by Emma Easter
“Let’s start getting the women out,” Rachel said. “We have to make sure they’re all quiet so Mike doesn’t find out what our plans are. He might tarry longer than five extra minutes for the kids, but not much longer than that. Once we get everyone to the edge of town, we can take them all to the police station in Prospect.”
“We’re going to walk that long distance?” Keith asked.
“Yes, if we have to.” Rachel shrugged.
“And what about Olivia and Davina?” Daniel asked. “How are we going to get them away from Mike?”
Rachel said, “I’m not really sure how we’re going to do that. We might have to find another way to stall Mike, though that will be dangerous.” She turned to Lily. “Mike might storm in here while we’re trying to get the women out if our time runs out. You will take Emily and Olivia’s boys with you now.”
“I’m not leaving without you,” Lily said.
“Yes, you are. You’re going now. You have to get the kids safely to Taylor.”
Lily looked up the stairs and said, “Let me go get them.” She left quickly.
Rachel looked at Daniel. He was looking out the window, his gun pointed out. She looked up at the clock on the wall, and her heart began to pound again. Any moment now, Mike and his men would come storming in. “Daniel, Keith, please start to evacuate the women.”
Daniel nodded.
Keith smiled and kissed her, and then went off with Daniel.
Lily made her way down the stairs holding Emily, with Olivia’s kids in front of her. She reached Rachel, and Rachel hugged her tightly, and then kissed Emily’s cheek. Rachel swallowed the sob that rose in her throat and said to Lily, “Please take care of my Emily and these precious boys. We’ll meet up with you as soon as possible. Now go!” she ordered.
Lily went.
Chapter 19
Lily turned on the flashlight she’d taken from a room in the House and shone the light into the passageway. She stepped in, carrying Emily in her arms. Olivia’s children walked by her side down the empty passageway. They got to the end and went down the flight of stairs into a cavernous tunnel.
Emily chattered continuously as they made their way down the tunnel. Soon, the boys began to whine and complain. They didn’t want to go on walking.
“We have to keep walking,” Lily said to them, her heart pounding with concern and fear. She didn’t know how long they were going to walk down this tunnel or when they were going to finally be able to come out on the other side.
The farther they walked, the more tired Lily got. She shifted Emily to her other side and carried the flashlight in her right hand. Emily stopped chattering and began to whimper. Lily tried to talk to her to find out what was wrong, but it didn’t help. Soon she began to wail.
Lily’s head pounded. She felt like crying along with Emily. She was tired from the long walk. The boys were already slowing down and constantly complaining. They told her they wanted to stop and rest, but she kept telling them they couldn’t stop. They had to keep moving.
They continued to walk, and Lily wondered if this tunnel was ever going to end. She shifted Emily to her other side again and then finally put the little girl down. Emily wailed even louder, and Lily tried to soothe her again. The boys kept complaining, and then, finally, they refused to go on. Emily was exhausted, and Lily knew that in spite of the danger they faced, they had to stop for a while in order to rest. None of them could take another step forward.
They stopped, and Lily leaned her back on the cement wall and slid to the ground. She sat Emily on her lap while the boys sat on either side of her. She took deep breaths as she held Emily to herself. Soon, Emily stopped crying and began to play with her fingers.
The boys started to bicker loudly, and Lily said, “We have to be quiet.” They stopped talking for about a minute and then began arguing again.
She sighed and allowed her mind to go back to what Taylor had told her over the phone. He had apologized for how he had ignored her for days. He had also told her he wanted to say something to her. What was it he wanted to tell her? Maybe he was going to tell her how he felt about her. Maybe he would let her know that he felt the same way about her that she did about him.
She sighed again. Or maybe he wanted to tell her that he liked her, but not in the way she liked him. She didn’t know what he was going to say, but whatever it was, she longed to see him again.
She stood up. They had to keep moving. She looked down at the boys. “We have to go, boys,” she said. She held Emily’s hand and began to move again. She blinked and looked back. The boys were still sitting down with stubborn expressions on their faces.
