Page 69 of Out of the Shadows
“Yes,” Jack said. He hated that this kid was scared—for his dad, for his mom, for the cat. All because of that asshole Aberdeen. “She is a pretty cat.”
“She’s never had a home, but she’s used to the barn, and she’s a good mouser, and she likes me. We had a barn cat when we first moved here, he came with the house, but he was old and he died. Nimbus is young. Mom says we’ll spay her, but we can keep some of the kittens, and Sydney’s friend Jenny wants one. Do you want one?”
“No,” Jack said. “I’m not home enough to have a pet.”
“That’s sad,” Cody said.
Maybe it was, Jack thought. “Are you ready?” he asked Cody.
Cody got up and, with a glance back to the laboring cat, left with Jack.
Luisa knew something was wrong as soon as the Uber driver turned onto Joy Ranch Road, the two-lane road that led to Laura’s street.
It was quiet out here, and no one parked on the street because of deep drainage ditches and the plethora of no-parking-anytime signs.
But there was a truck parked partly in a ditch, where the far southwest corner of Laura’s property met the road.
“Stop,” she told her driver.
He complied. “Is everything okay?”
“Let me out here.”
“Um, the house is just around the corner.”
“And don’t go straight. Turn around here and go back the way we came.”
“Is something wrong?”
She gave him her best smile. “No. I’m going to play a prank on my brother, but if he sees your lights, he’ll know that I’m here.”
“Oh. Okay.” He didn’t sound like he believed her, but she got out and hoped he did as she instructed.
He did, and she would leave him a big tip through the app when she knew everyone was safe.
Slowly, Luisa approached the truck. She took a picture of the truck’s license plate and sent it directly to Rick Devlin with a message that the car was parked illegally near Laura’s house.
She sent a message to Jack, not wanting to make any sound by calling.
Suspicious truck parked three hundred yards from Laura’s street, adjacent to her back fence. I’m coming in through the back. Be alert.
Then she pocketed her phone, hopped the fence, and pulled her gun. She felt alive and exhilarated for the first time since she decided not to reenlist in the Marines. Her heart rate slowed and her senses expanded. This was what she had trained for.
Luisa walked silently through the yard toward the house.
Jack’s phone vibrated as he was about to exit the barn. He glanced down and read the message from Luisa. Cody reached for the handle, and Jack took his hand. He squatted next to Cody and whispered, “We need to stay put for a second.”
“What’s wrong?” Cody’s voice quivered.
Jack put a finger to his lips to indicate to remain silent. “Luisa is here,” he whispered, “and she’s looking at a strange vehicle.” No use giving him too many details. He didn’t want Cody to panic.
Jack texted Laura.
Stay away from the windows. Luisa is checking on a potential situation.
He saw three dots indicating she was typing.
Then he heard a gunshot and the dots disappeared.
