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Pulling his gun out, he kissed my lips. "Stay away from the window. I'll come back for you."
I shook my head vigorously and tightly tied the sash from my robe around my waist. “No. I am going with you.”
“Baby, no. I have no idea what happened and if he's in the house. It’s too dangerous.”
“If he is here, I am safer with you. I am done hiding, James.”
I could tell he was conflicted. He rubbed his neck and met my eyes. I could see indecision etched across his face. Both of us knew this day would come. The day he came to us. With the rest of his agency returning to their home office in New York, it was just us. That is precisely what the killer wanted. It had been two weeks since his boss Javier pulled them out. Although it had taken him longer to come than I expected, the devil reared his ugly head, and there was no use hiding anymore.
There was no way out. We had to finish this once and for all.
He stepped towards me and sighed.
“Ok. But you do what I tell you when I tell you. If I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to hide, you hide. Do you understand me?”
“I understand.”
Another boom. Yelling. Gunshots. Then silence.
He handed me a towel and motioned for me to press it against my face.
“Stay behind me. Stay low. And stay quiet.” He instructed me.
He opened the door slowly, keeping one arm behind him to keep me flushed against the wall. He leaned out, remaining covered, ensuring the hallway was safe before we ventured out.
He then grabbed my hand and pulled me through the door with him.
I watched as he moved across the hall and checked each room, keeping me close and shielding me with his body.
Everett and Sarah were nowhere to be found. Their beds were in disarray as if they, too, were woken up abruptly. There was no blood or sign of a struggle, so it reassured me that they made it out of their rooms unscathed.
A plume of smoke danced through the air toward the stairs. We cautiously stepped onto the stairwell, only to find the first floor covered in thick smoke.
I coughed in panic and retreated up the stairs. I couldn't see. James could see my fear and pulled me into his body.
"It's okay. I will get you out of here." He kissed my forehead.
I nodded frantically, fear coursing through my veins. He grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me down the stairs and into the entryway. The front door was a shattered mess, shards of glass sparkling like diamonds on the dark wood flooring. The smell of smoke was overpowering; I could feel it lodged in my throat like bile. Panic paralyzed me as he dragged me closer to the front door. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw his suburban engulfed in raging flames, fire licking at every inch of it with unbridled ferocity. Roaring flames littered the outside, billowing clouds of smoke obscuring our escape route. James pulled me forward, and we both watched in stunned silence as the car slowly melted away to nothing.
James snarled and whirled towards me, his eyes blazing with anger.
“Fuck,” he spat.
“James!” Everett materialized from the kitchen, his face pale and drawn. “Are you guys, okay?”
"Everett, thank God. Yes, we are fine. Where's Sarah?"
He shook his head, tears glistening in his eyes. "He killed her."
My legs went weak, and I stumbled backward into the door. It was like a punch to the gut - all the air rushed out of my lungs, and I couldn't breathe. James turned to me; pain etched into his features.
"Oh my God, no." I cried. "Where is she?"
"There's nothing we can do for her now," Everett replied grimly.
"Everett, where is she?" I demanded angrily. My eyes pricked with tears. I felt light-headed and dizzy between the smoke burning my eyes and Sarah's death.
"On the porch. He ambushed us. We came out here to figure out what happened before he got inside, and he was waiting for us."
