Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63469 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63469 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
She lost her mind, which was exactly what I wanted, creating a hell of a distraction as she ran to the front door, barking, howling, and basically making more noise than seemingly possible for one dog to make. The good news was she couldn’t hurt herself—everything would give under her onslaught; the bad news was that the screen door would need to be replaced after this.
“The fuck was that?” I heard someone ask.
“It’s the stupid dog he put outside.”
Slinking against the wall, still hearing Bella barking her head off outside, making enough noise for them to worry someone would hear her, one of them finally suggested what I wanted them to.
“I’m gonna shoot that dog.”
“Oh no, please don’t,” Stef begged.
“She’s makin’ a terrible racket.”
“She just wants to see me.”
“Well, I’m gonna put a bullet in her head if she don’t stop.”
Reaching the open doorway of Stef’s office, I leaned out into the hall that connected it to the second sitting room. Moving quickly, I slipped into that one and climbed on top of the couch—I’d learned early that in an old house with wooden floors, the best way to not make noise was to get on top of things already sitting heavy on the boards. So from the couch I moved onto the coffee table and then walked along the chaise to the wall.
Leaning only inches out that door into the living room, I could see everyone’s reflections in the glass of the grandfather clock against the wall to my right. They were all clustered toward the back of the house, almost to the kitchen, which made sense. Whoever these people were—burglars, kidnappers, God knew—they’d invaded the home and were smart enough to want Stef away from the front porch where anyone driving up would have seen him. It was also why they hadn’t seen me on horseback coming up the drive. The issue was, there was no regular traffic on the road to the house, no one to notice them. No one but me.
“Mr. Joss, I’m so sorry,” Button-down lamented, trying to take a step forward, but the girl yanked on his arm. “I’m so stupid.”
“You ain’t stupid,” Straw Hat told him. “You went along ’cause you knew nobody would get hurt.” He turned to Stef. “And nobody will as long as you listen and do exactly what we say.”
“Just shoot him and take the baby,” Daisy Dukes said flatly.
“No!” Button-down was aghast.
“Not kill him, honey, just shoot him in the leg so we can take the boy. That’ll be a lot easier, and we can keep him quiet real easy.”
Stef clutched Wyatt tight, and I reached behind me and took hold of the antique fireplace poker standing in the holder beside the leather tufted chair near a decorative antique writing desk that, as far as I’d ever seen, no one used.
“I think we should all go into the kitchen,” Baseball Cap said. “I want us right at the back door in case we have to make a run for it.”
“All right,” Straw Hat agreed.
“What is this room over here? Did you check all these when we came in?” Baseball Cap asked, and I retreated a bit, seeing him coming my way.
When he walked around the corner, I swung the poker at the back of his head, caught him in the neck, and he tripped forward noisily into the room, screaming for help before falling over the couch and clunking his head hard on the coffee table.
I scrambled for the gun he dropped, but Straw Hat was there, jumping me from behind and driving us both out into the living room and into another wall.
“Stef, get to the kitchen and let Bella in!” I yelled.
He bolted by me, Daisy Dukes right on his heels, with Button-down bringing up the rear. I tripped him, even though I was grappling with Straw Hat, who managed to catch me in the shoulder with a knife I didn’t know he had.
“You fuck!” I swore at him, enraged. It was a nine-inch switchblade, illegal, and I was thankful it was buried in my rotator cuff instead of my heart.
I swung with my still-good right arm, caught him in the jaw with my fist, and when he stumbled back, I kicked him in the knee and saw it bend the other way, hearing the pop at the same time. His scream was deafening, and I left him howling and writhing on the floor.
I knew the gun was somewhere in the sitting room, but I also knew that Baseball Cap was out like a light and Straw Hat was in way too much pain to go looking for it, so I bolted after Stef, moving fast down the hall, made it to the kitchen, and was greeted with the lovely sight of Daisy Dukes with her hands up next to Button-down. Both stood frozen as a very pissed-off Bella guarded them, snarling, hackles raised and head down, ears back, lips curled up, exposing her ferocious teeth. She was not fucking around.