Chapter 9
VIENNA
“Come on.”
Caleb yanks open the basement door and nudges me ahead of him. “Hurry,” he urges. “It’s going to be okay. I just need to get you safe.”
I want to do what he’s telling me. I know I need to. But my body doesn’t seem to agree.
Shock, my brain notes as if it’s observing from a distance. Understandable, given that someone just shot at you.
Or Caleb, it adds. The bullet could have been meant for him. The two of you were standing pretty close. So there’s no way to know for sure.
“Vienna.” His voice is like a whip cracking. It startles me into awareness, and I turn to look at him. “You need to go downstairs,” he says. “Now.”
“I—” My throat clicks. “Someone shot at us.”
“Yes.” Caleb’s expression gentles for a second. “I know it’s scary. But you’ll be safe in the basement. I just need to get you down there before…”
He doesn’t say the rest. But I have a terrible feeling I know what he’s thinking.
Before the person who shot at us makes it inside. Because once they realize they missed, chances are, they’ll try again. And they may not bother shooting through a window this time. They could just kick out the broken glass and come right in.
Behind my eyes, I’m caught up in a vision of a dark-clothed man slinking through the window, the barrel of his gun huge and looming as he aims at us.
Then he cocks the trigger, like I’ve seen actors do on TV.
He fires. The bullet explodes in a burst of fire and sound, moving too fast to see.
Then a cry of pain as it finds its target, and—
The terrifying images are enough to break through my paralysis.
On wobbly legs, I take the first step into the stairwell, then the next.
My bad leg threatens to buckle.
Caleb’s hand comes around my upper arm, his grip firm, but not painful. “I won’t let you fall,” he says. “Just keep going. I’ve got you.”
He’s got me. I keep reminding myself of that as I make my way down the stairs. He won’t let me fall. He won’t let anyone hurt me.
Maybe I shouldn’t put as much trust in Caleb as I am. After all, I’ve been let down by people who’ve known me much longer than he has.
But I do trust him.
And I keep going.
Pulse whooshing in my ears, my footsteps hollow thunks on worn wood, I make it down to the basement and wait for Caleb to join me. I’m dimly aware that my entire body is shaking. My breath comes in shallow, frantic gasps, making me lightheaded.
As soon as Caleb reaches the bottom of the stairs, only moments after me, he slings his arm around me and hustles me into the gloom. A motion-sensor nightlight flicks on, casting a dim glow that casts long shadows from stacks of boxes.
“I don’t want to turn any lights on down here,” he says. “Even though the door locks from inside, I’d rather not…’’
Once again, he doesn’t have to say it.
Caleb leads me into the far left corner of the basement, past the furnace and hot water heater and something that might be a water treatment system.
There’s a workbench over here, with racks of tools shining dully above it.
He pulls a wheeled stool aside and motions for me to climb beneath the table.
The reality of what he’s doing hits me with a stunning blow.
He’s hiding me. So he can go off after the gunman on his own.
“No.” I pull away from Caleb’s arm and turn to face him. “I’m not staying here while you put yourself in danger. I want you to stay with me.”
“I need to go out there, V. I need to find the person who shot at us. If I wait, they’ll get away.” He puts his hand on my back and gently pushes me towards the bench. “If they get away, there’s no way to know when they’ll come back.”
I know what he’s saying is true. But there are other options. Security cameras set up around the property. Added security. A safehouse. Anything other than Caleb venturing out into the night to confront someone intent on killing at least one of us.
“Caleb.” My voice wobbles. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I won’t.” In the faint light, his features are set in hard lines and angles.
His gaze meets mine, fierce with determination.
“I was trained for this, V. Whoever’s out there, they’re no match for me.
I just need to find them. Neutralize—” He stops.
“I need to know you’re safe. I can’t do what I need to do otherwise. ”
Every cell of my being wants to beg him to stay. And if that doesn’t work, refuse to hide unless he agrees to hide with me.
But if I trust him…
I need to let him go.
Tasting salt on my lips, I whisper. “Okay. I’ll hide.”
He stares at me for a second. Then he pulls me in for a quick hug and presses a kiss to the top of my head. “It’s going to be okay, V. I’ll find that asshole. Make sure you never have to worry about him again.”
Then he pushes me towards the bench again. And this time, I allow him.
Once I’m under the workbench, Caleb says, “Wait. I’ll be right back.
” Turning, he hurries across the basement to the opposite corner of it.
He hunches over to rummage in a box, but it’s too dark to tell what he’s looking for.
