Page 7 of August 20

Brooke tagged Skye's wrist as her niece headed toward the door, bringing her back to the other side of the bedroom.

"I've got a better idea." She tried to keep her voice positive while whispering. "Let's go out the window and race to the car."

Skye frowned. Brooke jiggled her niece, trying to play the idea off as a fun challenge.

"First one who can run the fastest while being super quiet can have an ice cream after dinner." She put her finger in front of her mouth and moved toward the window.

The keys were in her pocket. She could drive them away from the house.

Despite knowing her purse was in the living room with her phone, adrenaline filled her. She'd figure out what to do once she got Skye to safety.

She pulled up the blinds, squeezed the window lock, and pushed. The window refused to budge.

"No, no, no." She tried again when she caught sight of two screw heads in the track. Someone had drilled screws into the frame, preventing the window from opening.

"I don't want to go out the window." Skye pulled on Brooke's shirt. "I need to go to the bathroom."

Brooke closed her eyes, willing herself enough patience to think logically. They had no time to waste. She needed to get Skye out of the house.

The door opened. She whirled around, pushing her niece behind her, and faced the man holding them hostage. He appeared bigger and scarier than before.

For the first time, she noticed the leather vest. There was a name patch over his heart, but his hair covered most of it, making it impossible to read. All she could make out was Mav—

He ran his hand through his dark locks and cleared her view of the front of his vest. Maverick.

He had a full beard with the slightest tint of gray going down from the corners of his mouth. There were tattoos on his arms beneath the black sleeves of his shirt. He was tall. Probably six feet four inches or more. He was broad for his height, making him look huge.

Skye moved behind her, and she put her hand on her niece's shoulder to keep her out of view.

Maverick squatted in the doorway and held out a fast food container. Brooke glared. Her niece wasn't going to eat anything that man offered. He was here to harm them. The food was probably poisoned.

Skye darted out from behind her and crossed the room before she could catch her. Like trapping a mouse with a piece of cheese, Maverick taunted Skye with a Happy Meal.

The man held still and nodded, encouraging Skye to come forward. Brooke held her breath, scared to death. If Maverick wanted to kill her, there was nothing she could do to stop him.

She had no weapons. He was too big to push or even tackle.

Her niece took the box. Maverick stood, letting Skye walk out of the room with her meal. Brooke rushed to the bedroom door, determined not to let Skye out of her sight. The man probably poisoned the food or put a razor blade in the burger, nuggets, or whatever he'd ordered.

The man blocked her from following and held out his hand. She shook her head, not knowing what he wanted.

He snapped his fingers and then thrust his hand, palm up, in front of her.

"You want money?" She trembled. "My purse is in the other room. You can have whatever you want."

He pinched his thumb and pointer finger together and turned his wrist, rotating his hand from side to side. Understanding hit her.

She reached into her pocket and gave him her set of keys. He slipped them into his vest pocket and moved out of the way.

Rushing out of the room, she found Skye sitting on one of the chairs at the table. Brooke stood behind her and opened the box, looking through all the food before admitting nothing looked tampered with.

Maverick had chosen nuggets—Skye's favorite.

He came to the table with another bag from McDonald's and set it down. He pointed at Brooke, then the bag. She'd rather starve than eat anything from him.

She lifted her chin and refused to leave her spot behind Skye. The man wasn't going to get within touching distance of her again.

Maverick shrugged and walked into the living room, leaving them alone. After several minutes, when he stayed in the other room, Brooke slowly walked over to the door leading to the garage. The knob turned in her hand. She stepped out and pushed the automatic garage door button.

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