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Libby glared again, and she took a step toward the strange man, rolling her eyes and putting her small hands on her hips. “What do you want to do sir?”

Only the man’s head was visible through the hatch, he glanced down a moment before looking up and through to Teagen and Libby again, “You guys mind moving to one of the corners of this wall.” It wasn’t a question as his eyes first met the girls, then the other man’s.

Teagen nodded, and reached forward to grab Libby’s arm. At the slightest touch she jerked her arm away and nailed him with a glare before flouncing with a lifted chin around and behind the couch.

Teagen’s jaw set, and his hands clenched a second. He didn’t like being disrespected, by anyone. If she wasn’t a kid… He then followed, and knelt behind the couch.

The pair then watched the stranger through the small opening as he seemed to work something into the opposite wall. After a few minutes he stepped back and surveyed his anonymous work. Teagen’s dark brows lowered as suspicions tickled his mind.

Then the man ordered to where those in both rooms could hear, “Everyone, cover your ears. Close your eyes and shield yourself.”

He then disappeared from sight. Teagen put a hand on the back of Libby’s neck and forced her head down, “Stuff your,” A loud concussion muffled his words.

The couch nearly toppled over on top of the refugees, who curled up into balls like pill-bugs.

Teagen’s ears rung in a steady tone, like a flat-line in a hospital. His whole being trembled; but not from rage or fear. He couldn’t stop.

Teagen’s head lifted slowly, his chest coughing slightly. Dust and flakes of paper floated about the room like dirty snowflakes. He then looked down at the girl still curled in a fetal position.

“Libby?” He put a hand on her shoulder and she shook it off. He tried again, attempting to make his hand gentle as it graced her arm and he rolled her over. She still had her elbows pressed against her ears. Her lips parted just a crack, her eyes wide, and her glasses on the floor.

“What, what was that?”

Teagen swallowed, An explosion almost rolled off his tongue, But she knew that. 

The man in the next room was not to be tempered with. If he had some kind of bomb, he likely had other weapons. Best to be nice to him, “Better be nice to the new guy.” He then glanced over the cushion, Where was his poker?

She swallowed hard as her jaw tightened. Eyes running over Teagen’s, this stranger’s, face.

@rusted-knight @beth20

@arindown I finished ‘The Hidden Hand’. It was good, but not as good (to me) as others she wrote i.e. ‘Ishmael’ and ‘Self-Raised’. Have you read those or any more of her books?