“Boys, we have to go now!” she said exasperatedly.
“We’re tired,” the older one said.
She sighed and then brushed aside the frustration she felt. Stooping down to look them in the eye, she realized she didn’t even know their names. She focused on the older one and said softly, “I’m Lily. What’s your name, buddy?”
“Will,” he answered.
She smiled and faced the younger one and asked him what his name was. He didn’t answer for a short while, but then he said, “Jeremy.”
She nodded. “Will and Jeremy, you have an idea of what’s happening upstairs, don’t you? I know you’re tired and hungry, but it’s very important for us to move forward and get to the other end of this tunnel.”
“I want my mom,” Jeremy said.
“Yes,” Lily looked into his eyes. “I know. That’s why we have to get to the other end. The sooner we do, the sooner you can be reunited with your mom.” She didn’t know if that was true, but she had to keep them moving. It would be what Olivia would want.
Will stood up and looked down at his brother. “Let’s go, Jeremy,” he said.
Jeremy huffed and stood up as well.
“Thank you,” Lily said, and allowed the boys to walk in front of her. She held Emily’s little hand tightly as the ground was slightly slippery. Her mind returned to Taylor as they walked. The days they had spent in Tuscon getting to know each other all over again had been amazing though difficult. If only he had not completely ignored her once they’d arrived in California. If only she had not spent those days in Arizona falling hopelessly in love with him, she would not feel the way she did now. What if they didn’t make it through this and she never saw him again?
She gasped and held Emily’s hand tighter when the little girl almost slipped and fell. Emily began to cry again, and Lily picked her up and settled her on her hip.
They all continued to walk again, and soon she began to grow too weary and too numb to even think. Emily felt like a ton of bricks on her hip. The boys turned to her and told her they were tired and hungry again. When she said nothing, they began to vehemently complain. Jeremy started to cry, and she bit her lip. She knew what would come next. Emily would start to cry again, too.
Emily let out a loud wail, and Lily sighed. Once again, she felt like crying. She whispered encouraging words to Emily, and when she calmed down, Lily put Emily down, reached out for Jeremy, and hugged him tightly. Jeremy stopped crying, and she said to him, “Just a little while longer, Jeremy. Soon we’ll be on the other side.”
She didn’t know what else to say to encourage them. They really had no choice but to go on walking.
Will turned around and looked up at her. “Where’s our mom?” He looked worried.
Lily searched her mind trying to figure out what to say to him and then told him his mother was safe. “You’ll see her soon.” She felt slightly bad about what she’d told him. She wasn’t sure Olivia was safe, as she was with Mike right now. Since his kids had not been brought out to him, who knew what he would do to Olivia? Lily shuddered. There was nothing else she could have said to Will.
They continued to walk again in silence. After a while, she picked up Emily as the toddler began to walk slowly, clearly weary. And then she nearly dropped Emily as a loud gunshot rang through the air. Screams followed, and Lily winced a
s fear gripped her. The boys put their hands around her and looked up at her with frightened eyes.
“It’s okay, boys,” she said to them. “Let’s keep going.” She held Emily tightly while she prayed silently, asking the Lord to protect Rachel and all the people upstairs. She jerked her head up as another gunshot rang through the air, followed by more screams. The children began to cry again. She tried to comfort them, but she didn’t know exactly what to say except to tell them they had to move even faster now.
Will and Jeremy stopped moving again, and Jeremy sat on the floor, kicking his feet and wailing.
Lily put her hand on her head and groaned. “Lord, please help me!” She looked down at Jeremy as he threw a huge tantrum, and then shook her head, feeling completely drained. Lord, when are we going to get to the other end of this tunnel?
She took Jeremy by the hand and pulled him up. He tried to resist, but she forced him to his feet. Once again, she looked him in the eye and said, “Jeremy, remember what I told you. There are bad men up there. We need to move as fast as we can. Please.”
Jeremy stopped crying and wiped the tears from his eyes.
