Sean squinted at the map and shook his head. “They won’t be down here,” he said, pointing to areas south and west of the airport. “The second car was abandoned north of this road…216. They were heading north when their car was abandoned, right?”
“Right,” Luke confirmed.
“Then they probably kept going in that direction to put distance between themselves and the prison. They’ll be up here somewhere.” Sean traced a circle with his finger around a large area north of the prison containing many residential neighborhoods. “Move everyone searching south of Route 216 up to these neighborhoods. And tell everyone that the person who finds them will get an entire night with Lily.”
***
Alone in the living room, Morgan kept the fire going. There was no point trying to sleep. Not even the soft sounds of Katie’s rhythmic breathing in the crib beside her could quiet her mind. It was after midnight, and the other girls were all asleep. The house was drafty, and the wind outside seeped through the cracks in the doors and windows. Upstairs, Maria shared a bed with her sister to keep warm while Susan huddled under a pile of blankets in a spare bedroom.
Morgan placed another log on the fire. As it began to burn, there was a knock on the front door. She peered through the peephole, but could barely make out the shadowy figure standing in the darkness. She reached for the flashlight on the small entry table and unlocked and opened the door without removing the chain lock. “Danny?”
“Yeah, hi…Sarah, right?”
She nearly forgot her own fake name. “Uh, right.” She noticed that he was soaking wet and immediately took pity on him. “Come in.” She ushered him inside. “Sit by the fireplace.”
“Thanks,” he uttered through chattering teeth. “Sorry to come by so late, but I need to talk to Ben and Jim.”
“Oh, they’re not here.” She shut the door and locked it again. “How did you know where to find us?”
“Ben gave me the address on his last visit to the city a few weeks ago. He wanted me to update Jim’s and his ID to indicate that they were members of the Infantry.”
He stripped off his dripping raincoat and took a seat on the floor by the fire, and rubbed his arms to get warm.
“You’ll never get warm if you stay in those wet clothes,” said Morgan.
“My shirt is dry. Just my jeans and shoes are wet. I rode my bike from the city.”
She looked at Danny as though he were insane. “What’s so important that you had to come fifty miles in the rain?”
Danny looked up at her gravely. “It’s Sean. He found out that Ben’s been back to the city.”
Her eyes grew wide. “What…how…?”
“I knew something was up when he found out your friends were at Papillon on the same night back in August, but I didn’t know exactly what. When he came around a second time to scan a set of fingerprints that turned out to be Ben’s, I didn’t have time to stop him from figuring out that Ben had returned.”
“But how he get a copy of Ben’s fingerprints?”
“No idea. But he was furious when he found out Ben had sneaked back into the city.”
She didn’t know exactly how much Jim and Ben trusted Danny, but the fact that they had reveal to him their location seemed like it was time to tell the truth. She took a seat beside him. “Danny, I’ll be honest with you. My name isn’t Sarah. It’s Morgan. Ben and Jim didn’t want Sean or anyone else knowing our real names.”
The deception didn’t seem to bother him at all. If anything, he seemed to approve of it. “I figured as much.”
“Well, I’m sorry you came all this way, but after tonight, it won’t matter anymore what Sean knows.”
“Well, whatever Sean and Luke were worried about, it seemed pretty serious.”
It was the first time Danny had said anything about Luke, and at the mention of his name, Morgan froze. “Luke?”
“Yeah. He was there when Sean started asking about your friends. Isabel and Katrina.”
“It’s Maria and Andy, actually...” she murmured. She shut her eyes tightly and rubbed her temples. “Bloody hell. This is bad.”
“What’s wrong?” Danny asked, confused.
Morgan started to explain when another knock on the front door echoed through the house, this time louder and more urgent. When she opened the door with the chain lock still attached, she saw Jim and Charlie standing in the rain on the other side.
“Thank God!” she cried out as she released the chain and opened the door. She hugged Jim tightly before he entered.
