Page 112 of Radar

As the men raced through the bright red castle door, Xander was leaning out the window, doing a head count. Three that he could see. He looked to the side and found one of those ubiquitous roof ladders.

And he hated every second of what came next.

He forced Elyssa out the window onto the ladder. Forced her hands to climb while holding her in place, getting her feet high enough that they were out of view of someone doing a quick look-see from the window.

“Xander, tie my hands together over the rung like when I held onto the snowmobiler, then put your belt around my waist to hold me to another rung if I pass out… I’m going to pass out.”

Xander looked down the five stories to the gravel far below and felt sick to his stomach as he tethered her in place. Sainte-Mère-Église was known for the parachutist who had clung for his life to the steeple of the church while the Nazis fought below, and the irony was not lost on Xander.

Sliding back through the window, Xander pushed the trunks over to the door and stood them on end. If the tangos were shooting, at least they’d be destroying their own doomsday machine before they killed him.

From far below, footsteps pounded up the stairs.

Xander was able to pull Radar into the bathroom off to the side, out of line with the bullets unless they ricocheted. There, they lay flat on their bellies using the massive clawfoot tub to keep them safe.

Xander didn’t understand a word of what the men were yelling. But at least the bullets had stopped. Now they were breaking down the door. A nice solid ancient door that didn’t want to give way when they threw their shoulders into it.

He didn’t want to be trapped without egress, so Xander opened the bathroom door, ready to face the enemy.

With a last thrust from the tangos, the turret room door slapped open, bouncing off the wall.

Radar made a leap for the gun hand of Tango One as he stumbled into the room.

Xander grabbed the hand of the one behind him, flipping the gun around and shooting the man in the gut. Tango Threeroared as he ran into the room, snatching Xander off his feet and draping him over his shoulder like Elyssa had done back in the videos of her on the field. Tango Three raced toward the window. Xander had to have the guy by a good foot. Very quickly, he was able to switch things around. With the tango on his shoulder, and not knowing what else to do with him, Xander tipped him out the window.

It was a long damned way down.

Xander looked up to see Elyssa dangling lifelessly, and horror flowed through Xander’s veins. Heart or bullets? Either was deadly.

Seizing the gun that had fallen from the hand of Tango One that Radar was subduing, Xander pulled it across his shoulder, then pistol-whipped the enemy. He was lights out.

Xander moved into the hall to find Tango Two. Though shot, Tago Two wasn’t in danger of bleeding out as Xander had hoped, but up on his feet, looking for a way to attack.

Xander clocked that guy, too, telling Radar to guard the men as he went to rescue Elyssa.

Out the window and up the ladder in the twilight, the wind was strong here and pressed against him, rattling the ladder, making Xander wonder if it was well-maintained or if it was at risk of pulling loose, plummeting them both to the ground where Tango Three sprawled. Holding on one-handed, he pressed his fingers into Elyssa’s neck at the carotid and found her heart racing. She felt conscious but unable to react.

Below him, the dark silhouettes of the castle inhabitants ran toward the bare-treed woods toward safety.

In the distance, sirens wailed.

Xander didn’t know if there were more than just the three assailants who had breached the door, but he needed to get Elyssa to a hospital, even if they had no electricity.

Xander unbound Elyssa’s wrists so that he could get her away from the ladder rung. Then bound them back together, slipping into the circle of her arms and into a cross-body hold. He took the belt from around her and the ladder. It wasn’t long enough to go around both of them, so he looped it around her waist and thrust his arm through, catching it at his elbow.

Awkwardly, Xander took careful step after careful step until he was at the window.

A black-haired woman with a tear-streaked face reached for Elyssa’s legs, pulling her in to the turret room. “I see this. I see her on the ladder. I come. I run as fast as I can,” she said breathlessly, her bosom heaving as she worked to get Elyssa inside.

“Thank you so much,” Xander was breathing heavily as he climbed through the window.

The woman must have been terrified to run toward gunfire and step over unconscious, bleeding men.

But her act of valor, in that moment, was balm to Xander’s spirit.

Cradling a semi-conscious Elyssa in his arms, Xander followed the woman down the stairs to the front salon. There, he laid her on a brocade couch, hugging her tightly to him as Radar sat on her legs.

Xander’s heart was a racing train.

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