It will be over soon. Just don’t think about it. As my brain scrambles to find a safe place to hide, a gunshot slices through the night.
We both freeze. Psycho stares down at me. The only sound is our breathing. He slowly backs away, reaching for the gun once again.
Suddenly, the door is kicked open from the other side. It barely misses my head. I cover my ears and roll to the side as the man standing over me fires, taking Psycho out with a single bullet to the neck.
I scramble to the corner of the room, curling into a ball. This is it. My time on earth is done. The cartel is here, and I know there’s no way they’ll let me live. If they do, I’m facing a fate worse than death.
“Serenity, it’s okay.”
I lift my head at the sound of my name. A giant of a man holds his hand out to me. “I’m Dan,” he begins to say, but I already know who he is. He looks just like his sons. I jump into his arms, letting him hug me tight.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. We got you now.”
I don’t know how or why. All I know is someone saved me this time.
“I don’t mean to rush you, but we need to get out of here. Do you need to grab anything?”
He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I push away from him and hurry to the room I’ve been staying in, grabbing my quilt. I hug it to my chest and run back out to him.
“That’s it?”
“This is all I need.”
I notice a woman with long dark silver hair watching us from the doorway of my mother’s room. She has a gun hanging loosely from her hand. “Is she …”
“Don’t worry about her. She’ll be fine.”
He guides me outside, directing me to get in the passenger side of my car as he slides into the driver’s seat. Once we’re inside, he hands me my jeans. I quickly slide my legs into them as he turns around in the driveway.
We don’t get far before I notice an orange glow in the mirror. I turn in my seat to watch flames erupt from the windows of my brother’s home.
“You want some unsolicited advice?” the twin’s dad asks, breaking the silence.
“That’s the best kind, isn’t it?”
His deep chuckle calms me. “Don’t look back. What’s done is done.”
Slowly, I face the front windshield. “Sounds solid, but I don’t even know where I’m headed.”
“Well, you won’t find it back there.” He leans forward, turning on the radio. “It’s real nice in Nevada this time of year.”
Cole and Carson told me about their home. It sounds wonderful and, most importantly, safe.
“Is it quiet there?”
He chuckles again before answering. “Hell no.”
It makes me smile because he’s honest. “Nevada is one state I’ve never been to.”
“Well then, I think we just found ourselves a direction.”
Instead of heading north to Cheyenne, he drops down to Interstate 70. When we’re west of Denver, heading into the mountains, a group of bikers surround us.
My heart begins to race, and I sit up in my seat. Dan leans over and takes my hand. “It’s okay. They’re with me.”
I force my muscles to relax one by one as I reason with them. This is the twin’s family. I have nothing to be afraid of. Nothing is chasing me … not anymore.
You wouldn’t think that would sadden me, but it’s all I’ve ever known. It’s going to take me a minute to realize my family can’t find me ever again.