CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Lucia stirred, blinked open her eyes, and discovered it was still dark.
She stretched her arm out to grab her phone off the nightstand, careful not to wake Isabella, who was snuggled alongside her with her arm draped across Lucia’s tummy.
She checked the time and sighed when she saw it was still only two twenty-three.
Falling asleep had been difficult, since her brain kept spilling over with thoughts of Eddie and his team.
It didn’t help that she and Isabella had worn regular clothes to bed—just in case.
Lucia had on a jog bra, loose T-shirt, and yoga pants.
Isabella had chosen to wear her matching dark blue sweatpants and shirt with pink stars all over them.
It wasn’t the clothes themselves she had a problem with—it was the just in case part that made her uncomfortable.
She stared up at the ceiling and contemplated trying to fall back asleep. Knowing it would be futile, she decided to check on Mark instead. Earlier, he’d told her he would be awake all night.
Slowly and with great deliberation, she lifted her daughter’s arm and slid away from her. Isabella snorted out an annoyed breath, then flopped over with her back to Lucia.
She sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed.
She yawned and dragged her hair back from her face, then stood and shuffled to the door.
Her fingers wrapped around the knob. She opened it about two inches and heard a loud crash from the front room, followed by what sounded like something breaking.
She lurched back a step, then leaned closer to the door and strained to see down the hall through the narrow opening.
Mark came into view. His gaze connected with hers, and she saw blood covering the entire right side of his face.
Time slowed way down, and all she could hear was the WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH of blood pounding against her eardrums with each powerful beat of her heart.
He tilted his head slightly to one side—in the direction of the closet—before disappearing from view.
Time to run.
Her fight-or-flight instinct kicked in, flooding her system with a surge of adrenaline, and instantly, time sped up again.
Isabella began to stir on the bed behind her.
Lucia shut the door with a soft click, flipped the deadbolt Eddie had installed, and ran over to the nightstand.
Her hands trembled as she slid the drawer open, but thanks to all of the practice runs, she managed to place her fingertips on the biometric touch pads.
The safe popped open. She grabbed the gun and the flashlight, tucked her cell phone in the pocket on the leg of her yoga pants, and shook Isabella awake.
She groaned and opened sleepy eyes.
Lucia put her finger to her lips.
CRASH!
Isabella sat bolt upright, and her terror-filled eyes stared at the door.
Lucia cupped her daughter’s chin and turned her face to her.
“Take this,” she whispered, handing Isabella the flashlight, and pointed toward the closet.
“What about Bunny?” Her daughter clutched the stuffed animal tightly to her chest.
“You’ll need both of your hands to—”
Her resourceful daughter shoved the bunny up under the front of her shirt and tucked the bottom into her waistband. She held the flashlight and crawled to the edge of the bed.
This was another one of those times when she had to pick her battles.
The weight of the pistol seemed somehow heavier when she took Isabella’s hand and led her into the small space. Once inside, she closed the door and locked it.
“Sneakers.” She pointed down at Isabella’s shoes and shoved her feet into her own, then moved over to the hatch.
Isabella sat on the floor, set the flashlight down next to her, and started to put on her shoes. She’d just gotten the Velcro straps in place when her gaze flew to the closet door.
The sound of fists hitting flesh, groans and grunts, and things breaking became louder and seemed to be moving down the hall.
She picked up the flashlight and scooted across the floor on her butt.
“Here, let me have the flashlight.” Lucia leaned through the opening and dropped the flashlight onto the ground, and it landed at the base of the steps. “Climb down, just like you practiced, then grab the light. But don’t turn it on.”
Isabella carefully placed the ball of her foot on the top rung, and Lucia stayed close in case she needed help navigating the small set of ladder-like steps.
All of her trips up and down, to and from the loft had prepared Isabella well, and she managed the steps like a master. She hopped off the last rung, and the second her sneakers hit the ground, Lucia realized she’d made a disastrous mistake.
The soles of her daughter’s shoes flashed bright pink and white.
Light can give away your location. Eddie’s warning came back to her like a smack upside the head.
She considered trying to grab a different pair, but they were in the other room.
