“No. Stay there.” He pauses. “Just stay safe, V. That’s all that matters.”
Before I can respond, he opens the door and slips through it, closing it firmly behind him. Maybe ten or fifteen seconds later, there’s a tiny snick.
And after that, nothing.
All I can hear is the frenetic beat of my pulse and the rasp of my panicked breath.
It’s deafening in the quiet.
Terrified shudders wrack my body.
Hot tears stream down my cheeks.
I want to trust in what Caleb’s doing. I want to be brave.
But I’m just soscared.
I’m not sure how much time passes before rational thought kicks back in. Crap. 911. Enzo. In my panic, I haven’t called either of them.
My tears turn to angry ones as I punch in thesecurity code to unlock the phone. Some help I am. The one thing Caleb asked me to do, and I’ve already failed at it.
But now isn’t the time for self-castigation. I need to call 911. Call Enzo. Get Caleb backup, like he asked for.
So I do. In a shaky whisper, I fill in the 911 dispatcher, but when she asks me to stay on the line, I tell her I can’t. That I need to call someone else for help, too.
After I hang up with her, I call Enzo. He sounds friendly enough when he answers, but as soon as he hears my voice, he’s all business. “It’s Vienna,” I whisper. “Caleb’s outside. Someone shot through the window at us. He said to call you?—”
“Are you hurt?” Enzo asks. He sounds like he’s moving already. “What about Caleb?”
“Neither of us,” I tell him. “But the fire at the cabin. It was arson. And now someone’s shooting…” My voice cracks. “He told me to hide in the basement. But I’m scared he’s going to get hurt.”
“It’s going to be okay,” Enzo replies. “Caleb knows what he’s doing. But I’m on the way. Did you call the police?”
I nod without realizing he can’t see me. “Yes. I called them.”
“Good.” Enzo pauses. “You’re doing great, Vienna. Just stay where you are. Caleb would want you to stay safe.”
But what about Caleb?I want to ask.He’s not safe. He’s out there, in the dark, without anyone protecting him.
As the minutes tick by, it’s all I can think about.
Caleb—brave, kind, incredible Caleb, who I could easily see a future with—alone. Without backup. Facing an anonymous enemy who could have one of those special long-range rifles that can pick a target off from a mile away. Or maybe the gunman is wearing night vision goggles, and he’ll shoot Caleb the second he sees him.
I swallow back a moan of fear.
My heart feels like it’s splitting in two.
I should never have let Caleb go back out there. I should have put my foot down. Insisted that if he didn’t stay in the basement, I wouldn’t, either.
Glancing down at the phone, I check the time since I called 911. It’s only been three minutes, which is shocking since it feels ten times as long.
Are the police on their way yet? What about Enzo? And will they?—
A muffled crack startles me so badly I almost drop the phone.
My heart leaps to my throat.
Was that?—
