I start moving, dragging Tessa with me as I go. I keep my body positioned over hers. Pain slices across the side of my face, but I keep moving, my hammering heart stealing focus from everything else. Warmth trickles down my cheek, but I ignore it as I push through the pain, my only focus on getting Tessa out of here.
I have to save her.
Tessa keeps crawling until we reach the hole. She slips down inside with ease, rolling to the dirt beneath the trailer.
I follow, then rip my cell phone free.
I’ve lost count of how many shots have been peppered into the trailer, but I’m honestly surprised it’s still standing. Another booming round of thunder covers the gunshots.
Me: Under fire. Tessa’s dad’s place. Bring backup.
Shoving it back into my pocket, I look over at Tessa. It’s pitch black down here, but I feel for Tessa’s hand and grip it, squeezing gently in hopes of offering her some sort of hope.
Lord, we need You. Please be with us.
The ground is already muddy, thanks to the water rolling down beneath the trailer from the hill just beyond it. We crawl our way through, and I try to lead us as far back as we can go before turning on my side and facing the hole. I keep my weapon aimed at the beam of light that’s barely visible.
And I wait.
The rain slows, and the bullets stop.
Once again, I scan for an exit. We have to run. The second they come in and realize we’re not dead, they’ll find the hole in the floor, and then we will be. The trouble is, with the rain and Tessa’s injury, we won’t make it far. Not in time.
Keeping my weapon trained straight ahead, I ignore the buzzing in my pocket from what is probably Ryker’s response. The storm rages just beyond the trailer. Loud enough that I can’t hear whether or not anyone is even walking above us.
Lord, please. Please be with us. I repeat the prayer over and over again, focusing on His promise that, no matter what happens in this life, an eternity of peace awaits afterward. He has a plan—of that I have no doubt. I just hope it’s us surviving.
With the adrenaline continuing to wreak havoc on my system, I remain where I am, breathing steadily while I wait to pull the trigger. Because that’s exactly what I’m going to do if I see anyone pop down that hole.
It’s them or us.
And I won’t let them get Tessa.
The storm picks up again, and lightning flashes just beyond the lattice surrounding the bottom of the trailer. It’s everything I can do to maintain my breathing as I fight the urge to risk the precious moments it would take to check my phone and make sure it was Ryker messaging me back.
What if he didn’t get the message?
Chapter 8
Tessa
I have never been as terrified as I am right now.
I can’t even see Zane’s face, but knowing he’s trapped down here and using his body as a shield for mine is enough to send me into a full-blown panic attack. My life is expendable; his isn’t. He has a mom and a sister who count on him. He might even have a wife and kids by now.
What will they do if something happens to him?
Me? No one will even remember me past the funeral.
No. He shouldn’t be here. Why is he here?
My breathing is ragged. I try to remain quiet just in case our attacker comes in here to check whether or not we’re still breathing.
All while I come to the realization that someone really is after me. It’s not just some paranoid fear.
It was easy to pretend otherwise after the attack in the alley, but this erases each and every bit of doubt, leaving me with a single question: Why? What did I do to deserve this?
I have no enemies—that I can think of, anyway. The only one who might have an issue with me has spent the last six years in prison.
