“Salir!”
She ran for the gate. She didn’t think she’d ever run so fast in her life, hell-bent on getting to the outstretched hand of the man he’d called Ka-Bar. She’d made it!
Yelling. Two shots were fired. Tobias began to cry, scared at the sudden, loud noises.
In fear, she turned. The only thing holding her back was Ka-Bar’s arm around her waist, hauling her off her feet and toward the waiting truck.
“Fuck,” Ka-Bar whispered. “He’s pinned down.”
“Tobias!”
“Get in the vehicle. I need to go help Ildefanso.”
Ka-Bar drew his weapon and returned fire on the men aiming at Ildefanso. She knew she should do as instructed, but she froze in horror, watching the scene play out in front of her.
Once Ka-Bar reached her husband and son, he handed his gun to Ildefanso and swept Tobias up in his arms, allowing his friend to cover his path to the door.
Then it happened.
A series of shots from a single weapon echoed across the grounds.
Ka-Bar went down, Tobias underneath him.
He didn’t get up.
Tobias wasn’t moving. He wasn’t crying. All she could see of him was one arm, outstretched from underneath Ka-Bar.
She screamed and screamed and screamed.
She felt someone touching her, and she sat up in bed with a gasp. “Daleyza, we have to go.”
Darkness. Ildefanso’s voice, once again, a whisper. A look at the clock showed it was just after two thirty a.m.
“Fanso?”
“They found us. We’ve got maybe two minutes to get out of here before more of my father’s men are here.”
Déjà vu. She’d fallen asleep after a tense dinner with the men. Just like that night so long ago, she was on top of the covers. Once again, he was at her feet, putting her shoes on and tying them.
When that was done, he whirled around, grabbed her backpack and his duffle bag, then reached for her hand and half dragged her out into the main room. The men were waiting, weapons drawn, their balaclavas once more pulled down across their faces.
“Medusa’s waiting in the truck,” TB said.
“Let’s go.”
Quickly, they exited into the garage, where Medusa waited, starting the truck as soon as they appeared. Ildefanso led the way, opening the door for her as Demon slid in on the opposite side, caging her in from behind. While Nemo and Scheherazade climbed in the back, TB hopped into the front seat, then Medusa lifted the garage door and sped away.
TB hit a button on the dashboard, and the navigation turned redaround the edges. He punched in a series of letters and numbers. A ringing filled the airwaves.
Midas picked up mid-ring. “Nova’s tracking three vehicles. Black. Humvee style.”
“Who’s Nova?” she asked Ildefanso.
“An AI Midas built. Helps him run our tech.”
Marveling at the rapid changes in the world, she sat silently.
TB answered, “Copy that. We’re already a few blocks south.”