They walked on, and Lily gasped as she saw natural light streaming into the tunnel a short distance away. The boys began to move faster, and she hurried after them. Emily began to chatter again. The nearer they got to the light, the brighter it became. She sighed with relief when she saw they were approaching the other end of the tunnel. “Finally,” she said. She could get the kids to safety now.
At last, they reached the other end, and Lily whispered a prayer of thanks to God. Just before they stepped out, she spotted two of Mike’s men standing a few feet away, their eyes roving around the area. Her heart sank. Mike must have decided that someone in the house would find some way to escape and sent these men to the edge of town to make sure no one did.
She told the boys to get back and then pressed her back against the wall, praying they had not been seen. After a few minutes, she took a deep breath, stepped slightly away from the wall, and glanced outside. Her eyes traveled around, trying to find any sign of Taylor or his car, but she saw nothing. Just before she moved back to hide again, Emily let out a loud wail, and Lily froze for a few seconds. The guards turned around, and their eyes met hers. Her heart stopped, and she began to hyperventilate as they made their way toward her. She stepped back and yelled, “Run, boys! Run!”
The boys ran back into the tunnel and so did she. More gunshots rang out above them and more screams followed. The boys stopped running and turned to stare at her in confusion and panic. She stopped. They couldn’t go back up, but they couldn’t go out of the tunnel either. She immediately turned the flashlight off and told the boys to continue to move as fast as they could in the darkness. They had no other choice.
She swept Emily into her arms and began to move as fast as she could in the darkness, and then she shrieked when one of the boys screamed. She quickly turned the flashlight on. Will had tripped and fallen. He held his leg, crying out in pain.
She bent down to look at his leg, her heart beating fast. What were they going to do if Will couldn’t stand? Her heart began to drum with fear as the men who were pursuing them shouted and blocked the entrance to the tunnel.
“All of you, come out now!” they yelled. She blinked as the sound of a car drew nearer. She sucked in her breath sharply as Taylor’s voice boomed, “Both of you, stop right there! Drop your guns now and turn around slowly.”
Lily stood up and went to peer out of the entrance. Her heart raced as the men dropped their guns and moved toward Taylor. He had a gun pointed at them, and she was surprised by that, but grateful to see him. They kept walking toward him, and then he told them to stop.
Her heart jumped into her throat as one of the men slowly put his hand behind his back and began to pull out another gun. “Taylor!” she screamed. “Watch out!”
A gun exploded, and the guard dropped to the ground. In a split second, the other guard pointed a gun at Taylor, his hand on the trigger. Taylor was not paying attention to him, his eyes on the other man who had fallen. She gasped and flung the flashlight in her hand at the man with all her might. His gun went off as the flashlight hit him on the head. He fell to the ground and lay there, unconscious.
She turned to look at Taylor, fear gripping her, and sighed with relief. He was okay. He beckoned to her, and she held up her hand. She turned around and said, “Come on, boys!”
They refused to move, looking terrified. She looked down at Will. He was standing on his feet. “Thank God,” she whispered. Hopefully, he would be able to walk. She went and took his hand and lifted Emily up with her right arm. “Let’s go, Jeremy,” she said. “It’s okay.”
The boys still looked frightened as they walked to Taylor, but Emily seemed unbothered by the violence they had just witnessed, as she clearly understood none of it.
They neared the men on the ground, and Lily herded the boys to her other side. She looked down at the one Taylor had shot. Blood oozed from his leg, but he was alive. He groaned as he looked up at Taylor, who still had a gun pointed at him.
Overwhelming relief ran through her as she reached Taylor. She fell into his arms, and he hugged her and Emily together, and then he pulled back slightly to look her in the eye.
“Thank God you’re safe, Lily,” he said and kissed her cheek. “What would I have done if anything had happened to you?” His eyes grew soft as he gazed at her, and then he cupped her cheeks and fixed his eyes on her lips. Her knees grew weak. He was going to kiss her.
