Page 149 of The Archer Brothers

The sound of a shutting door jars me out of my thoughts and I realize I’m left alone in the room, holding my duffle bag. The guns, which were laid out on the bed, are gone, and the only sound in the room is the television and my thumping heart. The guys’ voices carry upward from the parking lot and I count three doors slamming before the horn is honked.

Can I do this? Can I go into this knowing another man will be protecting my wife and daughter when it should be my job?

Will I let my life be continually dictated by this mad woman?

The horn honking once more startles me into action as I reach for the duffel bag. With one last look around the now empty room, I leave, letting the door slam shut behind me. As much as I wish to never see this hotel again, I know we’ll be back here later, hopefully with Penny and Claire by my side.

As soon as I’m in the car, Nate is driving out of the parking spot and onto the road. It’s only a matter of minutes before we’re driving through town and turning off onto a road that quickly turns into dirt. So many questions are plaguing my mind, but I don’t ask them. Instead, I stare out the windows, letting my gaze move from side to side so I can take in my surroundings. I catch a quick look at Evan and Rask only to see that they’re doing the same thing. We’re memorizing all that we can in case we need to escape. But unless Frannie has brought an army with her I doubt we’ll be retreating at all.

After what seems like twenty minutes, Nate pulls off onto the side of the road and shuts the car off. “Up this driveway is Penny’s house. Fortunately for her it was easy to hide here. Unfortunately for her, it’s so far off the beaten path that no one can hear her if they’re in trouble.”

“How’d you know where to go?” I ask, as I slip a pistol from my duffle bag into my boot and drop a few magazines into my side pocket.

“Cara gave me detailed instructions which I memorized,” he replies, as he gets out of the car and walks to the rear, popping the trunk open. Evan and Rask follow him, and through the rearview mirror I can see faint reflections of guns being taken out. I say a silent prayer aimed at Penny, letting her know I’m coming for her, before I get out of the car.

The guys are putting on their helmets and checking their night vision when I come around to the end. Rask hands me a rifle, similar to the one I used in Cuba.

“Where’d we get all of this?”

“I have great contacts,” Evan says, answering me with a smile. For some reason I don’t want to know about his contacts, but am very thankful they like him enough to outfit him with military grade weaponry. The less I have to learn in the heat of the moment the better. I set my rifle down and put on my brain bucket, securing the chinstrap. The night cam is the same one I’m used to, and it comes on as soon as I drop it over my eyes.

Rask leads us up the hill with me following last. My senses are heightened and every few steps I’m turning around with my gun aimed at the woods. I want to yell at Penny for living like this, but I get it. It makes sense to stay hidden when you’re trying to be inconspicuous, but to be so far out and away from civilization is not a good thing, especially considering the threat she was facing.

Rask puts his fist up as the house comes into sight. It’s larger than anything I could ever provide for her and probably something she dreamed about long before she met me. The wraparound porch likely offers great views of the sun rising and setting each day, not to mention the calm way the summer nights tend to leave us. I can see her sitting out there with a glass of iced tea in one hand and a book resting in her lap.

Just beyond the porch is a large picture window with two shadows reflecting off the light and I’m assuming one is Penny’s while the other is her husband’s. I don’t want to meet the man who has loved my wife and daughter when I couldn’t, but I know I need to thank him. And I need to tell him that I’m not here to take Penny away from him. She loves him. I’ll never stand in the way of that.

On the second floor one room is lit and I can faintly make out a shadow.

“Claire,” I mumble under my breath. If the guys hear me they don’t say anything.

Guns are raised and I’m quickly scanning the perimeter as to why. Rask still has us holding position and I’m desperately trying to see what he does. When I place my hand on Nate’s shoulder he points ahead, and I follow his finger until my eyes land on the basement. A flashlight is being turned on and off down there, and as I flip my goggles to infrared and do a quick scan I now know why Rask has us on the ready. There are four bodies when there should only be three.

“They have company,” Evan says, confirming what I’m seeing.

“Let’s move. Archers, take the front. Knock first. Let them have a chance to answer before you bust down their door. McCoy and I will take the back and see if we can dance with their intruder.”

Dance?No, the tango doesn’t interest me. Grabbing Frannie by the neck and squeezing the life out of her does, though, and as demented as it sounds I’m really hoping I have the chance to do that soon.

Rask and I duck under windows and pause when he points down to the ground, where glass and wood splinters are littered. I duck my head into the window and try to squeeze in, but can’t fit.

“Definitely a small-framed person,” I report to Rask.

“A man doesn’t leave a broken window like this lying around.”

“The glass is on the ground, making it seem like it was broken from inside,” I add, questioning why anyone would break the window from inside the house.

Rask’s face deadpans as he glances at me. I don’t want to know what he’s thinking, but if it’s anything like the thoughts running through my head right now, I’ll be aiming my gun at Ray Barnes while the rest of the team aim theirs at Frannie. I hate that I instantly think he can’t be trusted, but this seems suspicious.

“We need to move,” he says and I nod, hoping he understands that we need to consider multiple hostiles and proceed with our senses heightened. We step over the glass and around the corner to face the kitchen. The light above the door is broken with glass shards resting on the steps. Whoever did this is hoping that the occupants flee barefoot and cut themselves.

“God she’s sadistic.”

“And well trained,” Rask adds.

He tries the door, turning the handle easily. It makes me wonder if our intruder did the same thing or if she’s beaten us upstairs and unlocked the door for a hasty exit. We get our answer the moment we step into the house. The calm, eerie voice causes the fine hairs on my neck to stand tall. Each step that Rask and I take is calculated and meant to catch her off guard. Nate and Evan should also be in the house by now, but I don’t hear them, and calling out to them would be foolish, costing us the advantage.

“Do not answer the door,” the voice says from inside the room.

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