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Zane was entirely too amused. “Mom. You’re too much.”
“I don’t think I am, but this room sure is. Probably the whole motel.”
Zane’s lips twitched at the corners as he shook his head. “This was the best idea ever.”
“Coming here?” I clarified as he nodded. “No, it was a terrible idea. There’s no way I’m going back to sleep now.”
“Mom. We’re fine. Nothing is going to harm us.”
Giving him a skeptical look, I lifted my chin. “Says the horror movie buff. Isn’t that like rule #1? Never say I’ll be right back, venture anywhere alone, or convince anyone that everything will be fine.”
A strange scratching sound echoed in the room, rendering us both silent.
“Did you hear that?” I asked, hoping that it wasn’t a rodent. “Better not be a rat.”
Zane cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak when the scratching sound grew louder like something sharp scraped against the outside of our door, cutting through the eerie quiet.
“What was that?” Zane asked with a hard swallow. For the first time, he appeared afraid.
“I don’t know.”
The room plunged into darkness again as I reached for Zane. He was already scooting closer, flipping his phone toward the door. “There’s someone out there,” he whispered as we heard heavy footsteps on the upper floor.
“It’s probably a guest like us who can’t sleep,” I whispered reassuringly.
“Uh, yeah. At 2 am.”
Shit. He was right. “I’m going to peek out the curtains. Turn off your flashlight.”
Both of our flashlights clicked off as we tapped our phones. Moving slowly, I headed toward the window and gently pushed the curtain aside about two inches. The lights from the Clown Motel signage lit up the night sky and illuminated the walkway of the second floor. Two strangers were speaking in low tones by the stairs, and one of them turned, gesturing in my direction and room 214.
“Dammit.” I couldn’t be sure if they saw me or not.
Whoever the two men were, they were definitely watching our room. I had no idea if they planned to break down the door or not, but we couldn’t stay here and wait. A funny feeling in the pit of my stomach warned me that this was serious.
“There are two guys out there by the stairs,” I announced, turning to my son and trying not to panic. “I don’t know what they’re doing here, but I’m not planning on waiting around to find out.”
Zane’s brows lifted as he reached for his jeans and yanked them on, sliding into his shoes and tying up the laces. I rushed from the window, hastily packing up our few belongings. He already had everything he had brought for the trip back in his backpack by the time I finished, including the Xbox.
“What’s the plan?” he asked as if we were double agents in a crime drama.
“I’m going to distract them so you can escape.”
“What? Mom—”
I cut him off, raising a hand. “There’s no time. Just listen.” He swallowed hard but slipped the straps of his pack over his shoulders. “The second floor has two sets of stairs. You’re gonna run as soon as I mace those guys. Get to the car as if hell itself was on your heels. No hesitations. Okay?”
“And wait for you, right?”
I shook my head. Too risky. “No, you’re gonna drive to the Crossroads. I’ve got friends there that will protect you.”
“Where the heck is that?”
Rattling off the directions, I crept toward the door, but Zane snagged my arm. “Mom, I don’t have my license yet.”
“Honey, you’re a great driver. We’re just waiting for your birthday to take the test and make it official. You’ve got this.”
Zane’s eyes widened when a thud sounded just on the other side of the door like someone had slammed into the wood.
“Ask for Grim. Tell him I sent you and they’ll know what to do. It’s going to be fine, Zane. I love you.”
“You just broke rule #1,” he reminded me.
I hauled him into my chest and squeezed tight before releasing my son, my light in this dark world and reason for living. He made everything I sacrificed worth it.
Reaching into my purse, I pressed my keys into his hand. “Don’t look back. Just run until you reach the car and then drive.” I didn’t give him time to argue and yanked out the pepper spray.
“I love you too,” Zane whispered right before I flung open the door, charging into the two goons as I let loose, screeching like a wild banshee in the night, spraying pepper spray like bullets from a gun.
