AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What was his name?” said Tyler.
“Warren Morris,” said Michael.
Tyler snorted. “He sounds like he should be preparing taxes, not walking around hunting people with a gun.”
“Maybe he does prepare taxes,” said Hunter. “He doesn’t have to be military. Guides come from all walks of life. Look at Becca’s dad. He works for the Department of Natural Resources. Not exactly the front lines of the militia.”
“So there could be another Guide in town,” said Tyler.
“Right,” said Hunter. “And it could be anyone.”
Not for the first time, Michael was glad that he didn’t know where his brothers had been taken. They were safe. Hidden.
Michael pushed his food away. He’d barely touched it, and he didn’t want it now. “There’s always a chance of a Guide being in town,” he said. “Nothing different about today.”
“You have a bigger target on your back,” said Tyler.
Michael scowled. “Nothing different about that either.”
His cell phone chimed. Michael tensed and fished it out of his pocket. Another message from Hannah.
I’m worried about you.
He didn’t respond. He hadn’t answered any of her texts since leaving his neighborhood with the fire marshal.
It was killing him.
But hearing those gunshots and knowing she was in the woods—he couldn’t take it. He couldn’t go through that again. He needed to end this. She’d never be safe while involved with him.
His thumbs hovered over the phone anyway. He wanted to reply. He wanted to invite her over. He wanted to spend one night away from fear and anger and worry, to just be a guy and a girl.
But that wasn’t possible for him.
For her either.
He shoved his phone back in his pocket.
A knock sounded on Tyler’s front door, and they were all instantly on high alert.
Tyler stood up, but Hunter put up a hand. “They could shoot you through the door.”
No one moved.
Finally, Michael stood up. “Wait. I’ll answer it.”
“It’s my house,” said Tyler.
“Yeah, but I’m the one they’ve been trying to kill.”
Tyler considered that, then stood back.
Michael stopped in front of the door. He looked through the peephole, but the person was wearing a ball cap and looking at a phone. Through the distortion of the fish-eye lens, he couldn’t even tell if it was a man or a woman.
He held his breath and turned the dead bolt, ready for a bullet to hit him in the chest.
Nothing happened.
Then a female voice from the other side said, “Are you going to open the door or what?”
