Page 60 of Bound By Thorns

Zarek stepped forward and pushed the door gently to open it further, “Mr. Cramer. Can we talk? We’re looking for someone you know.”

“Who are you people?” He eyed us suspiciously.

“I’m Theo and this is my friend Jenna. We’re from the police department.”

The lie rolled off Zarek’s tongue pretty comfortably. I smiled at the man, as his gaze settled for a bit longer on my bare legs.

Zarek must have noticed that because he shifted to shield me from him. “Can we come in for five minutes?”

Derek processed his options and caved in. He shifted to the side to let us in. The house was as battered on the inside as it wasoutside. The beat up coffee table was surrounded by an L shaped fading couch that might have been red in color in its hay day.

We both sat on the larger end of the couch as Derek positioned himself on the armchair in front of us. The grimy stickiness of the couch clung to my bare thighs, but it didn’t bother me. My tolerance scale for filth had been broken a while ago.

“How did you find out my real name?” Derek’s tone was edgy. “I haven’t used it in over a year.”

“Ever heard of Ravenrock Hall, Mr. Cramer?” I kept my voice even, watching him closely.

His reaction was immediate, his complexion turning pale. “How the hell did you find me?”

Zarek leaned forward, his voice low. “We found your details left behind at Ravenrock. Garret Tyson abandoned the place.”

“Shit.Shit. Fucking shit!” He gritted his teeth as he stood up and paced the space.

Zarek and I exchanged puzzled glances.

“You stupid fuckers! Garret never accidentally leaves anything behind if he’s moving operations. You… you led them right to me.” His eyes widened, panic taking over.

Shit.

He was right. What if this was a trap?

That’s when the gunfire started, echoing from the main house. Zarek and I exchanged a look of dread. His face twisted with terror.

Leora.

Without hesitation, we were on our feet, weapons drawn, rushing towards the commotion. As we bolted out the door, I saw Derek arming himself with a rifle, frantically loading it.

Ignoring him, we sprinted towards the main house, adrenaline surging. The front door was ajar, two bodies lay motionless by the entrance.

It was an ambush.

The sound of more gunfire from inside the house prompted Zarek to dash towards the commotion at the rear. I followed close behind, my gun ready. Abruptly, a figure in a black balaclava barreled into me, knocking us both to the ground. We grappled fiercely, each of us vying for control of my gun. In the chaos, the gun discharged, and pain shot through me. Regaining control, I aimed and fired directly into his chest. Pushing his lifeless body off, I quickly assessed my injuries: some minor cuts on my hands and a bullet graze on my left side near the stomach. Nothing critical.

As Zarek and Leora descended from the upper floor, returning fire, I provided cover, shooting down another assailant who was rushing down the stairs towards us.

“Let’s move.” Zarek said.

Once the immediate threat was neutralized, we sprinted back to the SUV. Derek was still firing at a group of assailants near his property as we peeled away from the scene.

“We’re clear. No one followed us.” Zarek informed after a few minutes.

The drive was tense as we transitioned from the quiet forest road to the bustling city streets. “Everyone okay?” I asked, my voice still unsteady from the adrenaline rush.

Leora looked back grinning, “That was such a rush. And yeah we’re fine!”

Zarek shook his head smiling and that’s when Leora gasped. I saw that she was eyeing my bloody hand that I had pressed against my bullet graze.

“Shit! Were you shot?” She asked, her worry evident.

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