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Lucy freed herself from the handcuffs, then crawled over to Carolyn. “We’re leaving, Carolyn, and you’re coming with us. I won’t let him hurt you again.”
Sean focused on the lock…except he then smelled what Lucy had smelled.
He glanced up the stairs. Smoke billowed under the door. Then the lights went out. Lucy gasped and Carolyn whimpered.
“Sean, you have to get out—go—”
“Not without you.”
“Sean—” She left Carolyn and reached for his hand.
“Lucy, I’m not leaving.” He kissed her through the bars. “Now, shh, I need to listen.”
Now he heard the fire growing quickly above him as he concentrated on the tumbler.
Click.
He had the second number. He was focusing on the third when he heard rapid gunfire upstairs.
“I need a gun,” Lucy said.
“My ankle,” he directed.
He felt Lucy unholster his backup gun, and she aimed it at the door.
He had to go slow because if he missed the click, he would have to start all over. But the noise overhead interfered with his hearing.
Lucy watched the door, since Sean’s back was to it. She heard shouts and voices, then the door opened, smoke billowing into the basement from the kitchen. The crackle of the growing fire terrified her. She didn’t know how they were going to get out. She aimed her gun, praying it was SWAT or Kate or someone…
It was Miller. He was bleeding, but he aimed and fired his gun at the same time Lucy did. Something stung her ankle, but she didn’t stop pressing the trigger of the nine-millimeter until there were no more bullets. Miller stared at her as he fell back against the railing and tumbled down the staircase, landing with a dead thud she heard over the crackling of the fire.
She twisted around to check on Sean. He was sprawled on the ground.
“NO!”
The lock was open and she pulled it off the cage, pushed open the door, and crawled out.
“Sean, dammit! No!”
“I’m. Okay.” His voice was weak.
“Where are you hit?”
“Vest.” He sat up, not bleeding but obviously shaken and out of breath, then pulled Lucy into a tight hug.
Lucy stumbled over to where Miller had fallen down the stairs when she shot him. She pulled away his gun, even though it was obvious he was dead.
“We have to go,” Sean said. “Carolyn!”
The girl didn’t move, just stared, nearly catatonic.
“Is she hurt?”
Lucy crawled back into the cage.
“Carolyn, we have to go now.”
Carolyn shook her head.
