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Aidyn tapped him and pointed down. He fell to the ground, and they moved away from the cabin and toward the woods. He moved around to the opposite side of the cabin where he could see the center of the grounds. Everett strode toward the cabin. He whispered in his comm unit. “She’s in Everett’s house. Tied to a chair.”
His dad responded quietly. “It’s fifteen minutes to six.”
Tate swallowed and scooted closer to the cabin to hear what Everett was saying; he peered into a side window.
Everett turned to Lara and nodded. “You’ll be my wife in a few minutes Lara. You’ll be mine to do with as I please. If I have to keep you tied to that chair for all of your life, I’ll do it.” To the old woman, he said, “Have her ready in five minutes. The elixir is nearly ready and people are gathering in the circle.”
He saw the tears slide down Lara’s face. Then a commotion outside drew Everett’s attention and he stomped from the cabin. Aidyn whispered in the comm unit. “Keaton is here making a scene.”
There was only one door to get into the cabin, so he was going to need to slip in quickly. “I’m going in.”
“I’ll watch out here.”
Glancing around the corner of the cabin, he saw Keaton and Everett in an argument. Keaton stepped forward. Craig Howard punched him in the face and Keaton went down hard. The people closed in the circle and Tate took that moment to slip into the cabin.
He heard someone yell, “Intruder.” So he pulled a large dresser near the door in front of it as a barricade.
He turned to Lara and saw her tears. The older woman watched him closely as he went behind Lara to untie her hands.
He struggled with the knots and saw he was making the abrasions on her wrists bleed. He clamped his jaw together tightly and pulled out his knife. “Don’t move, baby.” She whimpered and the old woman took a step toward them. “Don’t take another step. I will shoot you.”
She froze.
Lara asked, “What’s going on outside?”
“Craig is beating the shit out of your father.”
The woman gasped and ran to the door. She shoved and pushed at the dresser enough to get through and the instant she disappeared out the door a shot rang out.
The crowd outside began yelling and screaming and another shot rang out.
Aidyn’s voice snapped through the comm unit. “We don’t have much time.”
“We’re on our way out.”
“Go out the window. We’ll meet you there.”
Tate pulled her by the hand to the window at the back of the cabin. Henry and his father were running toward the cabin as he pushed the window open. He lifted Lara and tucked her through the window feet first for his dad to catch her. He followed closely behind as another shot was heard.
His dad yelled, “Out now. Down the hill.”
They ran as fast as they could. The terrain was rugged but he helped Lara and she did rather well on her own. Each time they heard a gunshot she jerked but kept going. Her tears ran down her face, breaking his heart for her, but she didn’t stop.
Footfalls behind them spurred them on. Henry stepped off to the side at one point and yelled, “Keep going. I’ll give you some time.”
Aidyn stepped off to the opposite side and huffed out. “Same. Go.”
Lara tripped and he tightened his grip on her hand and pulled her up. They slowed only slightly. Once the road was paved, they moved to the road and ran down as fast as they could.
Maya and Addy called out. “We’re done. On our way down.”
Through their comm units he heard Henry and Aidyn in a fight; the thuds of fists and the grunts as they hit the ground were unmistakable.
As they reached the bottom of the road his dad took off at a sprint across the road and soon came barreling across the road in the old Impala, screeching to a halt alongside them. Tate practically pushed Lara into the back seat then jumped in behind her. His dad stepped on the gas and they drove up the road as fast as they could. He told Henry and Aidyn, “We’re on our way up the road in the Impala, get ready to jump in. Aidyn up front, Henry in the back.”
He pulled Lara toward him in the middle of the car and his dad hit the brakes hard. The car barely stopped before the doors were wrenched open. His dad put the car in reverse and before the doors were closed, they were backing down the hill. No one said a word for a long time.
Maya finally said, “Addy and I are in the car on our way home.”
