“And even if they were inside,” I continue, the words tasting like ash, “the only way into the bunker is through Spike’s house or the clubhouse. So, they all had to leave their homes to get there.”
I swallow hard.
“Turning into targets.”
“There were only two shooters,” Skip mutters, clinging to the smallest scrap of optimism. “Two rifles can only fire so fast.”
“Abigail’s sick,” I say quietly. “She can barely stay awake… let alone run for cover.”
“Patch is strong,” Spike says immediately. “He carried her.”
I want to believe that.
God, I want to believe that.
Foster rubs a hand over his mouth.
“We need an underground tunnel system,” he says. “Every house connected to the bunker. No more forcing people to cross open ground.”
He looks at me.
“Micah can’t move, and he’s getting fucking heavy. We all know Max had to carry him and shield his woman and daughter at the same time.”
Which would have slowed them all down, making them easy targets.
“Do you have cell service?” I ask. I check my phone again, even though I already know the answer.
Nothing.
“No bars,” Skip says, holding his phone up uselessly. “Just a sad little ‘searching’ symbol.”
“Same,” Maverick says. “We’re too high and too far from a tower. Satellite handles most of the communication up here.”
“And that just dropped,” Foster reminds us, nodding toward the dead laptop screen.
“Once we reacquire the next satellite, we’ll get compound access back.”
I stare at my phone again anyway.
Nothing.
“I’m hoping by the time we get signal back,” Maverick says quietly, “the twins will have reached the compound.”
The twins. Of course.
“They’ll assess the damage,” Maverick continues. “Secure the perimeter. Then call.”
The jet suddenly shudders through a pocket of turbulence, causing the cabin lights to flicker before settling.
Foster taps the laptop again, trying to force a reconnection, but the screen stays black.
I close my eyes for a second and picture Abigail curled under the blankets.
Too sick to even keep her eyes open.
God…Please let Patch have gotten her to the bunker unharmed. Please let her be safe.
“Can this thing go any faster?” I mutter.