Seconds later, he stands and heads back towards me, not running, but not walking, either.
Crouching before me, he hands me his phone. “The security code is 7924. I need you to call 911,” he says. “And then I want you to call Enzo. His number is in my recent calls. Tell him what’s happening and ask for backup.”
“Enzo?” I ask.
“Yes. He owns a security company in town. He and his teammates, they’re all vets. Highly-trained. And Enzo’s only a few miles away. He might be able to get here before the police. Just call him. Okay?”
I take the phone from him. “Okay.”
“And this,” Caleb continues. In my other hand, he places a small gun. I flinch at the chill of metal against my skin. My stomach flips over. “It’s loaded. All you have to do is release the safety”—he puts my finger on it—“and pull the trigger. If someone tries to hurt you, shoot them.”
Shoot someone? Put a bullet in them?
A scared sound works its way up my throat. “Caleb.”
“You shouldn’t have to,” he replies. “But it’s better you have it than not.”
Then he draws back and looks at me. Guilt is all over his face. “I’m sorry, Vienna. If there were any other way…”
More tears dampen my lips.
Accepting the gun terrifies me almost as much as letting him go.
But I have to. So I swallow hard and say, “I know. Just… be careful. Please.”
“I will.” He stares at me for another second before ducking back beneath the workbench to kiss me. “This will all be over before you know it.”
His hand brushes across my cheek.
Then he pulls away, straightens, and jogs across the basement to the stairs.
As he jogs up them, his figure dissolves into darkness.
All I can hear is the soft sound of his feet on the stairs.
When he reaches the top of them, he calls back, “I’m going to lock the door from the other side.
It’s a deadbolt, and I’m taking the key with me. So only you and me can open it.”
“Do you want me to lock it from this side?” I ask. “If it’s faster—”
“No. Stay there.” He pauses. “Just stay safe, V. That’s all that matters.”
Before I can respond, he opens the door and slips through it, closing it firmly behind him. Maybe ten or fifteen seconds later, there’s a tiny snick.
And after that, nothing.
All I can hear is the frenetic beat of my pulse and the rasp of my panicked breath.
It’s deafening in the quiet.
Terrified shudders wrack my body.
Hot tears stream down my cheeks.
I want to trust in what Caleb’s doing. I want to be brave.
But I’m just so scared.
I’m not sure how much time passes before rational thought kicks back in. Crap. 911. Enzo. In my panic, I haven’t called either of them.
My tears turn to angry ones as I punch in the security code to unlock the phone. Some help I am. The one thing Caleb asked me to do, and I’ve already failed at it.
But now isn’t the time for self-castigation. I need to call 911. Call Enzo. Get Caleb backup, like he asked for.
So I do. In a shaky whisper, I fill in the 911 dispatcher, but when she asks me to stay on the line, I tell her I can’t. That I need to call someone else for help, too.
After I hang up with her, I call Enzo. He sounds friendly enough when he answers, but as soon as he hears my voice, he’s all business. “It’s Vienna,” I whisper. “Caleb’s outside. Someone shot through the window at us. He said to call you—”
“Are you hurt?” Enzo asks. He sounds like he’s moving already. “What about Caleb?”
“Neither of us,” I tell him. “But the fire at the cabin. It was arson. And now someone’s shooting…” My voice cracks. “He told me to hide in the basement. But I’m scared he’s going to get hurt.”
“It’s going to be okay,” Enzo replies. “Caleb knows what he’s doing. But I’m on the way. Did you call the police?”
I nod without realizing he can’t see me. “Yes. I called them.”
“Good.” Enzo pauses. “You’re doing great, Vienna. Just stay where you are. Caleb would want you to stay safe.”
But what about Caleb? I want to ask. He’s not safe. He’s out there, in the dark, without anyone protecting him.
As the minutes tick by, it’s all I can think about.
Caleb—brave, kind, incredible Caleb, who I could easily see a future with—alone.
Without backup. Facing an anonymous enemy who could have one of those special long-range rifles that can pick a target off from a mile away.
Or maybe the gunman is wearing night vision goggles, and he’ll shoot Caleb the second he sees him.
I swallow back a moan of fear.
My heart feels like it’s splitting in two.
I should never have let Caleb go back out there. I should have put my foot down. Insisted that if he didn’t stay in the basement, I wouldn’t, either.
Glancing down at the phone, I check the time since I called 911. It’s only been three minutes, which is shocking since it feels ten times as long.
Are the police on their way yet? What about Enzo? And will they—
A muffled crack startles me so badly I almost drop the phone.