Frantically, I look around. A coat rack and umbrella stand are the only pieces of furniture in the entryway. There’s no key holder anywhere. Disappointment shreds me. I don’t have time to hunt down keys. Kane could regain consciousness any second. In fact, he might already be awake and stalking me this very minute.
Think, think, think.
I have to double-back. My heart lurches in terror. What if I run right into him? Clutching the knife and staying close to the wall, I head back the way I came. I peer inside the playroom. The windows are too small to crawl through. I cross to the dining room.
Please,please, I pray.
A large, fixed pane of glass looks out onto a landscaped garden.
In that moment, I hear sounds that chill my blood. Indistinguishable shouts. Doors slamming. Footsteps. The sounds of someone coming for me.
A granite statue on a sideboard catches my eye. With a sense of déjà vu, I pick up the statue and hurl it through the window, bringing up my arms to protect my face as the glass shatters into a glittering sea of uncountable pieces.
30
KANE
––––––––
Nolene and I stand in front of the smashed window in the dining room.
“I hope she cut herself climbing out,” Nolene says, anger flaring in her eyes.
When I only grunt, she looks over at me, her eyes dropping to the bloodstained shirt I’m holding against my left side. Concern ripples across her face. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Superficial wounds. I’ll dress them myself.” I touch the gash on my temple. “Ross will stitch this one. He’ll keep it quiet.”
“I can’t believe she did this to you.”
“Neither can I.”
I know my actions last night pushed Amy to the very edge, and desperation causes people to do desperate things, but her...inventiveness still floors me. I suppose I should be grateful she didn’t cut my throat while I was lying there unconscious, but gratitude isn’t what I’m feeling right now. Anger, mostly. At her. And at myself.
“Think we should go after her now?” Nolene asks.
I shake my head, wincing as the movement sets off fireworks of pain in my skull. “Let’s give her another minute. The dogs will have her flat on her face.”
“You sure they won’t rip it off?”
“They’re trained only to nip.”
“Pity.”
“It’ll be enough to scare her.”
Nolene smirks. “I wish I could see her expression when she spots the high walls and realizes there’s no way out.”
And Amy’s expression when she encounters the two German Shepherds patrolling the grounds, I think.
“Where’s your car?” I ask abruptly.
“In the garage.”
“Keys hidden in the usual place?”
“Yes.”
I frown. “No doubt that was the first thing she looked for.”
