Page 33 of A Rhapsody of Ravens and Revenge

“Roger that, James. See you in two minutes.”

“As long as I can get out of this blasted rain I’m up for anything,” James said.

She laughed. “You might need a canoe to get to the front door, but I promise it’s dry inside.”

“Are they finished already?” Evie asked after Eden had hung up.

“Replacement agents are on the way.” Eden put her cards facedown on the table and got to her feet. Her gun had been sitting on the table next to her phone, so she picked it up and held it down at her side.

“Don’t tell your father this, but all this glass is stupid,” Eden said. “What good is a glass front door?”

“Your secret is safe with me,” Evie said.

“Stand behind this wall here while I buzz them through the gate,” she said. “We don’t want to give anyone a clear shot at you, just in case.”

“Just in case is fine with me.” Evie followed her to the front door and stood behind the entry wall.

The intercom by the front door buzzed and Eden answered the call.

“This is the front gate,” a voice said. “I’ve got an Agent James and Agent Carter here. Identifications check out.”

“Let them through,” Eden said. “Alert the agents next door of the shift change.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the guard said.

“It’s hard to see anything out there,” Eden said, turning off the lights in the entryway so she could see better. But the rain was heavy and they could barely see the sedan as it made its way down the drive. “They’re pulling under the portico at the side. Big mistake. They should’ve pulled right in front of the door. They’ll be soaked to the skin.”

Evie peeked around the wall and watched as two dark figures in raincoats and hoods ran toward the cover of the front of the house.

“Company men,” Eden said. “Looks like FBI standard issue. They’re not known for being fun, but maybe we can beat them at cards.”

Eden’s gun was in her right hand and she moved to open the front door with her left. Evie’s gut was screaming a warning the closer they got, and she saw how foolish the glass front door was, despite its beauty.

She was about to yell a warning when a shot rang and a hole appeared in the center of the tempered glass. Eden stumbled back and fired off several shots and one of the men went down.

Evangeline turned the deadbolts, knowing it wouldn’t hold the other man off for long, and then she hit the alarm on her phone.

“Eden,” she said, looking at the blood that soaked the woman’s shirt.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Eden rolled to her hands and knees and stumbled to her feet. “Get moving. Go to plan B. Move!”

Evie grabbed Eden around the waist, leaving her gun hand free, and they took off for the back of the house and the beach. All she could do was pray for the rain to come harder, so visibility was difficult. Of course, that was a two-edged sword. They wouldn’t be able to see Taber either. At least, she assumed it was Taber. She hadn’t gotten a good look at his face.

“Who was the other guy?” Evie asked, her breath coming in shallow pants. “I thought Taber worked alone?”

“He does. He either paid someone to knock on the door so we wouldn’t be suspicious, or he’s taken on a partner for this job.

“I didn’t recognize the man you shot and the other guy had his raincoat pulled up, so I didn’t see his face.”

“We’ve got to make it to the cove,” Eden said. “Unless Taber knows specifically where it is he’ll never find it. We’ll be at our weakest when we go out those doors and are exposed on the beach. I’m hoping the rain will give us enough cover.”

They made it out the sliding glass door at the back of the house in time to hear gunshots shatter the kitchen windows.

“Go! Go!” Eden said. “Stay hunched over and low. Make yourself a smaller target.”

The storm slapped at them angrily, soaking them to the skin in an instant. Evie tightened her grip around Eden’s waist when the woman stumbled, and she was worried about the amount of blood she’d lost. The wound was in the upper shoulder, but she needed to get pressure on it soon.

It was impossible to hear anything other than the rumble of the storm and her own heartbeat. And it seemed like an impossibly long way to the outcropping of rocks. But she followed Eden’s instructions and they stayed low, moving into the wind. When she checked to see if anyone was behind them she could barely see past the length of her own arm. She just had to pray there was no one there. And if there was someone there, that he couldn’t see her.

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