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“Here’s hoping we don’t need it—”
“Problem,” Drago muttered in both of their ears. “I’ve got movement on the south ridge.”
“Stay here,” Spencer ordered tersely. His plate rattled to the counter and he was out the door without another word. “Head count?” Gunner heard Spencer ask.
“Six. Maybe a few more.”
Aww, fuck. Not good.
“Get Chas and Poppy up. Be ready to move out with them,” Spencer ordered.
“Wilco,” Gunner bit out, racing for the stairs.
He woke Chas first. “Get up. Get dressed. Grab a couple of blankets and the emergency bag for Poppy. I’ll get her. If you still have that headset I gave you, put it on. Meet me downstairs in one minute.”
Chas’s eyes were huge with fear in the dark, but he nodded and rolled out of bed, fumbling into shoes as Gunner leaned over the crib and scooped up Poppy, blankets and all.
“Get her pacifier and some bottles,” Gunner ordered over his shoulder. “We may have to keep her quiet.”
He moved swiftly downstairs, trying not to jostle the toddler and wake her up any more than she already was. She was mostly asleep now, and he needed to keep her that way. He turned off the kitchen lights and the single lamp burning in the living room, plunging the house into darkness.
Chas came downstairs, breathing hard. “Now what?”
“Get the bottles and join me in the living room.”
Chas joined him in a minute and sank down on the sofa beside him and Poppy. “What now?” he breathed.
“Now we wait for instructions. Spencer and Drago are checking out the movement Dray saw on the south ridge.”
“How long will it take?”
“Not long,” he replied grimly.
“Do we know which part of the Oshiro gang is here?” Chas asked.
“Does it matter?” he countered.
They sat in the dark, listening to the night sounds while Gunner reviewed the route to the fallback position.
And then the thing he feared happened. The animals outside started to go silent. Not good. Not good at all. Spencer and Drago knew how to move quietly enough not to disturb the night creatures. But incoming hostiles? Probably not so much.
Gunner stood up, moved over to the living room doors, and pushed one of the big glass sliders open. The quiet was even more noticeable now. “Get ready to move out. Fast. We’ll run full-out across the lawn. Do your best to keep up with me.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Insects have gone silent. There are definitely people moving around out there.”
“If we’re going to have to run, do you want me to rig up a sling for you to carry Poppy on your back?”
“You know how to do that?” Gunner asked in surprise.
“Of course. My kids’ moms do it all the time with their babies.” Gunner watched in surprise as Chas pulled out the carrying sling he sometimes let Poppy sleep in on his lap. They slipped her into that, and Gunner threw the cloth strap over his shoulder and across his chest. Then Chas folded one of the blankets like a bandana and crossed it the other direction diagonally across Gunner’s back and under Poppy, making a second envelope. Chas moved in front of him and tied the ends securely across his chest.
Gunner shifted around a few times, bouncing on his toes.
“Feel secure?” Chas asked.
“Yeah. That’s good. Thanks.” He stared down at Chas, who stared back up at him. It was all there between them. The friendship, the love, the happy ever after they couldn’t have.