Page 81 of Waiting For A Girl Like You (Haven House #4)

Jamison almost shook her head again, but quickly changed her mind when Michael’s hand shot out to seize Taylor by the throat.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear, and now that you’ve had your fun, I’m ready to have mine,” Michael seethed, drawing Taylor's terrified face toward his. “We’re going to play a little game, Taylor. I know how much you love them.”

“Move, Jamison.” Liam’s hand latched onto hers as they shot off in the direction of the road, the two of them running blindly through the fog. “We have seven minutes.”

The sounds of Taylor’s anguished cries cut through the air, joining Michael Sinclair’s manic shouts as he found his revenge. “Come on, Taylor! Open wide for me!”

Jamison turned back in time to see Michael shoving something into Taylor’s mouth. She couldn’t tell exactly what it was, but the bulky thing protruded past Taylor’s lips as she flailed about, struggling to get free of Michael’s hold without the use of her hands.

“Holy fuck.” Liam was watching with her, his speed increasing when Michael sealed Taylor’s mouth with a long strand of duct tape. Holding her by the throat, he wrapped it all the way around her entire head. “Don’t look back, Jamison.”

She faced forward again. “What’s he doing?”

A single gunshot rang out, followed by Michael’s laughter cutting across the landscape. “Oh, come on, Taylor. You can do better than that. Go! Run, run, run as fast as you can .”

Jamison risked another glance but could only make out Michael’s silhouette.

And the silhouette of a woman standing next to him .

A woman who was not Taylor and was as transparent as the fog itself. She had her hand on Michael’s shoulder, and when she turned to meet Jamison’s stare, her smile was one Jamison had only ever seen in her dreams.

“CeCe?”

CeCe wiggled her fingers at them, the fog swallowing her and Michael in the next second.

“I said don’t look.” Liam yanked her forward, forcing Jamison to run faster. “You don’t need to see what’s about to happen.”

They reached the split-rail fence, the only stretch not enclosed in twelve feet of wire. Liam lifted her easily and tossed her over before leaping effortlessly to the other side.

The fog was starting to thin, a good indication that they were moving farther away from the lake.

Turning left, they sprinted down the road until they caught up with Claudia, Emily, and Damon.

More alert now, Damon was trying to run on his own but was moving too slowly, and Liam rushed over, throwing an arm around his waist to support him.

Another crack split the air.

“What was that?” Damon pushed to the front as if he could shield the group with his body, even as he stumbled. “Do you guys hear it?”

Madison whimpered and buried her face in Claudia’s neck.

“It’s one sicko killing the other sicko,” Emily snarled, covering Madi’s head with her hand. “All down on the psycho farm.”

“No, not the gunshot.” Damon glanced over at Liam, who was also listening. “You hear it?”

Everyone stopped talking, and a second round of alarms began to wail, but as Jamison listened, she could hear something else.

An engine.

“Car.” Liam turned to Damon, half dragging him to the side of the road. “A big one. Let’s go. Everyone, take cover in the forest. Claudia, get on the ground with Madi and cover her with your body.”

Headlights broke through the fog just when they reached the trees, the twin beams of light bouncing as they headed in their direction. Liam dropped Damon on the edge of the brush and crouched low.

“We don’t know who this is and if it’s a Zanmi,” Liam began, but catching sight of the big red truck’s driver, he rushed from the safety of the woods, waving his arms in the air .

The double-cab truck skidded to a stop, and Holden shot out of the driver’s side. Not asking any questions, he bolted over to help Liam haul Damon into the front cab while Jamison led the rest of them out from hiding.

They all worked together, everyone hustling as fast as they could.

Emily crawled across the driver’s side to assist Holden and Liam in maneuvering her brother’s heavy body further into the passenger seat.

At the same time, Jamison secured Claudia and Madison in the rear cab before getting in herself.

They positioned Madi on both their laps, holding her tight as the little girl sobbed.

Yet another bang went off, sounding more powerful than a gunshot, and a plume of smoke and fire lifted into the air.

“Daddy?!” Madison screamed over the alarms that seemed to be growing louder. “Is Daddy coming?”

Claudia pressed her face into her daughter’s hair and shook her head. “No, Daddy’s busy right now.”

Holden sprinted around to the driver’s seat as Liam shut Damon up in front with Emily. “Go, go, go,” Liam yelled, hustling to get into the back with Jamison. The truck lurched forward before his door even closed. “Three minutes. Tops.”

Expertly maneuvering the big truck on the narrow dirt lane, Holden didn’t waste time.

He took out a few bushes and a small tree, but once they were aimed in the right direction, he hit the gas.

The truck flew blindly down the road, holding up against the endless number of dips and potholes like a tank.

No one spoke, everyone silenced by their fear.

“That was the point of no return.” Holden made a sharp left, and the truck fishtailed, but he regained control without much effort. “Sinclair’s guy said we should be clear.”

“Clear of the blast, but not the shockwave or debris.” Liam held onto the back of the driver’s seat, leaning forward to watch their progression down the road. “And where did you get the truck?”

Holden caught his eye in the rearview mirror and grinned. “Stole it.”

Sliding back into his seat, Liam turned to look out the rear cab window. Jamison turned as well, unable to see anything except the truck’s bed and the fog descending on them again.

“Was that a bomb a second ago?” she asked him quietly. “When we were on the road? ”

Liam nodded. “A small one.”

“How small?”

“Small enough to fit into someone’s mouth.”

“Oh,” she exhaled. “Are they all going to be that small?”

“No, they’re going to be much bigger,” Liam said, locking eyes with her. “And we’re too close. The shockwave… baby, we’re way too close.”

As always, he was correct.

An earthquake struck. Or it was what Jamison thought an earthquake might feel like. The ground shook, rumbling like thunder beneath the truck’s tires. Thick vibrations tossed them about violently, and Madison shrieked in terror.

Holden drove faster, shoving Emily at Damon. “Get down!”

The truck’s back end lifted when a blast of energy hit, causing Holden to swerve as soon as it released them, and the tires slammed back to the ground. The vehicle rattled as if it were about to fall apart right there on the road.

Liam pushed Jamison and Claudia to the floorboard, covering them—and Madison—with his body right as the truck’s windows exploded inward. Glass rained down on the truck’s interior, the sharp shards spraying everywhere.

A coughing fit overtook Emily when debris and smoke flooded the cab. It covered them like a blanket, sticking to their bodies and clothing.

“That was the first round and not even the biggest charge!” Liam shouted over the roar of destruction. “Get us the hell out of here!”

Never letting off the gas, Holden plowed the truck ahead, fishtailing again as he made a sharp turn.

And that was when the second explosion hit.

This time, it was bigger. Brutal, with a shockwave ten times more powerful. Screams erupted as the whole truck lifted and slammed down again, rocking side to side as it came to a full stop.

Past Liam’s shoulder, Jamison saw it. The end rising, its hungry flames clawing at the sky, the cloud of destruction blooming upward like a mushroom of fire and death.

“Oh my God.”