It wasn't enough, and someone who'd been hiding behind the door when I opened it fired through the flimsy wood, hitting me in the chest twice, once in the right arm I'd used to open the door with, and the final shot going wide and missing me completely.
I staggered back, left hand catching onto the doorframe so I didn't fall, but it was a close thing. My breath had been driven from my lungs, and my chest and right arm hurt. Like, Bone Breaker Curse hurt, not Stinging Hex hurt. Trust me, I knew the difference thanks to my father.
The bullets did not pierce my rune-reinforced suit, which was the only saving grace, but it still felt like some bones had been cracked by the impact. Bruised at the very least!
"What did you expect?' my snarky internal thoughts demanded as I reached for an Ofuda from my holster. 'It's a freaking bullet, and it hit you point blank! Of course it was going to hurt!'
I ignored my mocking internal chastisements – which sounded far too much like Erroneous Hunch Senior for my liking – and pulled out a Stunner while using my Bullet Time Ring a second time.
Lucky I did, as the gunman who'd shot me stepped out from behind the door – probably to check if he'd killed me. When he appeared in front of me, narrowed, angry eyes slowly widening into shock at my lack of blood and bullet holes, I slapped the Ofuda onto his chest before he could react and smirked gleefully as his body convulsed as the magic flowed into him.
'That was more powerful than usual,' I wondered, then after checking my holster, realized I'd grabbed two Stunner Ofuda without noticing.
I shook my head, ignoring the mistake I'd made, and staggered over to Delilah's side, yanking the gag out of her mouth. She gasped for air, panting a bit, before giving me a confused but grateful look.
"T-thank you," she mumbled. "Who are you? How did you know where I was?"
Then, in a quieter, hopeful voice, "Did my father send you?"
"No, I'm afraid your father didn't ask for my help," I replied as I untied her from the chair. "As for how I knew where you were, and who I am, that's a longer story."
'Note to self, bring a knife next time!' I thought as I fumbled with the knotted rope. 'And maybe work on some Ofuda with the Unlocking Charm in case I ever run into any more locks. I got lucky with the dope outside carrying a keycard.'
"Well, if father didn't send you after me, who did?" Delilah asked. "Although… your voice… it sounds familiar for some reason…"
'Gonna have to work on that,' I mused. 'My glasses can block facial recognition, but can't do anything about someone who hears and remembers my voice.'
"I can't believe my father didn't even bother sending someone after me!" she said darkly, glowering at the ceiling as the ropes fell away. "Shouldn't be surprised, though."
"Um, is it because he's an asshole?" I guessed. He seemed like it from what I'd heard so far. And who else but an asshole wouldn't try and get their daughter back from kidnappers!
Delilah snorted. "That, and he's… not really my father."
"Ah," I said shortly.
"My mother swears she never slept with anybody else, but, well…" she trailed off and waved a hand at her hair. I blinked slowly, and horror dawned on me as I realized why she looked like a gender-bent Lucius Malfoy.
'He raped her mother!' I growled in my head. 'That slimy bastard!'
It fit, sadly. She was seventeen, possibly eighteen, only a bit older than me. She'd have been conceived during the height of the Dark Lord's power, and the Death Eaters had been known to do terrible things to muggles during that time.
'And with a simple Obliviate, none of their victims would ever know,' I thought to myself. 'Those that survived their attention, at least.'
Delilah heaved and sigh and looked down at herself, wincing. "Cannot believe I'm telling a total stranger this," she mumbled to herself, a note of embarrassment leaking out of her voice.
"I'll admit I'm a bit strange, but I'm no stranger," I replied, smirking a bit as I took off my glasses and let her see my face without the spell.
"You?!" she exclaimed, blinking in surprise. "Edward Rose?!"
Delilah's eyes then began to water, and she grabbed me in a crushing hug.
"You're alive! How?!" she sobbed in relief. "I saw the driver shoot you! How are you okay?!"
"Ahh!" I exclaimed in pain as her hug caused me some agony. "Ribs! Watch the ribs!"
"Oh? Oh! My God, you were shot! Again!" Delilah gasped, stepping away and looking at my chest in bewilderment. "Hang on, there's no blood…"
"Bullet proof clothes," I said smugly, before grimacing and grabbing a bottle from utility belt. I chugged the Wiggenweld Potion down, draining half the bottle before sighing as a cooling relief filled my body. If the bones really were broken, I'd have to get some Skele-grow to fix them, but for now the Healing Potion took away the pain.
"And that?" she asked, watching me curiously.
"Pain reliever," I grunted, rubbing the spot on my arm I'd been shot.
"Oh. That's good," Delilah sighed in relief.
"Well, I took care of the goons," I said, waving my hand at the unconscious kidnappers and hostage takers. "Let's get out of here."
Before she could respond, there was a screech of tires outside, and I warily peeked out, Delilah at my side. A big black van had driven up to the curb, and someone got out from the driver's side. They only took a few steps towards the building before pausing, and then they turned and began shouting at someone else in the van.
"They must have noticed the guard I knocked out," I muttered in realization.
"Um, they wouldn't happen to belong to your father, would they?" I asked hopefully as we stared out the window as several more thugs emerged from the van, all sporting handguns.
"No. No, they are not," she replied, biting her lip in worry.
"Bloody hell," I grunted in annoyance. "Looks like this won't be as easy as I hoped."
....
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