Page 53 of A Colby Christmas Rescue

The front door suddenly burst open, and Jamie almost sighed with relief.

But the man who barreled over the threshold wielding a weapon was not Abi or Poe. Not unless they had found ski masks to don after parting ways with her.

“On the floor,” he shouted.

Lillian threw herself against her father.

“What’s going on?” Case demanded. “Rodgers!”

“Rodgers is not coming,” the man in the mask said. “And neither is anyone else on your security team. Now get on the floor. Face down!”

He pointed the weapon at Lillian. “Now!”

Case lowered to his knees, taking his daughter with him. “Let’s do as he says, Lilly.”

Jamie was sinking to her knees when the guy pointed a look in her direction. “You,” he ordered, “take the kid and wait outside.”

“What?” Jamie pretended not to understand. Where the hell were Poe and Abi?

“Do it!” The masked man nudged the kid with his foot.

Lillian cried out. Her father tried to pull her into the protection of his body.

“It’s okay, Lillian,” Jamie said as she moved in the girl’s direction. Jamie kept her attention fixed on the guy with the gun. “We’ll just step outside for a minute.”

More bodies flooded the entry hall. Two, no, three more wearing the same masks. All armed. What the hell was going on?

“Take the kid outside,” the first man repeated.

“Come on, Lillian.” Jamie offered her hand.

Dr. Case stared up at her, his grip firm around his daughter’s arm. “What’re you doing?”

Jamie looked directly into his eyes and tried her best to show him with her own that he could trust her. “Whatever it takes to stay alive.” Lillian took Jamie’s hand. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” Jamie promised. She shifted her attention to the man with the gun. “We’re going outside like you said.”

He jerked his head toward the door. “Now!”

Jamie held on tight to the girl’s hand. She hovered close to Jamie, her slim body shaking with fear. Outside, two more cars had arrived. They sat askew as if they’d skidded to stops and were left where they landed.

Since the guy in the mask hadn’t given any specific instructions about what they were to do once they were outside, Jamie hurried around the far left corner of the house and disappeared into the landscape, using mature shrubs and miniature trees as cover.

The girl was sobbing now. “Where are we going?”

Jamie drew her down into a squat behind a clump of large shrubs. “Be as quiet as you can,” she whispered. “We don’t want them finding us out here.”

“What about Mommy and Daddy?”

Jamie hadn’t seen Mrs. Case. “Was your mommy upstairs?”

Lillian nodded. “She told Daddy she had one more bag to pack.”

“Okay. Let’s stay calm and see what we can find out.” Which really meant stay put until Jamie could figure out what the hell was going on.

So far she’d heard no gunshots—always a good thing. But where the hell were Abi and Poe and whatever backup Abi had put in place or ordered or whatever? Everything had fallen apart and she had no clear idea of what to do from here...except protect the child.

Jamie gauged the distance to the car she’d arrived in. It was still parked near the fountain. If she could reach that car, she could take the child out of here, tuck her away in the Excalibur house and then come back to see what she could do with the unexpected takeover in the doctor’s house.

None of what was happening made sense.

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