Charlie walked into the living room where he spotted Danny. “Who are you?” The two had never met before.
“I’m Danny,” he replied, standing up.
“Oh, the hacker?”
Danny held out his hand to Charlie, who shook it. “That’s me.”
“What took you so long? Where are Andy and Ben?” Morgan asked Jim.
“What, they’re not here?” he responded with concern, causing Morgan’s face to fall.
“They didn’t come back with you?”
“We got separated leaving the airport,” said Charlie.
“I’m sure they’re fine. They’re probably either looking for us or are on their way back,” Jim replied with genuine assurance.
“I’m sure,” Morgan repeated softly. She leaned into Jim’s chest. “Did you destroy it?”
“Yes. It’s gone.”
***
Andy awoke sometime in the middle of the night. Her eyes opened as slowly as they had closed, and she became acutely aware of her body and its position against Ben’s. In their mutual sleep, her cheek had landed firmly against the center of his chest and her torso, wrapped snuggly under the thin blanket, was cradled within his. With her body temperature restored, the necessity of remaining pressed together had disappeared, but she made no effort to release herself from the grasp of the strong arms still draped around her.
The fire had dwindled, but the area of the room near the fireplace was still warm. As she moved to relieve the crick in her neck, Ben stirred in his sleep but did not wake. She checked the time on his watch lying among their pile of clothes. They had been asleep for five hours, which gave her confidence that they were safe from discovery. After placing a few more pieces of wood on the fire, she returned to her position beside him. The rise and fall of his chest was hypnotic and prevented her from looking at anything but him.
From the day they first met, Andy could never deny her attraction to Ben. His dark blue eyes like the sea before a storm, his jaw set with determination. But over the many months, she had grown accustomed to his appearance and had simply put that particular aspect of him in a figurative box and shoved it aside. After all, his looks had nothing to do with their relationship. They were close friends, confidants in many respects, and always would be.
And yet, as she stared down at him, at long last she allowed herself to admit that she wanted him as something more. She had denied her desires by hiding them deep within a secret compartment in her mind and heart. But this effort had worn her out. He was absolutely everything she could ever want in a man, but what was she to him? She was a tomboy, wild and rough around the edges and not remotely sexy. Perhaps pretty, but she knew her place in the world of superficial appearance. Morgan was a graceful and elegant beauty. Susan, now nearly sixteen, grew more beautiful every day, her smile and demeanor ever intoxicating to Charlie. Maria, meanwhile, was exotic…sultry.
But Andy? Strong. Intelligent. Daring. Yes, all of those applied. They were qualities she was proud to possess. Stunning? Sexy? Gorgeous? No, these weren’t words she’d ever use to describe herself.
Still, it wasn’t entirely implausible that what Morgan said was true and that Ben could actually love her. Who else would have traveled alone hundreds of miles in the cold winter and hot desert to find her, and then enter a stadium filled with half-crazed, bloodthirsty spectators and dozens of armed men with only a single rifle for protection? Only someone who was more terrified of her death tha
n his own.
As though under a spell, her hand slowly reached out toward his abdomen, his perfect set of muscles never failing to distract her. And now her hand was seemingly acting on its own as her fingertips delicately brushed his skin. They outlined each muscle and ran up and down the length of his stomach, slowly and lightly like feathers. Then, her hand became her own again, and she jerked it back, suddenly aware of what she was doing.
Suddenly, his hand grabbed her wrist. He was awake. Their eyes locked. Without a word, he sat up and let go of her wrist, only to reach around her with both arms and pull her closer to him. Instinctively, Andy looked away. She always looked away. But he stopped her by putting both hands on her face by her ears, urging her to look at him. “Please…don’t…” he whispered.
With those two words, Andy realized that he had felt her fear, not just at that moment but at every moment—every aversion of her eyes from his, every inch of space that she had placed between them, every excuse that she had made to avoid her feelings. He recognized her hesitation once again, right there on a cold floor inside a strange, dark house, and he was refusing to let it happen any longer. He was tired of it, and so was she.
