s face quickly soured, “What the fuck, Ko? How’d you let that bitch catch you?” 
  
The sting of her words shamed him, “I miscalculated.” 
  
“You what? Dammit Ko, I already told you!” Rica held him tight, burying her face in his chest, “You’re no good to me dead!” 
  
“Ah.” Ko winced at Rica’s hard truth. His inexcusable mistake of believing the Rifle Girls wouldn’t go after Jun-Seo first cost lives he couldn’t replace. He messed up and he knew it. Now he had to fix this. 
  
Meanwhile Rica glanced in Suzy’s direction while speaking to him, “Boy it’s lucky for you I saw through Lilia’s trick and knew she’d track that Suzy girl over there. But I didn’t figure she’d catch you though!” 
  
Ko grinned, “I’m not as quick as you are, little boss.” 
  
“Damn right you’re not! And don’t you forget it you Hunting Dog! Hmph!” Rica pouted while squeezing him tight. And for that moment in time Ko felt all was right with the world, until.
  
“Ko?” Suzy whimpered from the sidelines, seemingly afraid of Rica, “I have to tell you something.” 
  
“What is it?” he asked. 
  
“Jun-Seo, he-” She gulped and spoke Korean, “Jun-Seo said those Rifle Girls brought another shooter just for Tara.” 
  
“What?” Ko’s eyes widened, “A third shooter?” 
  
“Yes, Jun-Seo discovered that those Hungarian girls were no longer here just for Tara. He said they're boss in Turkey told them to kill everyone in their way! So they were looking for that girl!" She said pointing at Rica, “And another woman they called a villain.” 
  
“Villain?” Ko glared at her, “Do you mean, Reyna Rai?” 
  
“Yes! That was her name!” Suzy nodded, “And Jun said those Rifle Girls know where Reyna and Tara are now and he was sure they were going after her today!” 
  
“Tch!” Ko balled his fist and glanced at Rica, “We have to get to Tara!” 
  
“Right!” Rica nodded and pulled out her phone, “Bling? Yeah, I'm ok! But did you put Donna back on the train? Good, now hurry up and meet me in the alley behind this building cause we gotta get uptown fast!” 
  
As Rica hung up the three of them hustled out of the barely constructed building stairwell to meet Bling. While they ran down Ko informed Rica about Viktoria going after Kayla. 
  
“Crap!” Rica yelped, “I’ll have to call Dan and warn him. But to be honest I’m sure my mom’s figured this out already!” 
  
“How do you know?” Ko asked. 
  
“Because my mom’s phone has been off for the past hour,” Rica said leaping down a flight of stairs with her rifle bag over her shoulder. “And The Villain Reyna Rai only cuts her phone off when she’s tracking prey.”
  
Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island New York, Noon 
  
Dan Capra’s weekend house lay hidden on five acres of forest land in beautiful Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island. He fell in love with the home and purchased it on the spot seven months earlier, telling Reyna it reminded him of Pennsylvania. 
  
Now on this brisk December day Kayla helped Dan dig out the snow burying the house’s porch and driveway. Although her aid consisted of constructing little snowmen and angels, Dan appreciated her company. 
  
“Kayla honey, if you dig yourself too deep you’ll get all wet,” Dan gently warned while shoveling the porch steps. 
  
“Oh don’t worry, my boots are waterproof!” Kayla explained in her pink coat with the lower half of her body submerged in snow. 
  
Dan chuckled, “Umm, but if the snow gets in the top. You know what, never mind, you’re having fun, heh heh!” 
  
While he laughed at Kayla his phone buzzed. He glanced at the display expecting Reyna’s name. Instead it was Rica. 
  
“Hi Rica! Are you on your way out here now?” He asked with a smile. But exactly three seconds later his smile faded. “Ah, I see. And no I haven’t talked to your mom. Ok, thanks Rica, and please stay in contact, alright? Good.” 
  
Dan hung up and glanced at the ocean of white snow surrounding his forest property. His house stood two miles from the nearest main road, and his local mail went to the post office. So in other words Dan and Kayla were in the sticks, and in danger. But Dan wasn’t no punk.
  
“Kayla, that was Rica! And she’ll be here later so we’re gonna start cooking, ok?” 
  
“Oh!” Kayla pulled herself out of the snow, “Do you need me to help you season?” 
  
“Err,” He thought about it, “Well, you and Reyna both are a bit heavy handed with spices, so umm.” 
  
“What?” Kayla asked. 
  
“Heh heh, nothing!” He picked her up, “Of course you can season.” 
  
Dan brought Kayla in the house and quickly put her in a center room with her DVD's, away from any windows. With Kayla occupied he hustled into his bedroom where he opened a carry bag to lock and load his Glock 9mm with hollow point rounds. After holstering the pistol to his back he checked on Kayla. The baby seemed oblivious to Dan as she sang along with the animated characters on the TV screen. That's fine, he thought as he stepped back out to the kitchen and cautiously peeked through the curtain at the blinding white forest. “This is deja-vu all over again.” 
  
Dan gripped the gun handle in the back holster with a nervous scowl as he peered out the window. But he wasn’t afraid. From his previous adventures with Reyna and Rica he understood full well the criminal life they led. For when he fell in love with Reyna Rai he accepted the fact that he may be called on to fight and defend his beautiful new family. And for a combat veteran like Dan that strictly meant... 
  
by any means necessary…