“Bar the door,” I reminded him, then I was out the door as another shotgun blast rocketed through the air. As I tore down the stairs and out of the house, the calm I needed so desperately spread throughout my body and my focus shifted until there was just one thought in mind.
Protect your family.
Chapter 33
EVERETT
I hadno clue how I managed to even understand any of Nash’s instructions, let alone carry them out. The instinct to follow him was strong, but I knew if I did, I’d just be giving him one more thing to focus on besides whatever was happening in the other house. I was beyond terrified for my son, the little girl I was coming to love like she was my own, the man who’d become a father to me, and the two men who’d become my entire world, but I pushed the fear away and focused on the task at hand.
The gun felt heavy in my hand as I rushed to the dresser, which was by the window overlooking the back yard. I was in the process of reaching for the heavy piece of furniture when a flash of white caught my eye through the window. It took me a second to figure out what it was and the second I did, Nash’s order to stay put went flying out the window.
Because right behind the flash of white was a dark shadow.
I sent Nash a silent apology as I rushed from the room. I nearly tripped over a body at the foot of the stairs, but the second I realized that it wasn’t Gage or Nash, I was running again. I tore out the back door and began running toward the small shed closest to the house – the one where the donkey named Persephone lived. I couldhear a range of noises coming from the house, including crashing sounds and the occasional gunshot, but I couldn’t dwell on any of that. I’d managed to put on sleep pants and a T-shirt right after I’d been woken up by the commotion, but there’d been no time for shoes. I ignored the pain of twigs and thorns digging into my feet and scratching my arms as I cut through the garden to reach the shed.
I scanned the area around me to make sure there wasn’t a second intruder, but saw nothing. The motion-activated light by the shed was on, as was the one above the back deck, but the house was dark. I knew Gage and his family had an alarm, but it wasn’t going off, so I had to assume whoever the people attacking us were, they’d cut the power and somehow managed to disable the security system. Fortunately, the motion lights were solar powered, so they were still working.
As I reached the shed, I heard someone say, “Come here!”
I could hear soft growls coming from inside the shed and I instinctively knew they were coming from Medusa. I stepped into the small space in time to hear Charlie scream and then the guy cursed. A yelp followed and then I saw a small flash of white go flying and hit the wall just feet from me.
“Got you!” the guy shouted victoriously. Charlie began screaming as she fought the guy, who’d managed to grab her ankle. The little girl had crawled into the tiny gap between the wooden grain bin and Persephone’s stall. There was no way the man could have followed her into the space, but there was also no way for the little girl to escape his reach, either.
As he began dragging Charlie out, Persephone reached through the slats of her stall and bit the guy on the arm. The guy let out a howl of pain and lurched backward. I used that moment to aim the gun at him. I’d never shot a gun in my entire life, but pulling the trigger was the easiest thing I’d ever done.
The guy let out a grunt and fell face-first on the floor. When he didn’t move again, I stepped over his body and knelt in front of the gap. “Charlie, honey, it’s Everett.”
She was crying so loud, I wasn’t sure she’d heard me. I could seeher pressed up against the wall, her knees drawn up against her body. I called to her again and she stopped sobbing long enough to whisper, “Everett?”
“Yeah, baby girl, it’s me. Come on, I’ve got you now.” I reached my hand into the gap. She hesitated for a moment, then took it. I pulled her out and she instantly wrapped herself around my body. “It’s okay, I’ve got you,” I said.
“He hit Medusa,” she cried.
I turned to find the dog. She hadn’t moved at all after the guy had thrown her against the wall, but at the sound of Charlie saying her name, she moved and let out a little whine. I quickly picked her up, praying I wasn’t hurting her more, and gave her to Charlie.
“There… there are bad men in the house,” Charlie cried. “Pépère came into my room and told me I had to use the ladder to get out. But it wasn’t a fire.”
I knew she was probably talking about an escape ladder that allowed people to escape fires through their windows.
“He said I needed to hide, but the bad man chased me!” She cried against my neck. “Where’s my Daddy?”
“He’s coming, honey,” I said as I rushed out of the shed and tried to figure out where to go. The woods were my best bet, because we could hide there long enough for the cops to arrive. But I only got a few steps in before a figure stepped into my path.
“Don’t move,” he ordered. Like the dead men in the guest house, he was wearing all black. But he didn’t have a ski mask on like the others. Since he was standing just outside the range of the light, I couldn’t make out much of his features, though. But there was no mistaking the gun that was pointed at my head. “Drop the gun.” I did as he said because Charlie was still clinging to me and if the guy fired, she’d take the hit.
I’d dropped the gun, but I ignored his order not to move and very slowly lowered Charlie to the ground. She cried and tried to hang onto me, but I ignored her struggles and moved her behind me.
“I have money,” I offered. “In my wallet in the house. I’ll take you there. I have an ATM card too. I’ll go with you to the bank. Justlet her go and I won’t resist. I’ll tell her to hide until morning… she’ll do what I say,” I offered.
“Very noble of you,” the man said in a raspy voice. “But I think we can do better than that, Mr. President,” he said with a sneer. “Just gotta take care of a little matter with your kid first.”
I swallowed hard. They were here because of Reese?
Charlie was clinging to me from behind. She had one arm wrapped around my hips and was crying softly. I wanted to try and comfort her, but I didn’t dare move.
“Reese? You’re here for Reese?”
“You wanna know how long I’ve been looking for your son?” he asked. “Every second of every day since he got my kid brother killed and had me thrown in that hellhole of a prison.”
