Page 70 of North

EIGHT

What have you done?

Of course those were the words thundering through Selah’s head as she held mighty little Joshua to her back and followed the woman with the dark hair—RJ, as she’d introduced herself while locking them all in the safe room.

Selah had had no idea what the woman was talking about.

Except—the camera. The one where she’d spotted James—businessman James, in mergers and acquisitions—entering the front door after breaking the doorjamb.

With the RV’s tire iron.

What in the world?

The room had been cast in a red glow, and a panel of four monitors had hung on the wall, small, but big enough to see both the front and back of the house, the lower floor from the kitchen, and the entryway.

“Who are you?” she’d said to RJ, who’d picked up her son and comforted him as he cried. A teenager had stood, arms wrapped around herself.

The room hadn’t seemed big enough to weather a siege. Maybe four feet wide and eight feet long, with metal sheeting lining the walls and a door at the far end.

“The better question is, why did you bring Alan Martin to my front door?” She’d spoken in low tones, but a definite lethal edge had broken through.

“I…Who?”

“Alan Martin. See, I’m York Newgate’s wife. This is my daughter, Hana, and my son, Joshua. And the man out there is…Well, it’s a long story. But he’s been hunting me, and more, my husband, for a while now. And he’s found us, thanks to you.” She’d shaken her head. “The RV was a good trick. I should have been smarter.”

“What…A trick? No, we needed wheels because we were in a train wreck…” But her attention had caught on the screen, and the way James—er, Alan?—was turning on all the burners on the stove.

“Oh no,” RJ had said. She’d turned to Hana. “Just like we practiced.”

Practiced?

James had begun pouring oil onto the floor.

“Hana, take Josh⁠—”

But Selah had taken one look at the expression on the girl’s face and reached for the toddler. “I’ve got him.”

RJ had considered her for a second, then handed him over.

Then RJ had headed to the door and pressed in a code, and the door had unlocked.

Inside, narrow metal stairs had led down inside the house to a door below.

Who were these people?

RJ turned and gestured to Hana. “C’mon now. You can do this.”

Hana started down the stairs.

“You’re next. Don’t fall.”

Selah tightened her hold on Joshua and started down.

RJ came after her, closed the door, and locked it again.

She met them at the bottom, a red light glowing. “When we go out, we run to Jethro’s, okay?”

Oh, she was talking to Hana.