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Oh no, he wasn’t getting away with Silas. Anne moaned and got up from the bed. She grabbed an overturned lamp, caught up with a man, and struck him on the head.
The man roared and released Silas. In one swift move, he punched Anne in the gut and sent her crashing against the wall.
Anne felt her body hit the wall. She felt herself slide down. She saw gray, then black, then nothing.
* * *
Martin raced from the house, his breath coming in frantic gasps. Thankfully, Bobby was still waiting for him down the street in his truck.
“Goddamn, what happened to you?” asked Bobby. His eyes widened as Martin jumped into the truck.
“What happened?” Martin screamed as he rubbed the back of his head. He brought his hand around; it was covered in blood. He glared at Bobby. “What happened is you were supposed to call me if anyone was coming.”
“I didn’t see her car.”
“And where the hell is Jinx? He was supposed to be watching, too,” Martin barked.
Bobby grimaced. “He had an emergency and had to leave.”
Martin huffed and shook his head. How did he ever get stuck with these two numbnuts?
He had been searching the kid’s room when he heard the woman’s voice. Why would she be home in the middle of the day? Panic set in.
There was nowhere to hide, so Martin had stood close to the wall. He thought about leaving, but Silas spotted him standing there. Then, when he thought he would just run out, Anne turned and spotted him. She saw his eyes even though he had on a bandanna and a cap. She still might recognize him.
Hurting her was not on his to-do list, but the woman was feisty. He knew he wouldn’t get out of there without a fight. If he had to fight, he would not worry about hurting her, and for sure, he’d try to take the boy with him, then find out where the bear was because it hadn’t been in his room.
“We got to get out of here before she calls the police,” said Martin.
Bobby hit the gas, and they surged forward.
“You idiot!” Martin yelled over the revving of the engine. “Slow down. We’re not supposed to bring attention to ourselves.
Martin closed his eyes. He remembered why he hated working with Bobby and Jinx.
Bobby was an idiot, and Jinx was cruel and stupid. Why had he ever called them? His unfortunate decision to include them threatened his carefully constructed plan to get the bear and his haul from the theft. Now it had all gone to crap.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Silas sat cross-legged next to Anne, who was on the floor.
She hadn’t moved, but he could see her chest rising, so she was alive. Panic set in. He needed to call for help. But who to call?
Calling the police might mean that they put him in another foster home. Especially after the last time, he couldn’t do that again. He shook Anne. “Miss Anne, please wake up.”
Silence.
She didn’t look too good. Her head was bleeding from a cut; her eye was swollen and turning black. Silas was afraid. He really liked living with Miss Anne. She was kind and made the best macaroni and cheese—his favorite.
What if she died?
Where would he go?
He knew he had to call someone and get help.
Silas got up and found Anne’s purse. The faint scent of her perfume filled the air as he rummaged in her purse, pulled out her phone, and stared at it. He knew how to press 9-1-1 but didn’t.
He walked back to Anne, hoping she was now awake. However, she was still lying by the wall and hadn’t moved.
