The Fall(26)

“I packed food and some bottled water,” she answered, pulling a mind reader and answering my unasked question. “You suck at remembering the basics and I’d rather not starve or dehydrate.”

“Stay here.” I nodded, not bothering to reward her initiative, grabbing as much as I could carry and walking past her toward the back of the house.

Any internal thoughts about her or the situation were shelved as I switched gears, my focus narrowing completely on the operation.

The yard was in complete darkness with the security lighting disabled. Not that I had any reason to suspect anyone had been poking around, but I wasn’t going to shine a spotlight on my ass and help a f*cker along if he was perched sniper-like in a tree.

Once in the garage, I popped the trunk and loaded my duffle and her two bags into the cavity and doubled back to the house, my head swiveling in the dark just in case.

Nothing flagged as strange. A couple of dogs barking in the distance competed with a car revving, the screech of tires and the whine of the turbo happening a few seconds later. I didn’t linger, but the hair on the back of my neck standing up for no good reason meant something was off.

A twist of my head left then right didn’t give me any answers; the gnawing in my gut not something I usually ignored. The chill crept up my back and it had nothing to do with the wind. It had been too easy—getting her out, getting her here, the leveling of her house. I didn’t believe in miracles or luck, neither did most of the men who would be after her. And yet, not even a whisper in our direction. Whatever happened from here on out, we were far from home free.

As I made my way back to the house, Sofia was doing what she was told for a change without the argument, waiting inside. Hoping she’d continue that theme, I grabbed the cooler and gave her the “let’s go,” as I eyed her hard.

She got the message loud and clear, her eyes widening, pulling out her nine as she watched me palm my forty.

It had been dumb going out there the first time without my weapon out. Complete rookie mistake. And the fact I hadn’t ended up like Swiss cheese meant that whatever was out there was either waiting for a better opportunity or they were biding their time, waiting for me to bring out their prize.

Of course, this was all speculation. I hadn’t eyeballed anything to give me that intel, but I was willing to bet my left nut that beyond the fence line there was a hunter waiting for kill shot.

“Stay behind me.” I hesitated a beat before stepping back into the yard. “I want you to take even steps, staying as close to me as you can. I’m serious, Sofia, right on my ass like a pair of f*cking jeans. Watch your back, I’ve got the front but don’t run, it’ll be too easy to trip and then this will all go to shit.”

For once she shelved the who-what-where-why, instead giving me a quick nod as my boot hit the night air.

We’d barely made it outside, the sound of a single bullet sliced through the quiet as it narrowly missed my head.

“Get down and keep moving,” I hissed as my finger locked around the trigger of my forty-five. That one shot wasn’t a single; its friend was already making its way to greet us, fortunately hitting the brick instead.

Lights on either side of us lit up the exterior yards. The dumbasses who happened to be my neighbors, not recognizing that a gunshot is not something you investigated. Maybe they thought it was a car backfiring or some kid letting off a firework. Anyway, not my problem. If they caught a slug from their curiosity, that was on them; I had enough shit to deal with.

I fired a couple of rounds in the direction I assumed the bullets were coming from. I didn’t want to empty my clip when I had no real target, but I wasn’t going to sit on my hands either. My legs pumped, covering as much ground as I could while keeping my body lead-free. Sofia didn’t choke either, sticking to me as instructed; the short walk to the garage exponentially longer when you had some dick trying to give you body modification you hadn’t asked for.

It could’ve been anyone and I wasn’t about to stop to ask who. But from the erratic angles of the bullets I’d say it was some cowboy who hadn’t been smart enough to go to the Army Navy Surplus and get some night vision. Either that or he—or she, let’s face it, it was possible—was a terrible f*cking shot.

“Go.” I legged it double time the second there was a break in the firing pattern, kicking open the side door, twisting my body to allow Sofia to squeeze past. My hand yanked hard, pulling the door shut behind us, giving us a momentary reprieve.

“Friends of yours, I assume,” Sofia whispered, her breaths between each word hard and uneven.

“They must be yours. I don’t have any friends.” My shoulders rested against the exposed brick wall of the garage, my own breathing a little more intense than I would have liked. “But whoever they are, I doubt they are the patient type. We need to get out of here now.”

While most people would be lulled into a false sense of security the four walls gave us, I knew better. We were far from safe. Sure we had some cover, but we were also f*cking blind, not able to see who or what was coming until it was too late. And I was almost positive some neighborhood watch hero wannabe had probably already dialed 9-1-1, so we’d have that mess to contend with too. I didn’t much feel like wrapping my ass like a birthday present and handing it over, which meant it was time to go.

I tossed the cooler into the backseat. The only reason the piece of shit Igloo hadn’t been dumped on my back lawn was because I’d used it as cover, keeping the K-Mart special against my chest while avoiding bullet holes. It wasn’t Kevlar, but it would be enough to slow the projectile down, hopefully knock it off target and miss any major bits.