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I decided to stay up and figure out Connor’s homeschooling lessons for tomorrow. I prayed to High Heaven he would have gotten over his fascination with Kingston by then, but what if he didn’t? What if Connor kept brooding on Kingston forever? What would I do then?
I turned back to the kitchen to put the sponge in the sink when an almighty crash startled me out of my skin. I spun around just as a man dressed all in black kicked in the apartment door and stormed inside.
4
RILEY
I caughtone glimpse of the intruder’s solid back military fatigues and the black ski mask covering his face. The next instant, dozens of them charged into my apartment coming straight for me.
I froze for a split second—right up until the moment one of them pivoted toward the hall leading to Connor’s room. They were going after my son—again.
My instincts kicked into high gear. This shit happened way too many times over the last five years. I spent every day running and hiding from these assholes, but they just kept tracking me down no matter where I went.
I reacted on pure adrenaline and snatched the handgun I always carried tucked into the back of my waistband. I braced both arms and unloaded on the guys. They were all carrying assault rifles and the frontrunners leveled them at me.
I saw the situation disintegrating before my eyes, but that was nothing I hadn’t been through before. I dove behind the kitchen counter just as three of the intruders opened fire.
The counter exploded behind my back and over my head as assault weapons fire tore the counter to pieces. I stuck my gun up over the counter and emptied the magazine at them, but this wasn’t getting me anywhere. I had to stop them from reaching Connor’s room.
I dove for the fridge just as two more guys marched into the kitchen. They aimed their guns down at me and would have blown me to kingdom come. I had to act now.
I kicked out and cracked one of them in the knee. The guy buckled and I seized him by the ski mask. I grabbed a handful of his hair at the same instant and yanked him down hard.
Before he could move, I flipped him over, clamped my arm around his neck, and held a knife to his throat. His friend kept passing his gun barrel back and forth across the floor trying to shoot me, but he couldn’t do that with his friend in the way.
I hid behind my captured gunman and clawed my way to the fridge. I flung it open and pulled out an assault rifle of my own. I sprayed bullets at the guy in front of me and then shot the man in my arms, too.
I sprang to my feet plastering gunfire all over the place. The other attackers were already spreading through the apartment, but they turned back when I opened fire. I couldn’t let them reach Connor’s room.
I lunged for the living room. At least seven guys remained and they all came after me with their weapons drawn.
My gunfire made them duck for cover. That gave me just enough space to get to the hall. I dove for the trunk against the wall near the kitchen table and whipped out two more guns. I sprayed bullets all over the living room, destroyed the couch and the lamp, and made the guys cower again.
I backed away, but I could already see those men sticking their heads up. They would come after me the instant I turned my back.
I pivoted into Connor’s room. He huddled in bed with the covers pulled up to his nose. “Get up!” I bellowed. “We gotta go now!”
He sprang out of bed and jumped to his feet on the mattress. “Mommy!” he whimpered.
“Open the window!” I yelled. “Hurry!”
He got busy while I held the doorway at gunpoint. Anyone coming after us would have to come through that door.
He flung the curtains aside, unlatched the window, and forced the sash up. I backed toward the bed. I didn’t dare to take my eyes off that doorway. “Climb on my back! Hurry, Connor!”
He came over to me and wrapped his arms around my neck. Nothing mattered as long as he and I got out of this apartment in one piece.
He was just climbing onto me to wrap his legs around my waist when two gunmen rotated into the door. They aimed their guns inside, but I was ready for them.
I pounded the doorframe with hundreds of bullets and the men had to duck out of sight again. Connor screamed in my ear. “Get on!” I bellowed. “Hurry!”
He clambered onto my back and glued his body to mine. I needed to feel him next to me. I needed to feel that he was all right.
I climbed backward onto the bed still training my weapons on that doorway. I even fired a few more times while I inched over to the window.
Climbing through it without taking my eyes or my weapons off the door wasn’t easy, but at least Connor didn’t let go. He tucked his head into the back of my neck and hung on for dear life.
I slipped backward through the window and finally had to let go of my guns so I could grab the drainpipe bolted to the side of the building. My guns hung from their straps. I couldn’t lose those.
