She should have expected the attacks, should have known someone like John would have been lying in wait for her. But somehow she'd been too distracted. So, he managed to catch her entirely off-guard. The first hit thrust her arms towards the ceiling, which was quite fortunate for him, as his instinct was correct. She could be as trigger happy as their daughter had been. The bullet released by the force ricocheted off the window ledge and lodged in the wall somewhere.

Helen didn't even get a chance to see where John was before his next attack slammed into her chest. She choked, retaliating with a backhanded slap intended to smack her gun against the side of his head, but with how winded he'd made her, she would be lucky to force him away enough for her to stagger backwards a few steps.

Damnit all, she should have known better.