Chapter 10 - The Midnight Escape Through the Pine Woods
Gunfire erupted in the narrow hallway outside my door,
the deafening cracks echoing through the antiques shop like rolling thunder in a canyon.
Wood splinters flew through the air as bullets chewed into the plaster walls and doorframes.
I scrambled off the iron cot,
my hands shaking violently as I grabbed my canvas tote bag and hoisted myself toward the small fire escape window overlooking the alley.
The rain poured down in sheets,
soaking my clothes instantly as I pushed the rusted metal latch open against the wind.
Below me,
Gavin Roarke stood beside the open door of a reinforced suburban vehicle,
holding a heavy umbrella and scanning the dark treeline.
“Miss Vance!” Gavin shouted over the roar of the storm,
waving his hand urgently toward the vehicle.
“Over here! Move now!” I hesitated for a fraction of a second,
looking back toward the dark hallway where the sound of gunfire was still deafening and chaotic.
“Declan!” I screamed into the driving rain.
A moment later,
Declan backed into the attic doorway,
firing a final suppressing round down the stairs before kicking the heavy oak door shut and sliding the iron bolt across.
He whirled around,
his eyes locking onto mine through the rain-streaked windowpane.
“Go,
Amelia!” he roared over the thunder.
“Get in the car with Gavin!” “I’m not leaving without you!” “I’m right behind you,
” Declan lied smoothly,
his eyes flashing with a desperate,
protective intensity.
Gunfire erupted in the narrow hallway outside my door,
the deafening cracks echoing through the antiques shop like rolling thunder in a canyon.
Wood splinters flew through the air as bullets chewed into the plaster walls and doorframes.
I scrambled off the iron cot,
my hands shaking violently as I grabbed my canvas tote bag and hoisted myself toward the small fire escape window overlooking the alley.
The rain poured down in sheets,
soaking my clothes instantly as I pushed the rusted metal latch open against the wind.
Below me,
Gavin Roarke stood beside the open door of a reinforced suburban vehicle,
holding a heavy umbrella and scanning the dark treeline.
“Miss Vance!” Gavin shouted over the roar of the storm,
waving his hand urgently toward the vehicle.
“Over here! Move now!” I hesitated for a fraction of a second,
looking back toward the dark hallway where the sound of gunfire was still deafening and chaotic.
“Declan!” I screamed into the driving rain.
A moment later,
Declan backed into the attic doorway,
firing a final suppressing round down the stairs before kicking the heavy oak door shut and sliding the iron bolt across.
He whirled around,
his eyes locking onto mine through the rain-streaked windowpane.
“Go,
Amelia!” he roared over the thunder.
“Get in the car with Gavin!” “I’m not leaving without you!” “I’m right behind you,
” Declan lied smoothly,
May you like
his eyes flashing with a desperate,
protective intensity.
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