Run!
She strained forward, surging toward the light. She could feel Lester reaching for her. In what seemed to be slow motion, she watched Serena step out onto the porch.
He’s going to kill us both…
Standing in a pool of light in front of the open door, Serena didn’t understand what was happening. She stared at Maria in confusion as Maria hurtled toward the porch.
Are those his fingers skimming the back of my shirt?
She willed herself to move even faster, sprinting with everything she had.
“Maria?” Serena called out.
Only later would Maria realize that Serena had shouted her name. Almost there…
And then, she made it.
Grabbing Serena, she pushed the two of them through the still open door, slamming it shut behind them.
“What are you doing?” Serena cried, bewildered.
Maria locked the door and grabbed Serena’s wrist, jerking hard. “Get away from the door!” Maria screamed. “He’s got a gun!”
Serena stumbled as Maria pulled, almost falling.
“Who has a gun?”
“Lester!”
Dragging Serena to the kitchen, she spotted her mom standing near the stove, clearly startled by the commotion. But no Dad… Maria turned from side to side…
Oh, God.
Where’s Dad?
“Wait – Lester? Lester’s here?” Serena demanded from behind her.
“He’s outside!” Maria shouted, her gaze suddenly swinging to the sliding glass doors, hoping her dad was on the porch. “Lester Manning! The guy who was chasing me!”
He’ll burst through the door any second…
He’ll kill me and them, and then kill himself…
Just like Gerald Laws and Cassie…
With a surge of relief, she spotted her dad at the porch table, Smokey in his lap.
Serena was babbling; her mom had started asking questions as well, but Maria registered none of it.
“Just be quiet!” she shouted. “Both of you!” She slid open the back door. “Get in here!” she hissed at her father, motioning him inside. He responded instantly, leaping to his feet with the dog tucked under his arm.
Both Serena and her mom went quiet. Maria listened intently – for the door, for the sound of a window smashing.
Silence.
Serena stared at her, fear written on her face. Both of her parents watched her openmouthed.
Still nothing.
What if Lester was coming around from the back?
In the silence, Maria registered the sounds of the sirens again. Loud enough now to be heard from inside the house.
“I don’t understand,” Serena finally said, her voice trembling with tears. “Where was Lester chasing you?”
“In the yard,” Maria said. “You saw him. He almost grabbed me.”
But Serena only shook her head in confusion. “I saw you running but no one was behind you,” she said. “I saw someone else running down the street…”
“He had a gun and he was chasing me!”
“No,” Serena insisted. “He wasn’t.”
Before Maria could process her words, the sound of the sirens filled the house and the walls were flashing red and blue in steady rhythm.
The police, she thought. Thank God.
At that moment, the front door crashed open.
Maria screamed.
CHAPTER 25
Colin
A
ll things considered, Colin decided he was okay with what he’d done. Though as the adrenaline drained from his system, leaving him feeling both exhausted and shaky, it was hard to ignore the fact that he was on his stomach with his hands cuffed behind his back, guarded by two glowering officers and most likely staring at a long prison term.