Page 68 of Savage Seduction

CHAPTER 27

Max

“Did you hear that?” I whisper, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end as a chill of fear creeps up my spine.

London shakes her head but remains silent. She stands and takes a step toward the door before stopping. A faint crash of glass breaking downstairs sends my heart racing. I stand and step over to her, checking my cellphone. Still no signal.Damn.

“We don’t have cell service, and I don’t think that was Nana dropping a glass of water,” I say.

She nods in agreement. “I don’t know how they did it.”

“Did what?” I whisper.

“Whoever’s been tracking me when I access information about the Followers of Kali still found me, no matter how many levels of security I put in their way.”

Whether it’s the Kali cult, or Viktor Fedorov himself, I don’t have the foggiest idea, but whoever it is means business. “Does your nana have a landline here?”

She nods and hurries to her bed. On the nightstand is an old-fashioned telephone with a rotary dial, which I had alwaysthought was nothing but a decoration. She picks up the receiver. “It’s dead too.”

My stomach tightens. They knew what to do to isolate us from getting help. I grab my backpack and open it, looking for something I could use as a weapon. Damn. The sharpest thing in there is a pencil.

I’m about to put the bag down when I see the package I’d retrieved from Catherine’s office, still unopened. Maybe it contains something I could use. I tear open the shipping box and freeze.

“What is it?” London asks.

I tip the box in her direction. Inside is a golden ankh with a red ruby at the top.

“Shit,” she says. I turn the symbol over and over in my hand. There are other symbols carved into the metal, but they aren’t in any language I know, and there isn’t time to figure it out now.

London shifts her weight from side to side, fear and panic quickly taking over as she hugs herself for comfort. “They’ve come to kill us. Why else go through all this trouble to track me?”

I can’t find the words to calm her or even dispel her fears. “I think you’re right,” I whisper. I shove the ankh back into my bag.

“What do we do?” London asks, her voice shaking, cutting in and out as she strains to keep it low.

Another faint crash of glass from the opposite side of the house, again on the first floor. “There’s at least two of them,” I say as I tiptoe over to her bedroom door.

“Fuck.” London slides open the top drawer of the desk. She fumbles around for something but gives up. “I’ve got nothing to protect us in here.”

I crack the door open, first making a quick check of the upstairs hallway, then putting my ear to the opening to listen.Crunching glass sounds from downstairs—whomever had broken the windows had gained entry. I close the door again and lock it.

London tiptoes over to me and whispers into my ear. “I’m scared. What do we do?” Her breathing is rapid and shallow, sweat dampening her hairline.

I take her by the shoulders and force eye contact. Once I have her attention, I motion for her to control her breathing. Panic will not help us escape or live through an attack; it will only put us at greater risk of making stupid mistakes. I point over her shoulder. “Do you think you can get through the window? If you hang from the windowsill and drop, you should be okay.”

She shakes her head. “No.”

“You can do it. Once you’re on the ground, run to the neighbors and call the police.” I urge her toward the small window by the bed, but she resists.

“I am not leaving. You can’t take out two men on your own, and my nana is sleeping downstairs. I will not leave her.” The defiance in her voice and set jaw tell me there's no point in arguing.

“These people are crazy. Could be professionals for all we know. Our only hope is to take one out at a time. If we can kill the first using the element of surprise, we’ll have a chance. They probably don’t think we are prepared to defend ourselves.”

“You tell me what to do and I’ll do it.” London clenches both fists. “I’ll fuck a bitch up if they go near my nana.”

Good. Anger and determination rather than fear and panic. “Do you have a toolbox or anything in here that might contain a point or sharp edge?”

“I have a toolbox I use to take apart electronics and put them back together.” She tiptoes back to her bed and pulls out a tackle box.

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