Prologue
PROLOGUE
T wo clicks sounded on the com in his ear. Jerico Adams knew that meant a drone was coming to drop an explosive device on their location. They needed to fall back and out of this hellhole immediately. He turned to sprint to safety, but a hand signal caught his attention. Eric was down and unable to run.
Without a second's hesitation, he bolted forward and heaved his team member over his shoulder. Jerico knew this was going to be close as he raced through the darkness. He gritted his teeth and pushed harder. The sound of almost silent movement reached his ears. The enemy was approaching. They were close. He pulled on every ounce of strength and speed left in his body to clear the area.
A blood-soaked hand appeared in his line of vision. Eric balled it up, giving him the signal to stop.
Jerico knew Eric was telling him to stop carrying him. That wasn't going to happen.
Ignoring the signal from his injured teammate, Jerico forced his legs to churn faster through the darkness. The ping of a bullet zinged past his ear, making him zig and zag in an unpredictable path. They were almost there. Just a bit more.
The almost silent whirl of the drone seemed deafening in the middle of the action. The explosion was imminent.
Jerico pushed for another burst of speed. He could see his team loaded up into the helicopter, waiting for him. They were almost there, but too far away. The pilot was too well trained to delay long.
"Mine," a familiar voice said as he plucked Eric from Jerico's shoulders.
Freed of the weight, Jerico surged forward as his team chief kept pace with him. His teammate's fresher legs made the difference in their speed. Hands reached out to drag them into the helicopter. Immediately it surged upward, buffeted by the blast of heat that radiated from the explosion site as his teammates dragged them securely into the body of the copter.
Jerico didn't even look back at the destruction at the scene. His attention was on Eric. How badly wounded was he? Their medic had started working on him before the helicopter was even steady.
Eric met Jerico's gaze and gave him a thumbs up.
Staring at the door, Aspen pushed the big dog behind her as he whimpered with fear. The wooden barrier rattled in the door frame behind the bookshelf she'd pushed in front of it. If the door disintegrated, the small piece of furniture wouldn't keep Eddie out for long.
The relentless pounding stopped for a minute and Aspen heard police sirens. She tangled her fingers in Rexy's thick coat as she listened to the siren getting closer. Breathing out a sigh of relief, she felt the tension ease in her shoulders. She and Rexy were going to be okay.
Wait! Are they getting quieter?
Aspen held her breath, listening as her hope for help with this awful situation drifted away. Her gaze fixed on the battered door. Maybe he'd given up.
"Fuck, yeah. The police had better things to do than rescue a stupid girl who kidnapped a dog. Open this door and send him out!" the angry, intoxicated voice demanded.
"Not while you're drunk. You'll just hurt him," Aspen dared to reply. She'd learned it didn't matter if she tried to placate Eddie or stand up to him. The jerk was going to do all the damage he could.
"Fuck you, bitch. Bad things happen to neighbors who steal things."
Aspen didn't answer. Nothing she said would matter. Pulling her knees close to her chest, Aspen yanked out her phone. She considered whether to call 911 again, but didn't. If they were ignoring her, they must be dealing with something much worse. Her only hope was that Eddie would keep drinking and pass out.
As the fist strikes to the door resumed, Aspen pressed a kiss to Rexy's head before scrolling through her phone to find her reading app. Selecting one of the books she'd found that fascinated her, she focused on the screen. Rexy laid his head on her shoulder as if he were reading along with her.
The caring daddy in the story was having a tea party with his special little girl. The image that swelled in her mind of a flouncy dress and lots of gaudy jewelry helped push away her reality. She got so involved, she didn't notice that the banging had quit. Rexy licked her ear, pulling her back to the present.
"I think he left. We can go to bed now," Aspen said, before breathing a sigh of relief.
She forced her cramped muscles to move and clambered to her feet. Not daring to get undressed or take a shower, Aspen climbed onto her small twin bed and pulled her tattered blanket to cover her. She called Rexy to come sleep with her, but as usual, the fearful dog chose to stretch out on the bare floor at her doorway.
Maybe someday, Rexy would believe that he was safe.
Maybe I'll be safe.
The words of the daddy from her story whispered in her mind. Sleep tight, little girl. I'll be here when you wake up.