Page 124 of Protecting Peyton

“We’re getting close,” I told her. “I need to know if Peyton got away and in which direction, or did they catch her?”

“I’m working as fast as I can,” Roberta answered.

“We think they were gassed,” I said into comms. “Peyton’s location is unknown.”

“I know that,” Roberta replied.

The house came into view ahead.

“He’s radioing the team,” Yates clarified as he unbuckled. “I’ll get Jordy and Pete. You get your girl.”

“I got more,” Roberta said as I slammed on the brakes. “She ran south.”

That was straight ahead.

I didn’t see her.

Yates leaped out and raced to the side of the house.

“The baddies followed her in a blue car,” Roberta added.

Peyton

I ranto the side yard gate, praying it was unlocked and I didn’t have to climb over. It opened, and I slammed it closed and then huddled behind it, looking through a knothole in the wood.

Hopefully they hadn’t seen where I’d gone.

No such luck. I saw them stop and then back up to the house on my left. I did everything I could to keep my breathing silent.

My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. They’d killed Jordy, and I was as good as dead if they caught me. This was a fight for my life.

I almost didn’t hear it over the noise of a car driving by.

“Where’d she go?” It was the third man’s voice.

“You check that one,” Baldy said. “And I’ll check this one.”

A big bruiser passed through my field of view and then returned, looking confused. He had a spiderweb tattoo on his neck.

“Not that one, you moron,” Baldy yelled. “This one.”

That was too close for comfort. Neck Tat turned around and went back to the left.

Closing my eyes for a second, I willed Zane to arrive in a cloud of tire smoke and take care of these guys. When I reopened my eyes, it was clear that telepathy wasn’t on my side today. Staying hunched over, I scurried to the back of the house.

The fence was even higher in the backyard. I wanted to go over the back fence to the house facing the other street, but didn’t see a way over.

There was a dilapidated doghouse up against the fence on one side. That was my key to getting out of this yard. I could pull it to the back fence and go over. Once I reached the other street, I could get to the drugstore.

As soon as I shoved the doghouse, barking started on the other side of the back fence. Mean, loud, big-dog barks made me adjust my plan. A real lioness might brave a dog, but not me.

With the wooden monstrosity still against the side fence, I climbed up. The wood of the roof seemed spongy under my feet.

“Found her.”

I turned to find Spider Tat running my way. Heaving myself up and over, my leg snagged on a nail. I landed on the other side with a gash in my calf.

“Fuck,” Spider Tat screamed as I heard the old wood of the doghouse give way under his weight. He kept screaming.