Instinctively, I turned towards the stairs and practically fell down them in my haste to get to her, but carefully kept a firm grip on my shotgun. I couldn't have cared less which of the two men survived the confrontation, but I wasn't about to let her get hurt I'd almost made it to her when the sound of a soft thud reached my ears. Although I hadn't ever encountered one in real life, I'd watched enough action-adventure movies to recognize a silencer when I heard one. Definitely not welcome news.