It was the rattle of the garage door that first jolted Daniel awake. But it wasn’t until his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he saw the outline of a short masked man silhouetted in the faint light that he realized the danger. Daniel silently crept to the edge of the ledge of the loft. He’d been sleeping in the storage area over his workbench, fully clothed, just in case Hawk and his buddies decided to come back.
But this was a threat he hadn’t anticipated. This man was a stranger. He was short but hefty, and dressed in dark fatigues and a faceless mask like the men who’d killed Brian in the parking garage. But then he pulled his mask off and stuffed it in a duffel bag. Either he didn’t think there’d be anyone in the garage to spot his face or he wasn’t planning on leaving any witnesses alive.
Daniel still didn’t recognize him.
He couldn’t see a weapon in his hand, either, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t carrying one. For a moment, Daniel almost wished he’d gone into the house and pulled his shotgun from its hiding place. But a hunting firearm like that was hardly intended for close combat. The man switched on a flashlight. Daniel ducked behind a storage box. The light swung around the room. Over his workbench. Over his truck. Over the battered chair, reading table and camping stove. Up over Daniel’s hiding spot in the loft. Then back down again.
Are there more of them? Have they gone into the house? Olivia’s computer printout had said the Faceless Crew were a team of three. If so, that would make this small man Shorty, the so-called explosives expert. Getting past this man and rushing into the house would mean giving up the element of surprise, throwing himself into a fight and potentially alerting whoever else was with him.
Lord, help me be wise. Please protect Sarah and Olivia. Keep them safe until I can get to them. Help me know the right way and time to act.
Daniel pressed his fingers against the box directly in front of him. If only he’d come closer, then there were at least half a dozen ways Daniel could think to almost silently take him to the ground without alerting any buddies he might have waiting outside. Shorty set the flashlight down on the ground and pulled something the size of brick from his duffel bag.
A second figure appeared in the doorway. Daniel felt his heart smack so hard against his rib cage he nearly lost his breath.
It was Olivia. She was followed by a thin masked man who could only be described as a “Rake.” The masked thug had his hand clamped around Olivia’s throat. His other hand pressed a gun to the back of her head.
Daniel’s heart lurched with every step she took.
Olivia’s hands were tied in front of her. Rainwater streamed down her tiny frame.
Daniel braced his hands on the loft floor and fought the urge to leap. Everything inside him wanted to attack the man gripping her and to fight for her life with every last breath in his body. But if he made a move, the gunman might pull the trigger ending Olivia’s life. And he still didn’t know if there were more of them or where Sarah was.
His eyes closed for fraction of a second, just long enough to pray.
Oh, God, I have to save her. Help me focus.
The gunman shuffled her across the floor toward the truck. Olivia’s eyes didn’t even glance toward his hiding spot. But surely she had to know he was there. She had to know he wouldn’t just have run off and left her.
Shorty stood up from behind the truck and quickly yanked his mask back on.
“We good?” Rake asked.
“Yup.” He wiped his hands on his pants and walked over to the workbench.
Yup. Right this way. Just a little closer...
“What do the three of you want?” Olivia’s voice rang loud and clear. “You two, plus that trigger-happy Brute who you left all alone in the house, now trying to figure his way out of the living room.”
Oh, she was brilliant! Olivia knew he was there, all right! And in two sentences had managed to give him all the information he needed to assess the situation.
A crew of three faceless thugs. None of whom, it seemed, had Sarah.
“None of your business. Now shut it or I’ll gag you.” Rake cuffed her in the back of the head with the gun. Olivia cried out in pain. He opened the passenger door to Daniel’s truck. “Get in.”
She stepped up onto the running board.
Okay, so his hand is off her throat. The gun will probably slip away from her head for a second or two. Shorty has walked into range. Looks as though this is the best chance I’m going to get. I just need to wait and pick my moment—
Olivia kicked back hard, catching Rake sharply in the gut.
Or she could pick the moment.
Rake collapsed onto the ground and gasped for breath. His gun clattered across the floor. Daniel leaped. He landed on Shorty’s shoulders and forced him to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a flash of red as Olivia scrambled for Rake’s gun.
Daniel leaped to his feet. Shorty’s fist caught Daniel in the side of the head. Daniel kicked his legs out from under him.
A gunshot pierced the air.
Olivia screamed. Daniel’s heart stopped.
Brute was standing in the garage doorway. His gun was aimed at her face. “Kneel.” Olivia knelt. He glanced at the thin man. “Hey, Rake? You mind if I end her now?”
“Hey!” Daniel’s hands shot up in the air. “Don’t hurt her. Let her go. Whatever you want, you can get from me!”
Shorty laughed.
A swift, hard blow struck Daniel on the back of the head.
The world went black.