Page 11 of Wraith
She dumped some pancakes into an awaiting plate then picked up a bowl to spoon batter into the pan. “No,” Amelia replied. “He never spoke much about work or anything outside of the family. The thing I can say about him is when he was with me, he was all in.”
“What about Lala? Does that sound familiar?”
She faced him and shrugged. “No. Should it?”
“Are you sure?”
“Liam, look, I know you’re trying to help, but none of this is familiar to me.”
He rubbed his back and took a breath.
“Have something to eat,” she said. “I probably should be on my way home.”
“You’re not making any sense. You know these people are after you.”
Amelia stacked some pancake on a plate in front of him and eased the syrup closer. “Maybe they didn’t find what they wanted, and they’ll be gone by now. Besides, I didn’t go home last night. They can’t sit on my place forever.”
“That’s not how it works. You don’t know these guys.”
“You know something.” Amelia stepped toward him. “You found something, didn’t you? What is it?”
Wraith made to answer when Doc rushed into the room then bolted back for the front door while growling. He couldn’t ever remember the wolf acting in such a manner, so he hurried after his pet. There were footprints in the snow, ones he hadn’t made. Wraith remembered where he’d walked on his patrols and the prints were smaller than his. Frowning, he went back to the kitchen. “You should get dressed,” he told her. “We’re going to have to move quickly.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“Do you always ask this many questions? We have to get out of here now. Move!”
Without waiting for her to answer, he darted up the stairs and shoved his laptop into his bag. He grabbed the Glock G43 from where it’d spent the night and stuck it into the back of his pants and quickly tugged his shirt down over it. He picked up the blades he kept in his night table and shoved them into the holsters at his ankles. As he rushed out the door again, he snagged the bag and found Amelia struggling to get her boots on. While she worked away he ensured the stove was off.
She met him by the kitchen door just as something smashed through the back window. Amelia spun toward it, her eyes wide and Wraith knew precisely what would happen. He clamped a hand over her mouth, pulled her back into his chest and dragged her from the space with Doc rushing after them. They couldn’t go outside. He knew that.
As the smoke bomb went off, he locked the guest bathroom door with the three of them inside. He yanked down the shower curtain, rolled it up and pressed it under the door to seal it then did the same to the top.
Amelia began coughing so he quickly wet a towel and pressed it to her face. “Keep this over your nose and mouth.”
Liam coughed too, forcing him to grab another towel and soak it. He held it with one hand up to his face but he couldn’t stomp down his anger. Poor Doc whined as he turned around and around as if trying to get out. Seeing Doc so confused and in obvious pain incensed Liam. But even as angry as he was, Liam couldn’t focus on the rage. He had to get them out of the tiny space as quickly as possible before the gas did any damage or before the intruders broke in.
Falling to his knees, he rocked the toilet seat, pushing it back and forth roughly. When it finally came free, he eased it to the side and pulled up the floor boards as much as he could. From his bag, he dug beneath the money for a flashlight then shone it into the hole below, past the piping and the plumbing.
Amelia was coughing more. His throat stung. His eyes burned as the smoke pooled beneath the door through the makeshift caulking. “Get in,” he called. “Be careful.”
He thought for sure Amelia would argue but she strung the towel over her shoulder and dipped through the hole in the floor. As her head disappeared, he scooped Doc into his arms and climbed through. Once he was safe in the underground tunnel, he set Doc down then went up again to grab his bag and pull the floorboards in place.
Liam never thought he’d have to use the escape route. It was the first thing he built when he arrived at the cabin years prior. Still, he led Amelia through the damp, cold passage, wondering if the other side would be clear for them to get out.
Amelia had been silent, but she kept up. Doc trotted alongside Liam, silent as the grave. As they neared the exit, close to the main road, Liam could feel cold, fresh air bathing his face. Without thinking, he shoved his hand beneath his coat and pulled out the gun.
Amelia gasped and he knew why.
“Is that a gun?”
“Do you think it’s a gun?” Liam asked.
She made an annoyed sound with her teeth, but he kept his focus on the light up ahead. At the exit, he pushed the gun into his pocket and gripped the grill. Though the bars were covered in snow, it seemed the trees on the other side bore the brunt of the winter. Gritting his teeth, he pushed, causing his muscles to strain. It came loose in this hand and he dropped it to the ground. “Wait here until I come back for you.”
Without waiting for her to answer, he climbed through, grabbed his gun and ensured the area was cleared. He returned for Amelia as promised and soon they were trudging through snow toward the main road.
Just as they were about to step onto the paved surfaced, he noticed there were a few black SUV’s parked to the side. Glancing over his shoulder, he reached for Amelia’s hand and the three ran over to one of the vehicles. He tried one door after the other until he found an unlocked one. Liam was pretty sure this vehicle belonged to the people who’d invaded his sanctuary.
