Page 86 of Secrets Along the Shore

Oh, Lord, help us!

She grabbed for the wall beside them. There had to be a door. After a few shaky steps backward, her hand found a door handle, and she flicked it open. She pulled Rian into the dark room and slammed the door before another gunshot sounded. Heaving a deep breath didn’t draw enough oxygen into her lungs. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t get air.

Voices met her. No! No! They weren’t outside. Forms shifted in the room.

“No!” she screamed and grabbed the door. It swung open. A strong hand caught her arm and yanked her out. Her grip on Rian didn’t falter as she backed into the hallway wall. Their rescuer pulled something off his vest and tossed it into the room. His boot kicked the door, and it slammed shut. “Move. Go!” Tyler shoved them down the hall toward the exit.

An explosion rocked the building.

Tyler led the way down the hall, rounding a corner down a short hall, before turning left down a longer one. “Stay behind me,” he repeated what he’d told them earlier. It slipped her mind in the chaos. She panicked and just wanted to protect Rian. This was more terrifying than trying to escape in Dubrovnik. Viktor’s men hadn’t been shooting at them then!Breathe. Just breathe.It felt impossible. Her lungs weren’t expanding, were they?

Light flooded the hallway from a door ahead of them.

Tyler paused for a second and glanced over his shoulder. “Back to the stairs.”

What? The frustration in his voice tore at her chest. They had to escape. She didn’t find it in her to fight him. Taking Rian’s hand, she ran back the way they came. AR-15s went off behind them, much louder than Tyler’s gun. And the bullets were aimed at them. The lethal lead smashed into the wall near them. Tyler hissed something behind her. Had he gotten hit?

She rounded the corner. Another twenty steps, and they’d be at the staircase. She hoped. Rian’s hand shook in her grip.

“Elara, let me lead.” Tyler’s words made her slow. He took up position in front of them and aimed his M4 down the hall. His quick steps were hard to keep up with because of her trembling, uncooperative limbs. As soon as a figure appeared in the opposite hallway, Tyler fired. He didn’t waste one second.

“Where are we going?”

He started up the stairs, ignoring her question. His rifle angled toward the door on the left. His boots made a dull thud as he made it to the top. Elara struggled to lift her legs with each step. Rian pulled on her arm, trying to assist her ascent.

More footsteps came from behind the door in front of Tyler. He aimed at it and took two quick shots. Something collapsed on the other side. Elara swallowed hard. Someone. Someone else was dead.

Oh, what was she thinking? She’d hoped for an easy escape, but no. People were dying left and right. She never wanted this. Tears slid down her cheeks.Please, Jesus, help us!

Tyler grabbed her arm and pushed her up against the door. He turned and fired a shot on the opposite side of the gangway. The man Viktor had told to check on them every hour slumped to the floor. His handgun clacked to the floor.

Elara pressed her back against the wall. “Why-what are you doing?” she choked out. If Tyler intended to rescue them, he should have taken them down the hall, not retreated to the stairs.

“Quiet.” Tyler dropped the magazine from his rifle, pulled a newone off his vest, and slapped it in. He leaned over the railing with his rifle pointed below.

“Otišli su gore!” Heavy footsteps brought the Rukas closer.

Elara gasped and pressed Rian against her. The men knew. They knew they’d come upstairs. So they were dead. Or at least, she was. And Tyler, too. Viktor wanted his son alive. She jerked hard as Tyler took a shot, then another. Gunfire echoed in the space. Rian cried as he covered his ears.

Tyler stepped back from the rail and shifted close to the stairs. He took a few more shots, then lowered his gun a couple inches. For a few long seconds, he remained silent and still. Finally, he turned to her. “We gotta move.”

She managed a nod.

He led them back down the stairs, and through the hallway. Bodies littered the floor. Elara swallowed the nausea that rose in her throat. She had nothing in her stomach since Viktor hadn’t fed them in over a day.

Elara slowed as they made it to the spot where they turned around. Light filtered into the hall from a room where armed men had exited. Tyler eased up to the doorway and aimed his rifle into the area. After a moment, he continued his course to the exit. The solid door had no window for them to check if someone was outside.

Tyler opened the door and leaned out, keeping his rifle close. He stepped outside. His movements remained calm and calculated. Moving his left arm behind him, he signaled for them to follow.

Elara tightened her grip on Rian’s hand as they headed outside. The dark sky shone with stars overhead, but the white spotlights nearby hid a majority of the lights God placed in the sky. Dark trees towered over the fortress, lending an ominous air. Elara hesitated under the overhang from the second floor. If she stepped out, Viktor could spot them easily. Then they’d be dragged back. Or they’d get shot.

Should they go back? Maybe Viktor would be less furious when he caught them.

Their rescuer stopped by a black van. He pressed his shoulder against the side. His gaze turned to them. The bright lights lit the areaenough to make out his young face. He might have been even younger than her, and he was alone. He’d never succeed.

“We need to go back,” she whispered.

“No, Momma!”