Page 42 of Secrets Along the Shore (Beach Read Thrillers #1)

Resting a hand over her shoulder, he clamped his other hand over her mouth as she shot upright. Her hand hit his shoulder. Then his jaw. She didn’t hit hard, but she also couldn’t see what she was hitting. She gasped behind his hand.

“Shh. Calm down.” He kept his voice quiet.

Something hard smacked into his shoulder. Not a fist. An object. Maybe a sturdy toy? Keeping a hand over Elara’s mouth, Tyler grabbed onto Rian’s arm. “Hey. Quit it.”

The kid cried out.

“Quiet. I’m here to get you out.” Tyler checked the door over his shoulder. Their next-door neighbor might wake up if they didn’t quiet down.

Elara yanked his hand off her mouth. “Get away from us!” She pulled Rian away and slid back toward the wall.

Tyler sighed. Of course, this couldn’t be easy.

But they couldn’t see him, and he could barely make out their forms. “Elara, Koen sent me.” She had to trust him.

They were short on time. He doubted that it’d take the Rukas long to find their drugged man.

Especially if they expected to see him bring those crates inside.

Not to mention, he hadn’t closed the door.

The Rukas down the other hall might check on them.

“Koen? My dad sent you?” Surprise filled her voice.

“Yeah, he did.” Tyler shifted to remove the cramp developing in his legs.

She choked on a sob.

“Momma,” Rian whispered.

“It’s okay.” Elara cleared her throat. “You can get us out of here?”

“Yes. But I need you to confirm that you’re Elara.

” He didn’t have visual confirmation since he couldn’t see anything.

“What was your first childhood pet?” Asking about something related to someone’s private life—like a pet—was an easy way to confirm their identity since most people didn’t have that information.

“A bunny.”

Tyler nodded once. “What was it named?”

“Bunny.”

Rian laughed, which made Tyler crack a brief smile. At least, the boy was alright. It’d take time for him to adjust to things, but he was far from traumatized by recent events.

Strong kid.

“I was five,” Elara explained. Her form shifted against the wall as she stood. She lifted her hand and might have put it on her head.

The blood on the bed at Viktor’s home. She’d been bleeding before. “Are you hurt?” Tyler checked the door again.

“I-I, uh, Viktor hurt my head. It bled a lot yesterday.”

“Head wounds tend to do that.” How much blood had she lost? She could have had a concussion or maybe was weak and dizzy from blood loss. “Can you walk?”

“I think so.”

“Good.” Tyler pushed off the floor, held in a groan, and stood. “We need to move.”

Elara stayed against the wall. “You confirmed that I’m Koen’s daughter, but I need you to confirm you know my dad.” Rian shifted against her hip. An object swung back and forth in her hand near her waist. A bag of something?

“I’m breaking you out of here, that should confirm who I am.” He stepped back to the door and lifted his M4.

“How do I know that Viktor didn’t ask you to trick and trap me?

” She had a right to be distrustful, but they didn’t have time for him to answer a dozen questions.

The Ruka in the next room wouldn’t sleep forever, and Tyler needed to take them to the getaway vehicles before the Croatians noticed Adam and the team.

He opened the door a few inches more and glanced down the hall. It remained clear. “I stayed with Koen for a few months recently. I was hurt, so he looked out for me. He lives in Alice Springs. His best friend is Mandi, and right now, he’s waiting for me to bring you back to him.”

Elara brought Rian to his side. “Alright. I believe you, but can I know your name?”

“Tyler.” He eased open the door and stepped into the hall. After his targets exited their room, he shut the door behind them. He grabbed his radio. “I have the package.”

“Copy,” Von replied.

“We’re ready for you,” Adam added.

Tyler glanced at Elara. He paused at the backpack in her hand. Did she need to take that? Depending on how heavy it was, it could slow them down. “You need that?”

Elara clutched the bag close. “Yes.” She shifted it onto her shoulders.

He doubted it, but didn’t have time to argue. “Stay right behind me, got it?”

“Got it.” Elara nodded.

“Yes, sir,” Rian whispered a little too loud.

The man in the other room snorted, then fell silent. Something shifted. Tyler pressed the M4 against his shoulder and waited. The snoring started again. But it wouldn’t last forever. He headed down the hall and found the staircase.

One of the men yelled down the other hall.

Elara’s sharp intake seemed to echo in the room.

Tyler led the way down the stairs. He kept an easy pace that didn’t make much noise on the steps.

At the bottom, he checked down the black hallway on the left.

Tyler had come from the right. Elara and Rian stopped behind him as he rounded the corner of the stairs.

A dark form appeared in Tyler’s sights.

“Hey—”

A bullet from Tyler’s gun dropped him, but the suppressed sound echoed through the narrow area and rattled up to the second floor.