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Shit.I lurched to a stop and spun around. I could barely see the lights of her house. A sick feeling landed like a bowling ball in my gut. Whoever was in the vehicle could be trying to get to Sophia.
For a moment, I was frozen in inaction. My brain was telling me to keep to the chase, but my heart told me to save the girl.
With a groan, I gave up the chase and sprinted back toward the cabin.
13
Sophia
The sound was terrifying. The gunshots, the exploding glass, the screams ripping from my throat.
And then just like that, an eerie silence settled around me. Everything just ... stopped. Like someone had snapped their fingers, the chaos ceased.
I lifted my head from the fetal position I was curled into behind the couch. Tiny shards of glass fell out of my hair. Glass was everywhere—all over me, the floor, the couch. Snowflakes blew in from the shattered windows, twirling on the wind before drifting to the floor.
Shivering, I slowly uncurled myself, pausing every moment to ensure I hadn’t been spotted. With my heart roaring in my ears, I gripped the back of the gunshot-riddled couch and peeked over the edge.
Nearly every window in my home was destroyed, jagged pieces of glass spearing up from the windowpanes like knives waiting for prey. Drifts of snow were beginning to gather on the floor. Bullet holes pocked the log walls and my cabinets. Even one of my lamps had been shattered.
Where is Justin?
Like a turtle coming out of its shell, I peeked further above the couch. The truck that had been at the end of my driveway was gone—or maybe they’d simply turned off the headlights. There was no way to be certain.
Where is Justin?
Remaining in a crouched position, I pivoted on the balls of my feet and crab-walked to the kitchen, which had more cover than the living room. I hid behind the bar that separated the kitchen from the main room. Thankfully, the tiny window above the sink was still intact. I felt safe there.
My thoughts spun.
They’d found me. Despite everything I’d done, all the precautions I’d taken, all the sneaking around, all the money I’d spent to ensure a stealthy exit, they’d found me.
I had to get out of there. This rush of urgency became so great that it overcame my fear.
I had a go-bag ready in my room, but I recognized now how stupid it was that I’d chosen that spot to hide it in, because I had to climb a ladder and expose myself to get it. A rookie mistake. An idiot mistake. Kind of like forgetting to lock my car door before pulling a gun on a stranger outside the window.
I ground my teeth, furious at myself. Embarrassed, maybe.
You got complacent, Sophia.
You’re better than this, you’re better than this.
I debated making a run for my vehicle. But, considering my house looked like a saloon in a 1960s spaghetti Western, it was a good chance my truck looked worse.
Could you drive a truck with a busted windshield? What if the tires had been destroyed? Screw it. I’d drive on the rims if I had to. I’d escaped once. I could do it again.
Time to be strong.
I pushed to a low stance, but as I took the first step past the window, movement in the backyard caught my eye. I immediately dropped back to my knees, knowing my silhouette was backlit by the few lamps that had survived the attack.
Make a run for it, Sophia. Get your go-bag and run.
Just as I was about to lunge across the living room, the front door opened. I slipped back behind the bar.
“Sophia!” Justin rushed inside, a pitch of panic in his voice.
I exhaled, placing my hand over my heart. In that moment, I knew that I wasnotscared of Justin Montgomery. Something in my instinct didn’t fear him. Trusting him, however, was another story.
When he yelled my name again, frantic now, I stood from behind the bar. Our eyes met instantly. His cheeks were flushed from the cold, his nose and the tips of his ears almost purple. The fear in his expression resonated—hard. He was worried about me. There was no mistaking it.
