Yurgio’s men coughed, breathing too deeply of the gas and squinting through it, trying to see them.The team came up behind them and fired.Four more of Yurgio’s men were killed.Two were left, and Allie was still to be found.
“Spread out, break up into teams, and cover each floor,” Luke ordered.“Carson, you’re with me.”
Carson nodded and followed Luke as they searched the main floor.There were seven rooms on the main floor.Another team was checking the other half of the house, so Luke and Carson only had to clear four rooms before moving on to another level.
Fear coursed through him as they moved from room to room and found them all empty.He heard through the earpiece that the other rooms were emptythat each team came across as well.Where was Allie?
Carson entered into an office space and found a guard crawling across the floor, leaving a blood trail.He wasgrasping out for something just out of reach.Carson noticed it was a gun.He ran into the room and kneeled on top of the guy, his gun aimed at the back of his head as Luke came in and secured him.
“We got one of Yurgio’s men,” Luke announced.
“Where’s Yurgio?Where’s the girl?”Carson demanded of their hostage.
“Fuck you,” the man groaned.
The rest of the team came into the room.“The house is clear.He’s the only one here.”
Carson removed his weight and turned the man over onto his back.He saw the wound in the man’s leg.He dug his thumb into it.The man cried out and started thrashing, but he was secured and couldn’t get away.
“Let’s try that again.”Carson pulled back from the wound.He didn’t have the patience to deal with this man right now.Yurgio and Allie were missing.
The man looked around the room.Carson could see him calculating his odds.He wasn’t getting out of here alive.He was surrounded, and all of his friends were dead.“She went out the window.Yurgio followed.”
They all glanced up at the open window.Carson stood up and looked out.It was easily a twenty-foot drop down to the ground.There was a small, pitched roof below and to the right of the window.She would have used that to climb down.Carson also noted there was blood on the windowsill.
“How long ago?”he asked as he turned around to face the man.
The man clamped his mouth shut.Luke dug his thumb into the wound.The man groaned in pain.“Just as you broke in,” he shouted, and Luke pulled away.
Allie didn’t have that big of a head start on them.“I’m going after them,” Carson stated.He didn’t care if anyone followed him.He didn’t need backup.Carson knew how to track better than most of the guys.
“I’ll go with you,” Jack offered.
“Try to keep up,” Carson replied before running out the back door, down the deck stairs, and heading into the woods.
Chapter 35
Allie ran a few feet into the woods and stopped, leaning against a tree truck and wondering which way to go.She didn’t want to run in the wrong direction if she could avoid it.The sound of gunfire had already stopped.She didn’t know whathad been the source of it, but she wasn’t going back to find out.She was free; now she just needed to figure out which way to go.
She looked around to get her bearings.The road was to her left.She could follow that and hope she ran into someone.People had started walking along the road in black gear with guns.She didn’t know if they were friendly or not, and it wasn’t worth the chance to find out.It was best to stay in the woods for a while but keep going in this direction.
Allie pushed off the tree and started making her way deeper into the woods when she heard a branch snap.She looked around her for the source and saw Yurgio entering the tree line and searching for her.
He wasn’t far away.His eyes were wide and angry as his gaze darted around.“Where are you, Allie?”he shouted.“I know you’re in here; I saw you run in here.”
Allie ducked down and looked at the ground for something.She grabbed a rock before throwing it in the opposite direction of where she was.
Yurgio ran off in the direction of the sound.Allie ran further into the woods, following the same path as the road.There had to be another house along this way.She could ask to borrow their phone and call the police.
Allie didn’t dare look back as she ran.She stayed focused ahead, watching her feet, so she didn’t trip over tree roots.There was no pathway to follow, so she just had to hope she was going in the right direction.
Suddenly a force slammed into her from the side, and she went tumbling across the forest floor, feeling the windknocked out her.The knife went sailing out of her grip.
Allie knew she couldn’t just lie there and wait to catch her breath.She had to survive.She had to get up.
Allie rolled to her feet and darted after the knife as Yurgio grabbed her legs and pulled back.He flipped her over onto her back and started to scramble on top of her.
Allie managed to get her foot between them and kicked him in the stomach where she had wounded him.He fell back, and she flipped back over to grip the knife.
