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Daniel shook his head. This wasn’t protocol.
Another detonation sent tremors through the floor beneath them. Smoke filled the house. He frantically scanned for a safe exit. Hiding somewhere in the house could get them killed. Going outside could do the same. Staying here, however, wasn’t an option. He started to rise when a swift kick to his gunshot wound caused his knee to crumble. Fresh torment blazed through every nerve ending. Daniel's body went slack with the agony, and he tumbled to the ground.
Smoke clouded his vision as Mike dragged Ellie from underneath the island. He grabbed the flash drive from the countertop. “Shoot him and let’s go!”
Daniel’s heart pounded as the guard stepped around the island, weapon raised.
He took a breath and rolled.
Bullets punched the tile where his body had been. Shards flew up, spitting into his face. Daniel kept moving until he was safely sheltered by the other island. He barely heard the other guard’s footsteps as the man ran away. Desperation had him clambering to his knees in time to see the guard disappearing down a hallway on the far side of the kitchen.
Muscles screaming in protest, blood running down his injured leg, Daniel forced himself to his feet. He was outgunned and outmanned, but that wouldn’t stop him from saving Ellie or Owen.
Gritting his teeth, he raced for the hallway.
Clutching Owen close to her chest, Ellie was forced to keep pace with Mike’s frantic steps as he raced down a long corridor leading to God knew where. Hazy smoke hung in the air. If she slowed down an iota, the guard behind her jabbed her kidney with the barrel of his automatic weapon. She feared he’d accidentally shoot her.
Had he shot Daniel? Was her love dead?
The thought threatened to cripple her. Only the weight of Owen in her arms kept Ellie moving forward. She needed to find a way out of this for his sake.
Gunshots and screams echoed down the hallway. It was terrifying. The closest thing she could imagine to a war zone. Her heart thundered against her chest, and she struggled to remain calm.God, lay Your loving hands over me. Owen is a helpless child who needs Your help. Please keep him safe. And please protect Daniel. I don’t know…She couldn’t finish the thought. God knew the plea that was in her heart.
Mike stopped abruptly at a door and punched in a number on a keypad.
The guard panted. “We aren’t going to the safe room, sir?”
“It’s on the other end of the house,” Mike snapped. “Feel like fighting your way through bullets to get there?” He yanked the door open and automatic fluorescent lights flickered on, revealing a garage containing several vehicles.
The guard jabbed Ellie in the back to spur her on. Mike led them past the sports cars, their footsteps echoing off the concrete. The room was chilly, and goosebumps broke out on Ellie’s skin. Her gaze skipped over a wall of professional-grade tools. To her surprise, there was a section of guns. It was tempting to snag one, but with Owen in her arms, she had no way to do so.
Escape had to be carefully calculated. Right now, she didn’t know who was outside or why the house was being attacked. She did trust that Mike wanted to live. Her best option was to stick with him.
“We’ll take the Jeep.” Mike seized Ellie’s arm. His grip was bruising and his stare deadly as he shoved a handgun under her throat. “Get in and don’t cause any trouble for me, or I’ll make sure you regret it. Do we understand each other?”
“We do.”
He released her with a shove. Ellie stumbled into the guard behind her, who already had the rear door open and waiting. She tightened her hold on little Owen, and using the running board, lifted herself into the back. “There’s no car seat.”
Mike shoved a key into the ignition. “Are you serious right now?”
She was actually. They were about to tear through explosions and gunfire. Ellie had no intention of doing so with an unsecured baby in the back seat.
She laid Owen down on the bench. His skin was sweaty after being pressed up against her for so long. Her heart stuttered. Or maybe it was the fever returning? He was supposed to be on antibiotics and surely had missed his last dose. The thought sent a fresh wave of panic through her, but with the more immediate threats on their doorstep, she shoved her worry to the side. She needed to figure out a way to securely strap in Owen.
The guard loomed over her, one foot on the running board as he hefted himself into the Jeep.
Gunshots erupted in the cavernous space. Ellie threw herself on top of Owen as the guard clutched his chest and then dropped away from the door. Through the strands of her dirty and smoke-filled hair, she registered two things at once. Daniel. He stood in the garage next to the wall of tools. Blood soaked his pants leg, and he looked unsteady on his feet, but it didn’t affect the way he wielded the handgun. And Mike. The criminal was already shifting into position to fire at Daniel.
“NO!” Ellie launched herself over the rear seat and attacked Mike from behind, knocking the arm holding the gun upward with one hand as she scratched at his face with the other. Her nail jabbed his eye, and he howled like a wounded animal. Footsteps pounded over the cement.
“El! Release him!”
She immediately heeded Daniel’s command, and he yanked Mike from the vehicle before delivering a stunning blow to the other man’s head. Mike slumped to the floor, unconscious. Ellie climbed out of the Jeep just as the injured guard bolted for the garage exit.
She threw her arms around Daniel, nearly toppling him over. He caught himself on the door of the Jeep, wrapping his arms around her and planting a toe-curling kiss on her mouth.
“I thought you were dead.” Tears threatened to stream down her face, but she battled them back. Gunshots in thehouse brought the reality of their situation crashing down. They weren’t out of trouble yet. “We have to get out of here.”