Chapter 6

6

AIDEN

M y pulse intensifies, and my chest tightens with fear and rage. Lana’s right on my heels as we race out of the house. She grabs a tactical duffel bag out of her car before hopping into the passenger seat of mine.

My parents don’t live too far from me, but my father’s out of town on business. He can’t do anything to help. I don’t think the police can get to their property in time to do anything, either. I’m trying my best to keep my composure, but this is insane. I need to get to the bottom of what’s going on.

When my phone rings, I answer it immediately as we drive full speed to my parents’ home.

“Where are you?” I ask with a side glance at Lana, who’s changing out of her skirt.

My mother’s voice comes in just above a whisper. “We’re in the pantry inside the garage.”

“How’s Jeremy doing?”

“Jer-Bear is doing fine. He’s looking for snacks to keep our minds off what’s happening until the police get here.”

“How long ago did you call them?” I ask her.

“I called them right before I called you. They told me to hide if I couldn’t get back into my car. There aren’t any officers available to check on us right now because, technically, following me isn’t enough evidence of a crime being committed. Oh, Aiden, I don’t know what else to do.”

The panic in her voice sends shots of adrenaline through my body. I speed up.

“Sit tight, Mom. Barricade that door shut, and I’ll be there with help in a few minutes.”

We arrive at the house to see a van on the street, a few yards in front of the driveway. The road is empty, and farmland on both sides of the house keeps neighbors at least ten minutes away in both directions.

“Keep driving,” Lana commands as she adjusts her clothes. She’s in black cargo pants, a shirt, and a tactical belt looping around her waist like a tool belt. She puts on a shoulder holster and loads a gun into each side. The way she moves is mechanical, without an ounce of fear coming from her. She’s perfect.

As soon as she’s done, she peers over at me. “Let me out here. I’m going to get a look at what we’re dealing with. Keep this car out of sight. Do you have any weapons?”

“I have a gun safe in the trunk. There’s some other equipment in there that might come in handy.”

Lana nods. “Arm yourself. I’m going to flatten those tires so whoever’s here doesn’t have the chance to get away. We’re going to get to the bottom of this.”

“Yes. We are,” I agree as she slips out of the car and scurries back toward the sloped driveway of my parents’ home.

While Lana stabs the tires of the van blocking the garage, I grab two Glocks out of my gun safe and some zip ties. A gun safe doesn’t seem like the smartest purchase in a small city like Avonia. However, owning as many acres as my family does, keeping wildlife at bay is the main reason for my mini arsenal.

The guns in my car were never brought to deter crime or to stop anyone from trying to kidnap my son.

Armed and ready for whatever’s waiting for us, I catch up to Lana.

“Let’s circle the house,” she whispers. “How many ways can you get inside the garage?”

“There’s only one door that leads inside the house. We can get in through a side door along that path leading to the backyard.”

Lana scans our surroundings as we crouch down to sneak around the perimeter of the house. There’s a pane of glass missing in the back door that leads into the kitchen. I twist the knob gently to let us inside. I can hear whispers.

Lana holds up two fingers, signaling that there are two people in the house so far. It’s a one-floor ranch-style home like mine. I can see the reflection of one intruder through a mirror hanging in the living room. The open floor plan between the two rooms doesn’t give these guys much room to hide.

The island in the center of the kitchen gives us enough cover to sneak around. It only takes Lana a few seconds to get the upper hand on one intruder, while the other tries to drill through the door leading into the garage. It’s obvious they can’t hear us.

Lana wraps an arm around the intruder’s neck and uses her free hand to muffle his cries. She’s quick, hitting him behind the leg to force him onto his knees. She squeezes the headlock tighter and uses her legs to keep him still.

Her tussle with the intruder draws the attention of his partner, who turns around. He drops the drill and rushes toward Lana, ignoring his surroundings. It only takes me a split second to reach him from the island and knock him unconscious with the butt of my gun.

Two unconscious intruders sprawl out in the middle of the living room floor. The zip ties come in handy as I secure their wrists and ankles together. Lana pulls their ski masks off. She looks to me for answers, but all I can do is shrug my shoulders.

“I’ve never seen these guys before,” I tell her.

“That’s okay,” she says. “I have something that will help them tell us exactly who they are. Why don’t you check on your mom and Jeremy?”

I walk into the garage, tap on the pantry door, and call out to them. “It’s me. It’s okay to come out.”

My mother unlocks the pantry door with a weary look on her face. Jeremy, on the other hand, is eating a croissant slathered in strawberry jam. The sticky remnants of it coat his mouth and cheeks as he flashes his bright smile, his one front tooth missing.

“Dad, Nan made jam again. It’s so good. You want some?” he asks, offering me a bite of his croissant.

“No thanks, bud. You finish that. How about you and Nan pack a few things and head to the beach house?” She simply nods before wrapping her arms around me. I console her as she trembles. “Everything is going to be fine. Go to my house, grab some stuff for Jeremy. Take my Jeep and head to the beach house. Okay?”

She nods and sniffs back tears as she pulls away from me. “Please be careful, Aiden.”

“I always am. Go on. Don’t go through the house; just get in your car and go. If you don’t want to stop by my place first, that’s fine. Here’s one of my credit cards to get anything you need to hide out for a few days while I figure out what’s going on.”

She takes the card and pockets it.

Jeremy’s eyes widen. “We get to go to the beach too? This is the best day ever. Dad, are you coming to the beach?”

“I’ll come as soon as I finish up a few things. Keep Nan safe, okay?”

“Okay, Dad.” Jeremy beams as he hugs me and gives me a thumbs up. My mother gets him back into her car and flees the garage. I feel an instance of relief, and then I remember what’s waiting for me inside the house.