BOOM!
She recoiled at the sound of a gunshot exploding close by. Footsteps stomped, and someone began pounding on or kicking the bedroom door. If they managed to get through, it wouldn’t take long for them to do the same to the closet door, then they would discover the hatch.
She thought about Mark and the blood on his face. What if he was hurt or worse?
“Mommy.” Isabella’s teary eyes looked up at her.
Don’t stop.
Eddie told her the most important thing for her to do was to get herself and Isabella to safety. She tucked away her guilt for leaving behind her best friend’s husband and focused on saving her daughter.
“It’s okay, baby, just go fast.”
Her little girl scooped up the flashlight, crouched down, and—bless her heart—headed right over to the section of wire mesh with the wooden frame around it. It had been specially designed to swing open to allow access to the space.
Lucia made her way down into the dark space and, because she needed both hands to close the hatch, she tucked the gun into the snug waistband of her yoga pants.
Her arms quivered as she lowered the heavy wooden door slowly into place.
It was almost all the way down when she heard the bedroom door crash open.
She adjusted the position of the gun to keep it from digging into her waist, dropped to her knees, and started crawling away from the hatch as fast as she could.
Sharp rocks and thorns tore into her palms and ripped the knees of her thin pants.
But nothing would stop her from getting her child to safety.
She caught up to Isabella, pushed and shoved the wire mesh gate out of the way, and helped her daughter make it through.
Once Isabella was free, Lucia started shimmying through the opening.
A jagged piece of wire tore through her T-shirt and gouged a trail down the center of her back.
She sucked in a breath and ground her teeth together to keep from crying out in pain.
She tried to keep moving, but her shirt had become caught, and she couldn’t reach it to free herself.
Lucia was about to peel it off and leave it behind when her brave, smart little girl rushed over and managed to untangle the fabric from the wire. Then she held out her hand to help her mother.
Lucia shoved up from the ground and leaned forward. “Climb on my back.”
“I can run.” Her daughter was being so brave.
“For now, it’s faster if I carry you.” And her shoes wouldn’t give away their movements.
Isabella hopped up, with Bunny still beneath her shirt, and landed right on the fresh wound. Lucia breathed through the pain as her daughter squirmed around to find the right position.
She straightened and looked at her over her shoulder. “Hold on.”
It was a bit awkward with the bunny wedged between them, but Isabella wriggled her way up a bit higher, reached her arms around her mom, and locked her fingers together to keep from falling.
Lucia ran away from the cabin and headed across the hundred feet or so of clearing in the direction of a distinctive cluster of trees Eddie had pointed out to her.
The moon was full and high in the sky, providing just enough light for her to see where they were going.
She glanced over her shoulder, didn’t see anyone behind them, and darted into the tree line.
The leaf-laden branches overhead plunged them into darkness, forcing her to slow down.
Roots and vines trailed along the ground, and minimal visibility meant each footstep had to be cautiously placed, so as not to send them both crashing to the ground.
She stumbled over a rock, and Isabella squeezed to tighten her hold.
Working their way through the treacherous terrain was mentally and physically grueling.
Lucia’s legs began to tremble from exertion, but nothing would stop her from pressing forward.
After what felt like forever, she turned to look behind them again, and the cabin was no longer visible. An instant rush of relief hit her, but she knew they were far from safe.
“Climb down.” Lucia bent her knees and helped her daughter off her back. “I want you to stay right behind me and hold on to my shirt, okay? And remember, we have to be very quiet.”
Isabella nodded and handed her the flashlight. She repositioned the bunny beneath her shirt and grabbed a fistful of her mom’s shirt.
Once she was sure her daughter had a good grip on her, Lucia pointed the flashlight at the ground in front of them, clicked it on, and led them deeper into the woods—toward the part Eddie had warned her about.
With the flashlight in her left hand, she used her right forearm and body to hold back jagged branches and thorny bushes to keep them from hitting her daughter.
Every few feet, a branch would get snagged on one of their shirts or pants, and she felt blood dripping down her arms, but no amount of pain or discomfort would stop her from getting them to their destination.