“You need to hide. Now.” I turn to Max, who’s hovering close by. “Call 911. Tell them there’s an intruder at Angel’s house. 84 Birchwood Ave. Pretty sure they came in through the back door.”
Max’s eyes widen. Then he lifts his chin. “On it.”
As he runs to grab his phone, I tell Angel, “The police will be on the way soon. But you need to?—”
“Hang on,” Angel says. “I need?—”
Then she goes silent.
My heart almost explodes from fear.
I bark at Max, “I’m going over there. I’m not waiting for the police.”
Max ends his call and shoves his phone into his pocket. Then he jogs over to the bookcase on the opposite side of the room and presses a button on the side of it. The side panel of the bookcase flips open, and he reaches inside to pull out what looks from here to be a Sig P320. “You need one?” he asks.
“I’ve got one in the car,” I tell him. And then, with the phone still tightly clasped in my hand, I sprint for the door.
Just as I burst through it, Angel says in a breathless whisper, “I’m in the cubby in Haley’s closet. It was the closest hiding place—” She stops for a second before adding, “I grabbed a lamp. For a weapon. I couldn’t think of anything else that was close.”
“That’s good.” I try to sound reassuring. “You’re doing great.”
I reach my car, yank the door open, and fling myself inside. As I jab at the ignition, Max slides into the passenger seat. He glances over at me, his expression steady but fierce. “The police are on the way,” he says quietly. “If they’re coming from thestation, they might get there before us. If they’re out on patrol, I’m not sure.”
“I’m not waiting,” I tell him. I shift the car into drive. “No fucking way.”
“Of course not.” In profile, Max’s features are carved stone. “I’ve got your back.”
“Ronan?” Angel whispers. “What’s going on?”
As soon as I pull out of Max’s driveway, I punch the gas, and the car jerks forward. “I’m on my way,” I reply. “I’ll be there in—” I do a quick calculation. “Three minutes. I’ll be there in three minutes. I just need you to hang tight until I get there.”
“But, Ronan.” The wobble in her voice nearly kills me. “You can’t. It’s not safe.”
“I can handle it. Trust me.” The tires squeal as I take the next left.Two minutes,I tell myself.Just two minutes. Angel’s got to be okay until then.
But I know that’s not true.
All it would take is the intruder going into Haley’s bedroom, opening the closet door, shining a flashlight inside and finding the entrance to the little cubby at the back. It would only take seconds. Seconds to find Angel, pull her out, crying and screaming, hurt her, assault her, even?—
“We’ll get there in time,” Max says, his voice a low rumble. He sounds surprisingly calm, given the circumstances.
But then, what do I know of Max’s life before I met him? Yes, he owns a car repair shopnow. But he hasn’t always. I never asked him what he did before moving back to Bliss. And he never offered to tell me.
“I think I hear…” Angel lets out a tiny meep of fear. “Oh. The stairs…”
Fuck.Fuck.
I shove my foot to the floor.
Two minutes isn’t soon enough. I need to get there now.
“Call Enzo,” I bark at Max. Shit. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it already. “We need backup.”
I don’t pay attention to Max’s conversation. All my focus is on Angel. On getting to her.
“I’m almost there,” I tell her as the car screeches around another corner. “Just two streets away.”
She doesn’t answer. All I can hear is her breathing.
