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Chapter Seventeen
Kris
Lulu jumps on me, waking me up. The house is dark and she is whining. I think it’s because she needs to go potty. Athena is fast asleep on her side. Rolling out of bed, I stand and look out the windows to the backyard. A flicker of light catches my eye and then another, and I realize there are multiple people roaming around my house. Glancing at the clock on the bedside table, it’s nearly midnight.
Crouching down, I put a hand over Athena’s mouth. Her eyes open immediately, and I hold a finger to my lips.
“Get dressed,” I whisper.
She nods and slides out of bed. The suitcase is on the couch, and she quickly puts on gray sweatpants and a matching T-shirt. I slip on a black T-shirt and jeans. Taking her hand, we creep out onto the landing and make our way downstairs. The wooden staircase creaks and groans as we try to be quiet. Every sound feels amplified in the darkness. I’m so grateful I put the home controls system to sleep so the lights don’t come on when we enter a room. Carefully, I look into the living room but can’t see anyone. Swiftly, we make our way to the kitchen. I open the door to the butler’s pantry. It creaks loudly. My eyes meet Athena’s, and then a hail of bullets explodes into the wall near us.
Putting Athena in front of me, I run through the pantry to the hidden hallway. We enter, close the door, and keep running until we get to the outside door. Lulu is with us, and strangely, she’s not barking, which, under the circumstances, is a godsend.
We have to make a run for it, but if I open the door and there are men out there, we don’t stand a chance. Athena puts her hand over my heart, and I cover it with my own.
“Ready?” I mouth.
She swallows a couple of times and then nods. More gunfire sounds behind us, and I know it’s only a matter of time before they find the door. We can’t wait, we have to move.
