Eleven #3
Creed dropped a handful of napkins on the table, then sat across from him and Nina. The way Creed glanced at him expectantly made him realize he was waiting for him to say grace.
“Dear Lord Jesus, we thank You for this food, and for keeping us safe in Your care. We ask for strength and wisdom to arrest those responsible for these attacks. In Your name, Amen.”
“Amen,” Nina and Creed murmured. He was surprised at Creed’s participation and hoped that maybe his fellow ranger would be open to attending church at some point.
They dug into the meal, making quick work of the pizza. They were just finishing, when the lights flickered again.
Then they went all the way out.
Nobody moved for a long minute. Jackson flipped on the flashlight, setting it in the center of the table. “I’m sure the power will come back on, soon.”
Nina opened the laptop. “There’s only half a battery left on this one, but we have the others to use as well.”
“We may want to try getting some sleep.” He glanced at Creed. “I’ll take the first watch. I’ll wake you at one or two in the morning to swap.”
“Okay.” Creed rose and carried his plate to the sink. “We can do the dishes tomorrow.”
That was fine with Jackson. When the table was cleared, Jackson went back to looking out the windows. The pouring rain made it harder to see, but the weather worked against the bad guys, too. He doubted the gunmen would be out searching for them in the storm.
Creed disappeared into one of the bedrooms to take advantage of the downtime. Nina continued working. When he noticed her rubbing her eyes, he went over to touch her shoulder. “Time for you to get some sleep.”
“But I don’t have the employees.” She blinked up at him. Then sighed. “You’re right. I’m having trouble seeing the screen.”
“I’ll be out here keeping an eye on things.” He wanted to reassure her she’d be fine. “Go on. Creed will take over for me later.”
She closed the laptop, then bent to plug it in. “Good night, Jackson.”
“Good night.” He tucked his hands in his front pockets, staying back to give her plenty of room. That he wanted to pull her close was his problem.
He refused to make her feel uncomfortable.
After Nina closed the main bedroom door behind her, he continued his walking path throughout the house.
He had access to windows overlooking each direction.
The main living area overlooked the lake.
The bedrooms along the back of the garage, also sporting lake views.
From the second bedroom, he couldn’t see much beyond the overgrown foliage.
The pounding rain slowed to a drizzle a half hour after it had started. The darkness still made it hard to see, though. He concentrated on looking for movement in the terrain.
The lake water was choppy beneath the rain. He turned to walk back toward the front of the house. The glint of headlights caught his attention, but by the time he reached the window, the vehicle was gone.
Jackson told himself not to be paranoid. Obviously, people lived in this area. It would be more alarming if no one was driving around.
A full hour passed as he kept watch over their surroundings. He tensed when he saw another pair of headlights on the road. That vehicle went by, too, but to his eye, it seemed to be moving slowly.
Too slowly.
He stood at the window overlooking the street for several long minutes. He debated waking Creed so they could watch the front and back of the house at the same time.
As he turned away, he froze. Leaning forward, he stared at the road. A dark shadow moved slowly from one set of trees to the next. Then he saw a second shadow. Two men, flanking the house.
He whirled from the window and bolted down the hallway. “Creed. Nina! Get up. Someone’s outside.”
Creed opened his door an instant later. “Where?”
“Out front.” When Nina didn’t emerge, he rapped sharply at her door. “Nina, hurry. Please.”
A long second later, her door opened. She was fully dressed, down to her shoes. “What’s wrong?”
“We’re going out back.” He took her hand. “Creed, there are two perps out front. Can you buy us some time?”
“Absolutely.” Creed pulled his weapon. “Go.”
Jackson tugged Nina through the house, heading out the patio doors. He had them open and was stepping through as Creed disappeared out the front.
“What are we going to do?” Nina whispered.
“We’ll take the canoe across the lake.” He glanced at her. “Do you know how to paddle?”
“I don’t think we should leave Creed to face them alone.” Her brow furrowed. “Maybe we should stay and—” A loud crack of gunfire cut her off.
Jackson didn’t like leaving Creed, either, but these guys were after Nina.
He sprinted to the rocky shore and flipped the canoe.
When Nina followed, he handed her a paddle.
She hesitated for a moment, before climbing into the canoe.
The narrow boat rocked from side to side until she sat in the center of the vessel.
Jackson gave the boat a push, then jumped in to join her, desperate to get Nina out of there, before one of the gunmen found them.