Page 142 of Sheltering You

Before Jasmine could follow, Summer got in her face and shouted, making herself heard. “Stay away from windows. Don’t go anywhere alone. Understand me?”

Jasmine nodded, and Summer returned to the window.

What was she doing? She wasn’t coming?

No. Summer was back at her perch, firing, determined to keep up the fight, to defend the house and the people in it.

Protect her, Lord. Protect her child.

Jasmine couldn’t fight. She’d never fired a gun in her life. But she could care for the wounded.

The hallway was pitch black. Though Sophie had only been a few feet ahead of her, she was lost in the haze of smoke and darkness.

Jasmine crawled back to the bed, snatched the flashlight, and flicked it on.

Thank God the smoke rose to the ceiling. In the hallway, if she stayed low, she could breathe. It was cold enough that she pulled the hat on her head, shoving her hair inside it, before swinging the light toward the stairs.

Sophie was gesturing her forward.

She swung the flashlight in the other direction and caught sight of someone crawling toward her from farther down the hallway. Leila!

Jasmine lit the way between them. “Are you all right?”

“I think….” Leila said something else, but she didn’t catch it. The faint, hazy light showed a gash on her twin’s forehead and a line of blood dripping from it.

“You’re hurt!”

“Only a little. Peggy told me to…” The rest of her words were lost as she twisted to look behind.

“I’ll get her. Go with Sophie.” Jasmine pointed to where their friend waited. “She’s hurt. Help her!”

Sophie called, “Come on. Hurry.”

Leila grabbed Jasmine’s wrist. “Come.”

“I’ll be right behind you.” And she would, soon. But first, she’d see if anyone needed help. Leila wanted to keep Jasmine safe, but what about Camilla and Eliza?

Bryan and Roger had been in the attic. Were they all right?

Where were Zoë and Jeremy and Levi? They were children—well, one of them was, anyway. But they might be hurt.

Jasmine’s ears were clearing, picking up the sound of gunfire. The attack was still on, and most of the adults in this house were involved. Leila had been shooting from one of the windows, but with her injury, Peggy must’ve insisted she get downstairs.

Was Peggy searching for her family? Or at a window, taking out targets?

Jasmine wasn’t going anywhere until she knew if anyone needed help.

Leila followed Sophie, and Jasmine aimed the flashlight the other way.

These bombs had been all lights and smoke and sound, but they hadn’t done much damage. Except Leila had been hurt. How had that happened?

This…this was the distraction Khalid had told her about. She was supposed to go now to meet him.

Derrick and his brothers would take care of Khalid. While they did, she would take care of the people they loved.

Movement in the flashlight beam showed Eliza walking, bent low, with her five-year-old hanging onto her octopus-style.

“Are you okay?” Eliza called.