Page 88 of Seven Deadly Sins

The driver’s side door was locked, resulting in another broken window so Liam could reach in and open the door. He grabbed a man by the shoulders. Harper repeated his actions on the other side.

As she pulled the woman free, she spotted two heads in the backseat. Her heart sank. “Kids in the back.”

~

From her vantage point in the house across the street, Lucy watched the drama unfold in the garage. How convenient that this house happened to be up for sale? She did like to watch the repercussions of her work.

While she enjoyed killing, she didn’t relish murdering children. So, she hoped she’d done enough to spare their lives.

It hadn’t been difficult to subdue the parents as they tried to flee. Then, she’d locked them all inside and turned on the car. Maybe not exactly what Robert meant when he’d told her to make things harder for the agent and the detective, but Lucy knew different. The attempted murder of two small children would mess with the detective’s head.

She’d make mistakes. Thus, making it easier for Robert to get his revenge when the time came. Lucy lifted the binoculars to her eyes in order to get a close-up look.

The agent removed one child, the detective the other. They pulled the N-95 masks from the children’s faces, both leaning over for signs of life. The detective pulled a radio from her belt as she nodded at her partner.

Good. At least one child lived.

~

Thank God, the children were alive. Unfortunately, the killer hadn’t taken the same care with the parents. Liam lifted one of the little girls in his arms and carried her to the grassy lawn where she could breathe the fresh air until the ambulance arrived.

Harper lay the other girl next to her sister. “Why kill the parents and save the children?”

“Maybe our assassin has a bit of a conscience.” He knew in his gut who was responsible. The back of his neck prickled. They were being watched.

He stepped closer to Harper, hoping to shield her if danger came. His gaze fell on a for sale sign. Curtains over the front window twitched. She stayed behind to watch.

“Stay here with the girls.” He darted across the street and around back where he thought the woman would flee.

Shots out front pulled him back to the street. The roar of a motorcycle engine faded.

Harper stood in the street, gun aimed, the other two officers on each side of her. “She got away. She started firing, I ducked, and she got on the bike.” Shoulders slumped, she returned to the girls.

“You okay?” He ran his gaze over her, relieved not to see blood.

“She wasn’t trying to shoot me, just provide a way out.” She stared down the street as sirens wailed. “Do you think she’ll do this at another of the addresses we’re headed to?”

“I hope not.” What did these deaths have to do with glutton? Or were they simply to keep him and Harper running from one place to the next?

“Once the ambulance is here,” one of the officers said. “You two go. We can handle things here.”

“You sure?” Liam clapped him on the shoulder.

“Absolutely. Go stop this creep.”

The ambulance pulled into the driveway. Paramedics rushed toward the children, shooting glances at the garage. After explaining what they knew about the children’s condition, Liam and Harper rushed to the jeep and sped away.

Which house had the woman gone to? He and Harper had them lined up so they wouldn’t have to go far, then back. Was the woman going to do the same thing? Either way, she’d gotten a big head start.

At the next house, seeing officers already bringing a man out, they barely slowed before racing to the next address. Neither spoke, the tension in the vehicle thick as swamp mud. Harper’s knuckles were white as she gripped the steering wheel.

As they neared their next destination, Liam rolled down his window. The roar of a motorcycle sounded in the distance. Were they too late?

Not this time. The couple in the garage hadn’t been in there long enough to succumb to the toxic fumes.

“She’s going to keep doing this?” Harper dragged the woman from the garage.

“Yes.” After depositing the man next to his wife, he called the chief. “We need to make sure officers are at every one of the remaining addresses.

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