I’d left Sadie sprawled on the couch with her phone and a blanket pulled up to her chin. She’d looked so at home there, I'd hovered in the doorway for a minute, torn between staying and leaving. “Stubborn enough to live.”
“Sounds about right.” He bit into his sandwich again as Varesh dropped something in the kitchen and swore. Tim glanced over his shoulder briefly, then regarded me. “What do you need backup for?” he asked. “And why are you carrying that thing?”
I lifted the mini-maul dangling from my hand. “I’m about to pay Kerger a visit.”
“Oh, we’re really doing this. Who’s the bait?”
I tilted my head to the left, indicating Laura and Owen’s apartment. “He won’t open the door for a man. We need a woman standing there when he checks through the peephole.”
“Have you talked to her yet?”
“We’ve been texting back and forth. She’s on board. Sounded excited about it, too.”
“No doubt.” He smiled and finished the last bite, brushing the crumbs from his hands. “Have you met her sister, Ro?”
I shook my head. Before the pandemic, I’d only ever passed through this level, and I hadn’t connected with the residents, let alone visitors.
“She stayed over for a weekend a few years ago,” Tim said. “Two peas in a pod. Both loose cannons. It took me two seconds to work out they were related.” He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. “Do you want to come in for a bit, or are we doing this now?”
“Now, so we can rest easy tonight.”
Tim shuddered. “Thanks for the creepy visual. Give me two minutes to talk to the mister and grab my mask. I’ll be back.”
“See you in a few.” As I wandered down to the Parker apartment, the lights along both sides of the corridor flickered several times in quick succession, steadying just as I lifted my hand to knock.
Owen swung the door open before my knuckles could connect.“Beat you to it,” he said. “Laura told me we’re getting ready to rumble.”
Despite the serious nature of what we were about to do, the image of our garden tool wielding gang turning vigilante had my mouth quirking. I'd only wanted to remove the keys fromKerger’s possession, but knowing they’d rally behind me if we needed to take it a step further put steel into my spine.
“Something like that,” I said. “Is she ready?”
Owen exhaled with a laugh. “What do you think? She’s been waiting months for the green light.”
Laura must have known we were talking about her. She popped up behind Owen and pinched his ass, sidling into the corridor as he yelped and lurched forward.
“Hi,” she said with a too-innocent expression.
“Hi.” I shook my head in amusement. “Ready to bust some kneecaps?”
Owen pointed at me. “Don’t give her any ideas.”
Neither of them had ventured out in public today, so they weren’t wearing masks. Jeans and boots had replaced Laura’s Crocs and leisurewear, and she’d pulled her dark blonde hair into a ponytail at the nape.
As Owen locked up to keep the girls safe, she bounced on the balls of her feet like a prizefighter waiting for the bell. “I told Ellie and Wills we won’t be long, but I’m hoping Dustin gives us a reason to hang around.”
“You’re a menace,” I said as the three of us backtracked down the hall.
“In my defence, I’ve never claimed otherwise.”
“How’s Sadie doing?” Owen asked. “Do you think she’s concussed?”
“Probably.” In every quiet moment, my mind slipped back to her and my concern grew. When I pieced together the clues—flushed cheeks, coughing, and wincing when she swallowed—the signs weren’t good. “I wish she could see a doctor just to make sure everything’s okay.”
As Tim stepped out in his mask, the hallway lights flickered again, then went off completely this time, plunging the hallway into murkiness.
“This is new,” Owen said.
The hairs on my arms lifted, and Laura swore.
