Page 56 of Love on the Run

“This is the most likely place. Is that a bathroom?” Ty nodded toward one door.

“Yeah, and that’s the closet.” Callie pointed at the other door.

“Okay, you check the bathroom, and I’ll check the closet,” he decided.

Callie made her way to the little bathroom, which only had a glass block window to let in light. She examined the walls and floor without much hope. It seemed the only way out of this room was the drain.

“Calista!” she heard Ty call in a low voice. She hurried to the closet, which was about the same size as the bathroom. Ty had pushed a rack of hanging clothes to the side and had uncovered a short door.

“Huh,” Callie said, only mildly surprised. After the last few days, she seemed to have lost her capacity for shock. “Where does it go?”

“Out of the house, I hope.” He opened the door, a sort of sliding panel. “Bruiser!” The dog nudged forward, sniffing the air in the dark space beyond. He seemed excited by what he smelled.

“I don’t suppose you have a flashlight?” Callie asked. Ty put something in her outstretched palm. It was a small metal penlight. She twisted it on and edged into the darkness. Bruiser followed her eagerly. Ty hit the closet light off, then pulled the clothes back into place. He slipped into the passage itself, using the glow of his phone to see what he was doing. The door slid shut again. With any luck, no one would think to check the closet for anything once they saw no one was hiding in it.

The passage soon opened up into a room, or more like a large crawlspace. It was empty, but Callie could see another opening in the far wall, where the garage would be above ground. She pointed to it with the little flashlight so Ty could see as well. He nodded and they quickly headed to it. The doorway led to a narrow passage, like a hallway. Bruiser was the first one in, and the two people followed the dog for what seemed like a long time, though it was probably only half a minute. Then Callie saw the way come to an abrupt end, with three steps going up to a kind of slanted door like a storm cellar’s. “This is it.” She looked back and saw Ty, little more than a shadow in the poor light. “What if they’re sitting right out there?” she whispered.

“Then we’re screwed. But my bet is they’ve gone into the house by now.” Ty squeezed by her and put his broad hand on the underside of the door. “Here goes.”

Ty cautiously opened the door.It swung open with only a squeak, and he saw pine branches above.“Stay here a second,” he muttered.Cocking the gun, he took one step up to look around.The passage seemed to end in a patch of trees, not too far from the house, but still concealed from view.

“Are we by the shed?” Callie whispered, remembering the little building she had glimpsed the first day, then forgotten about.

Ty turned to look around fully.“Little brown building off the driveway?”

“Yes.”

“Looks like we’re on the far side of it. I can’t see the house.”

“So they can’t see us?” Callie was beginning to get claustrophobic, and she took a step forward.

Ty shook his head. “I don’t think so. Come up slowly, and keep a hand on Bruiser.”He glanced around again.“If I tell you to drop, you drop, ok?”

Callie nodded, even through he couldn’t see her. The trio crept out of the passage, Ty lowering the door again when they were all out.

“Where to?” Callie asked softly.She held Bruiser’s collar firmly, since the dog was straining, trying to run.She bent down to soothe the creature. “Shh, boy.Please. Just a little while.” She stroked the dog, trying to calm him down.

“Let’s head to my car,” Ty said quietly.“It’s parked about a half mile up, and it’s on the other side of the driveway.We’ll go up on this side of the road, then cross at the last minute.”

“Okay.” They made their way as fast as they could away from the house. Callie watched how silently Ty moved, and tried to imitate him. The dog was naturally stealthy, moving like a shadow along the ground. The thick, scrubby trees helped to block them from view, but they also kept visibility to a minimum, and the pine needles scratched her skin as she squeezed by them.

Jake’s property, though tiny by local standards, was still plenty big, and Callie knew it was a considerable distance from the house to the main road. The house was small, so it wouldn’t take long for whoever was after them to start searching outside. Callie hoped they’d chose the wrong direction when they started, but she had to admit that the highway was the natural place to head towards. Speed was the only option if Callie and Ty wanted to get to safety.

They’d been moving for about two minutes, trying to keep as quiet as possible, when a few angry shouts signaled that their pursuers were outside again, and likely on their trail. Ty gestured for Callie to slow down. She halted, wondering what he had seen. But he merely held up his hand, forestalling questions, and she understood. He was listening for any hints that their pursuers knew their position. She cautiously sidled up to him. In a tone barely above a whisper, she asked, “Can’t we just lay low? We’ll see them before they see us.”

Ty shook his head. “We need the car,” he murmured back. “If they get to it before we do, they’ll realize whose it is and disable it. Then we’re stranded.”

Callie nodded her comprehension. That was an angle she would never have thought of. Clearly, the Army had taught these men far more than just running around and shooting things.

“Let’s go,” Ty muttered, taking a step forward again. Callie followed, trying to keep her breath steady. They had gone another hundred yards or so when a sudden rustle off to the side startled them, and Bruiser instinctively gave a bark of warning.

“Bruiser, no!” Callie hissed, but it was too late. The dog had sensed an enemy and was off. He leapt sideways into a thick stand of trees, growling madly. A gunshot rang out, and Bruiser barked again, perhaps in pain. Ty gave Callie a sudden push. “Go! They know where we are!”

“But Bruiser…”

“Can take care of himself! Move!”

Callie began to run, urged on by Ty. Then there was another shot, and she heard Ty grunt in pain. She spun around to see him clutching his side, his shirt turning red under his hand.

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