Before she could think or feel another thought, he pulled her face toward him until their lips were a mere inch apart. Her breath caught in her throat in the same moment as he swallowed hard. Then he leaned in the rest of the way.
And when she kissed him back, it was not for practice or to secretly play out a fantasy. This was actually happening. This was real.
Time seemed to both speed up and stand still as months of unspoken longing melted away. They kissed without restraint. The sensation of Ben’s mouth and tongue against hers was electrifying, and when Andy began running her hands through his hair, then down his shoulder and back, she knew she couldn’t stop at this alone.
He moved his hand down from her waist until his palm slid under her rear beneath the blanket. A soft sigh escaped her mouth. With his other hand, he lifted her up and sat her down on top of his thighs, and she wrapped her legs around him. As he started to gently tug at the sides of her underwear, she suddenly pulled back. She looked anxious and uncertain.
“Ben, I’ve never…never done this.”
He blinked. “It’s okay. We don’t have to.”
“But I want to…with you.”
“Are you sure?”
She looked into his eyes. They reassured her. “Yes.”
Carefully and gently he ran a hand down the length of her stomach and she drew in a sharp breath between her teeth. He then ran his fingers up and down her back, feeling her relax. He kissed her again and whispered, “You okay?”
Biting her lower lip, she nodded, and he kissed away the single tear that had fallen down her cheek. Then he leaned back against the ottoman and hugged her to his chest.
Andy could feel his heart drumming. She looked up at him to let him know she was ready.
Then slowly, he lifted her up off his thighs and gently lowered her back down onto the floor.
Chapter XXVII
When Andy awoke, concern that they had stayed too long in the house immediately gripped her. She checked her watch and was stunned to find that it was after seven. “Crap!” she hissed and quickly stood up. The room was cold once again, but her clothes and shoes were mercifully dry. Once her shoes were laced, she knelt down beside Ben who was still fast asleep on the floor. “Wake up,” she murmured gently into his ear. He stirred mildly, so she shook his shoulder. “Sweetie, wake up.”
His eyes blinked open, and when he saw her face, he smiled. “Did you just call me sweetie?”
“I did. Now get up. It’s after seven.”
He sat up, but instead of reaching for his clothes, he grabbed Andy’s waist and pulled her down to the floor. Squealing, she landed right beside him and laughed. He leaned in and kissed her mouth.
She kissed him back with equal eagerness as the tingling sensation returned in her stomach, but she forced herself to pull back. “Stop that! We have to go!”
Reluctantly and with a groan, he released her and threw on his clothes. “You’re spoiling all the fun.” He pulled his fleece sweatshirt over his head before reaching for his raincoat.
“I just want us to get away from here,” she replied. Wearing a knowing smile, she whispered, “We’ll have more fun when we get home. You know, to celebrate.”
Smiling in turn, he replied, “Promise?”
“I promise.” And she kissed him again before adding as a final joke, “Was I better than champagne?”
“No comparison,” was his candid reply, and then his face grew serious. “I never thanked you for doing this,” he added.
“Doing what?”
“All of this. For dragging me back here and helping Jim and I finish what we started.”
She grabbed at the neckline of his sweater affectionately. “I did it because I knew that deep down, you wanted to come back.”
After one final kiss, they quickly gathered their things and went out the door. But when Ben stepped outside, he stopped cold.
Standing in the cul-de-sac surrounded by half a dozen guards stood Sean. Upon seeing Ben, a repulsive, self-satisfied smile spread across his face. “Well, well…isn’t this cozy? We’ve been waiting forever for you two to wake up.”
Acting on instinct, Ben placed himself in front of Andy, grabbed his rifle leaning against the wall by the door, and pointed it at Sean.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
But Ben steadied his aim and shut his left eye as his right focused in on the front sight. “Why not? Your head is right in my line of fire.”
