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I suck in a slow and steady breath that fills my chest, and then round the corner, running to the window at the end of the hall. I’m glad I’m not wearing boots because the rubber of my sneakers dampens the sound of my feet as I run. The fucking wood still creaks, giving away my precise location if you know the house as well as I do. The latch is released with one hand, and I reach down, pulling it open and dive out. I hit the grass and roll before maneuvering to the side and pressing my back against the chipped paint of the house.
My breathing is too loud. My body too slow to remember how to move when under fire. I’ve let myself go, trusting I was safe. Will I ever be? Have I brought danger here? Are they here to take me out? Or worse, Delilah?
I eye the large trunk of an oak tree. It will give me a better vantage point of the house and get closer to my truck.
Three.
Two.
One.
Running with all my strength behind me, I grab the tree and bring myself to a stop. The farmhouse has been quiet since they called out, “Come out. Come out,” and fired the two shots. I can’t see any movement through the open curtains of the living room, but I stay still anyway, needing time to think. Scanning the location of the truck, I have a good forty feet to cover just to reach it. Why’d I have to park in the wide open with nowhere to hide?
Fuck.
I keep to the shadowy parts of the lawn but am swift. If someone wants me dead, this is prime time. Skidding to a stop behind the tailgate, I duck down behind it, listening for any commotion outside or action inside. What the hell are they waiting for? If it’s Cutler they’re after, surely, they can hear him sniveling in the bathroom. The guy’s a blubbering mess in that bathtub, for God’s sake.
But if this is my penance for the sins I’ve committed, it’s going to be hard to escape. If I manage it tonight, when will the next attack take place? How did I ever believe I could find peace? Instead, I’ve put my heart at risk. Even my mom. Fuck.
I should have never come back to Solace Pointe. I led these monsters right to the only place I’ve tried to protect. I can’t get caught up in this loop. I need to clear my head and concentrate.
I hurry to the front of the truck, thankful I’ve disabled the internal light and that damn buzzing that comes on each time I open the door. I click open the driver’s door and grab my gun from inside a blanket shoved in the corner behind the passenger’s seat. Dropping to the back near the tailgate with both guns in hand, I focus on my breathing and set my mind in the right state. With long draws in and slower exhales, my heart rate finally steadies as well.
In the distance, across the field, I see the shining beacon of Paul and Lorraine’s front porch. With her safe, I take a gun in each hand ready for the battle ahead. One bullet in Cole’s. Six in mine. I’m definitely not as prepared as I like to be, but I’ll work with what I have.
There are seven opportunities to take down this intruder. Adrenaline pumps through my veins as I make mental notes on the vehicle from its color, make, and model to the license plate. Ready to take this guy out, I position myself so I can’t be seen from the house and peer through the truck windshield at the brightly lit front porch.
What. The. Hell?
As if I’m seeing my nightmare come true, Delilah runs onto the porch. Shit. I run to the front of the truck both guns ready to fire. “Delilah!” I whisper-yell.
But she’s too determined and makes it through the front door before she hears me. I run faster, not waiting for a perfect moment to take these fuckers down if her life is on the line. My heart is beating a mile a minute as I hear shots fired, but thank fuck no scream follows. What is this guy after because he just entered the wrong fucking house?
I take the front porch steps by three and have the screen door swinging open by the count of four. The lights go out when I hit the floor and slide between the couch and the coffee table. Crouched down, I listen for sounds in the house besides the door screeching with a loud bang when it closes.
A tap on my ass causes me to jump and turn around, aiming both guns right into the blue eyes of my girl. “You scared the shit out of me, Delilah,” I whisper, lowering my guns. “What are you doing?”
