“Duh, Lainey. Horses live in stables, not in houses.”
“Oh, that’s right.” I laughed and smoothed down my dress, smiling the entire time I was watching them, more relaxed than I’d been in a long time. They chattered away as I leaned againstthe wall, enjoying the quiet comfort of being in the middle of a family celebration.
I’d missed those with my family more than I’d been able to admit to myself.
A slight noise caught my attention and while I kept my head against the wall, I turned it toward the sound that was coming from the hallway. While I’d seen plenty of people in the house, they were either in the kitchen or heading straight from the side entrance where their vehicles were parked. With bathrooms in the large cabana, there was almost no need to enter the house.
Leaning forward, I sensed a presence, my skin prickling. I immediately shrank back. My instinct was screaming that someone was wrong.
My hackles immediately rose. After glancing out the window, unable to catch sight of Sasha, I moved closer to the girls.
“I’ll be right back,” I said, trying to remain quiet while also not allowing them to discover something might be wrong. I crept toward the stairs. They were slightly curved, which allowed for a wider view of the foyer downstairs. With silent steps, I moved closer, darting my head over the railing.
Instantly, a cold chill rushed through me. I knew a shakedown about to occur when I saw it. There were three people dressed in black hovering near the bottom of the stairs, two already donning ski masks.
Fuck. There was nowhere to go. Whatever they were after, I refused to allow the children to be in the middle of danger. However, there was very little I could do. My phone was downstairs and with the noise outside, I doubted I could get anyone’s attention quickly. Just before I started to rush back into the playroom, one of the bastards lifted his head toward where I was standing. While I doubted that he could see me given the angle of the room, he must have heard something.
Whoever he was, he nodded up the stairs, saying something to the others before taking a step toward the stairs acting as if he’d handle me by himself.
Over my dead ass body.
The other two walked out of sight and the third grabbed a mask from his back pocket.
What few people knew, and I’d almost never had a chance to highlight was that I’d grown up a tomboy. With three older brothers I’d tagged along with, I’d been lucky enough they hadn’t treated me like a girl.
Neither had my father.
I’d learned to fish, and shoot guns, bows, and crossbows. I knew martial arts and used to wrestle with my brothers several times a week. And my knife skills were even better. Right now, all of them might come in handy.
Without waiting another second, I dashed toward the playroom. When I closed and locked the door, the girls were startled. I quickly placed my finger over my lips and gathered them together, pushing them toward the bathroom.
“Lainey?” little Emily whimpered.
“You’re both okay.” I offered a huge smile while my throat tried to close. My heart was in my throat, but I managed to maintain some sense of calm. “Now, listen to me. You need to get behind the shower curtain in the bathroom. Stay down. Not a sound. Do you understand?”
“What’s happening?” Nina whispered, her little eyes opening wide, but she was mimicking my hushed voice. I couldn’t lie to them. They’d know and push back.
“Someone in the house.” To prove my point, the asshole tried the door handle. “Go. I’ll be right back. Okay? Just stay there no matter what you hear.” Thank God they listened to me without falling prey to terror. I barely had enough time to close the doorbehind them, trying to figure out how I could draw the man away so I could scream for help while protecting the girls.
Then I noticed the softball bat.
Quick and rough games of baseball had been a regular occurrence in the Rose household. With my brothers’ tough coaching, I’d been on the softball team. Maybe I was a little rusty, but it was all about the swing.
I wasn’t surprised the doors had been reinforced, the masked man unable to shoulder the door into opening. Seconds later, the door was kicked in, the jamb splintered. Whoever it was certainly hadn’t expected what he’d find on the backside of the door.
Me.
A pissed-off woman with a big steel bat.
I prayed the little girls didn’t witness what I was about to do, but whatever the man’s intentions, I refused to allow them to discover where they were hiding.
As soon as he walked in, I swung the bat, catching him off guard, using all my strength to drive the bat against the side of his head.
He stumbled backward, hitting the wall, but came at me almost immediately, trying to snatch it from me. This time, he threw a punch, but I managed to duck, shifting back and forth from foot to foot.
For a second, I was certain he was going to reach for his gun.
I swung again, this time missing. He grinned like this was a game.