“Because your rifle has no firing pin.” Sean pulled out a thin metal object from inside his pocket. It was a few inches in length and resembled a long nail.
“You’re bluffing,” Ben hollered back, though his voice wavered.
Wearing a smug grin, Sean outstretched his arms as if daring Ben to fire. “Go ahead…pull the trigger.”
Without hesitation, Ben flexed his right index finger a second after Sean uttered his last word. Horribly, nothing happened, so he tried again and again until the hideous sound of Sean’s laugh forced him to stop.
Both terrified and enraged, Andy fished inside her backpack for her pistol, but her hand found nothing.
“Looking for this?” Sean suddenly revealed her gun and held it up as the guards began to laugh.
“You two really should’ve locked the doors last night. But I guess you were too busy screwing each other to think about it.”
In a split-second motion, Ben whirled around toward Andy. “The back door. Go!”
Her feet propelled her back into the house. There was a door in the kitchen that led to a rear patio. She burst through it and launched over the short fence that wrapped around the patio as Ben ran after her.
Beyond the small backyard of the house lay a cluster of trees. She ran toward them, but just as she was about to disappear into them, two armed guards suddenly appeared from behind the trees and quickly subdued her. She stopped dead in her tracks as Ben nearly ran into her from behind. Within moments, they were surrounded.
Looking up at Ben, Andy saw only terror in his face. Even so, his eyes were scanning the area in a desperate search for another way to escape. But the horrific reality was that any attempt to flee at this point would only result in one or both of them getting shot.
Walking slowly, Sean came around the side of the house to the backyard. He calmly pulled an apple out of his coat pocket and began biting away at it as though he were simply out for a stroll on a crisp, autumn day. “You know, you two make a really cute couple,” he said between bites. He entered the circle created by his guards as they maintained their aim on both their targets. Taking another bite, Sean looked back and forth between Andy and Ben, his icy blue eyes dancing with delight. After swallowing, he said, “It’s too bad that you won’t be able to see what might’ve become of this beautiful relationship.” And with that, he flung the rem
ainder of the apple to the ground, a cue for the guards to grab Andy and pull her away.
She struggled in their grasp, and Ben cried out her name in desperation as the remaining guards maintained their circle around him. One thrust the barrel of his gun into Ben’s chest.
“Get off of me! Let…me…GO!” Andy screamed as they dragged her to the front of the house. She kicked and squirmed violently, but the guards’ grips were too strong. Sean followed them, marching behind her as he stared into her face and frowned with keen interest.
The guards finally released her when they reached the front curb, flinging her crumpled body to the ground. When she tried to stand up, they rapidly restrained her.
An SUV pulled up to the curb, and Luke stepped out of the passenger’s seat. He looked down at Andy and sneered. “Hello, Katrina. Nice to see you again.”
“Actually, it’s Andy,” Sean corrected as he joined his comrade. “At least that’s what our good friend Ben called her a moment ago.”
Luke seemed to consider the name and nodded in approval. “Andy, huh? Well, nice to see you again anyway, though you look like shit compared to the last time I saw you.”
Seething, she stared up at Luke with overt hatred in her eyes but remained silent.
Sean gestured for Luke to follow him to the back of the house. “Watch her,” he ordered the guards before he and Luke walked away.
After rounding the house once more, Sean approached the circle of guards who were still restraining Ben. He waved them back to give him more room and turned to Luke. He leaned in close and said in a low voice, “Tell the two guards you trust the most to stay behind and send the rest to the front of the house.”
Ben’s eyes flashed wildly between Sean, Luke, and each of the guards, desperate to figure out what was going on.
Luke eyed the guards and pointed at two of them. “You two…stay here. The rest of you go back to the front.”
The guards obeyed, and as they broke off, Ben took advantage of the moment to break free and run. He managed to get beyond Luke and the guards. Only Sean reacted quickly and retrieved Andy’s gun from his coat pocket. With impressive skill, he aimed it at Ben and fired.
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