She blinked when he pulled back and saw he was looking at Olivia’s children. The boys still looked scared, and Lily said, “We have to get them to safety.”
Taylor nodded. “Take them to the car and shut the doors.” He opened the trunk of the car and brought out a first aid kit. He quickly began to tend to the bleeding man’s leg.
She led the boys to the car, still carrying Emily in her arms. After they all got into the car, she strapped on their seatbelts and got into the passenger seat. Taylor got into the car minutes later and turned to her. “The men will be all right. I tied up their hands and took their weapons. Rachel and Keith will find them once they’re out of the House.”
Lily nodded and turned to look at Emily and the boys to make sure they were okay. She turned back to Taylor as he started the car. He reversed while she gazed at him. She felt a pang in her heart as she recalled how he had looked at her tenderly moments ago and the kiss they had almost shared. Disappointment flooded her, but she pushed the feeling aside. She had to focus on getting the children to safety.
They finally got to the plane, and Lily quickly got Emily and the boys out of the car. She carried Emily to the plane while Taylor and the boys followed her. The pilot was up front, and Joshua and Bree sat buckled at the back of the plane. Bree began to bump up in her seat when she saw her father, while Josh’s eyes focused on Olivia’s boys. He completely ignored Lily.
Lily put Emily down, and Emily immediately headed straight for Bree. Lily chuckled when Emily wrapped her arms around her younger cousin and tried to lift her up.
Bree scowled at Emily, no doubt to show her she would have none of it and then began to mumble when Emily did not let up. She stopped mumbling, pointed her tiny finger at Emily, and started to chatter non-stop in her baby voice, clearly scolding her cousin who did not understand the meaning of personal space.
In spite of her recent ordeal, Lily roared with laughter. Taylor and the boys were laughing too as they all watched the babies. She finally turned to look at Taylor again and gasped when he strode to her and swept her into his arms. He kissed her, sending bolts of pleasure through her, and she returned his kiss ardently.
“Dad! Stop it!”
Taylor pulled away slightly and looked down at Josh. He was looking at both of them with outrage, but Olivia’s boys were grinning. Taylor stepped away from Lily, lifted Josh up, and carried him to a seat at the back of the plane. He sat Josh in the middle seat and to
ok the window seat next to him. When he beckoned to Lily, she frowned.
“Come and sit with us, Lily,” he said.
Josh began to grumble while she mouthed, “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” he said loudly. “I’ve never been surer of anything.”
She went and sat beside Josh in the aisle seat so that Josh was sitting in the middle of her and Taylor. He stared at her with daggers in his eyes and then turned to look at Taylor. When Taylor took her hand and kissed it, she couldn’t help grinning. She looked down at Josh’s frowning face and stopped smiling.
Taylor said to Josh, “I put you in the center so you know you will always be at the center of my life. You and Bree. The thing is, you’ll have to share with Lily now.”
Josh grumbled some more, and Taylor said, “Listen, Josh. Just because I have fallen in love with someone new, doesn’t mean I love you any less.” Lily blinked, and she felt as though the sun had just risen in her heart. He’d said that he was in love with her.
His eyes stayed on Josh. “When Bree came into our lives, didn’t you have to share me with her? But did my love for you grow any less?”
Josh shook his head.
Taylor lifted his eyes to look at Lily. His gaze swept her entire face, and he gave her a tender smile. “I love Lily with all my heart, but I love you and Bree, too. I could never stop loving you.” He looked at Lily again and said, “If you just give Lily a chance, you’ll come to love her as much as I do,” he smiled, “because she’s so easy to fall in love with.”
Lily felt her heart soaring. She couldn’t keep her eyes off Taylor, even knowing Josh might complain about it again. She felt as though she were a child again and she had just been given the one gift she wanted most in all the world.
Josh sighed, and a look of resignation appeared on his face. He looked at Lily, but this time, he didn’t scowl at her. He turned back to Taylor and said, “Okay, Dad. I’ll give her a chance, but please don’t kiss her again when I’m around. Please.”