Chapter 20

“Drop your weapon!” Otto snapped at the figure huddled behind the counter. Then he blinked as he recognized her. “Grace?”

“What the hell, Gracie?” Hugh whisper-yelled, having followed Otto around the counter. “Quit pointing your gun at her.”

Otto realized that the last bit had been for him, and he quickly lowered his weapon. “Sorry, Grace.” She gave him a small, shaky smile.

After Hugh helped her stand, Grace reached toward his forehead with a hand that visibly trembled. She paused before making contact. “Hugh. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know it was you. There were all those explosions, and then I heard someone creeping around, so I hid, since I figured it was either a looter or…well, someone up to no good. I never guessed it was you. I didn’t know you could go without talking for that long. Oh no. There’s a red mark already. I bet you’ll bruise.”

“Shh, Gracie.” He pulled her into a long hug. “I’m fine, and that was pretty badass of you. Nice hit. What was that? It wasn’t your fist, was it?”

“No.” Grace pointed to a crossbow lying on the floor by their feet.

“Did you…hit me with that?” Hugh sounded like he was about to laugh. “Why didn’t you shoot me with it?”

“I don’t know how to use it.” Starting to sound more annoyed than shaky, Grace pulled away slightly so she could glare at Hugh. “And I didn’t hit you with it. I threw it at you.”

Hugh made a choking sound.

“Don’t you dare laugh.” Despite her words, Grace looked as if she was fighting a smile. “If you want someone who knows everything about weapons, then you shouldn’t be dating me.”

“Please.” Hugh snorted. “As if I could date anyone else. You’ve ruined me for all other women.”

“Really?” Her grin broke free. “Good. That means you need to mind your p’s and q’s. If you drive me away, you won’t have any other options.”

Instead of getting offended, Hugh chuckled as he hugged Grace against him again. “I love it when you sound like an old-fashioned librarian.”

She laughed, too, although she pretended to try to push him away.

As the post-scare adrenaline rush subsided, Otto realized something. “Why aren’t you in Dresden?”

“My check-engine light came on.” She grimaced, leaning into Hugh. “Sarah let me use the fax machine in Grady’s office. Sarah and then Grady left, but I was still waiting for a return fax when the line went dead. After the first explosion, I tried to call Hugh, but my cell didn’t have service. I figured it’d be safest to wait here until I could reach someone, but then I heard an explosion that sounded really close by. I started to get pretty freaked out, but the thought of going outside was scarier—for a while, at least. When I couldn’t take waiting for a bomb to drop on my head anymore, I decided to chance it. I was looking for something I could use to defend myself when I heard you and hid.”

As Grace told her story, Otto’s stomach drew into a tighter and tighter knot. “Where’s Sarah?”

“She went home to your place after she let me into Grady’s office.” Her eyes widened. “Is she there by herself? Poor Sarah! She must be terrified.”

Otto turned, intending to run out of the store and not stop until he reached his place and saw that Sarah was unharmed. Blood rushed noisily through his head, making him deaf to anything the others were saying. Cleo’s voice from earlier echoed through his brain, saying that helicopters had been spotted in the vicinity of his house. What if Sarah was hurt or trapped or killed? Bile rose in his throat, making it burn.

Hands on his arms brought him to an unwilling halt. “Let go!”

“Otto.” Hugh’s voice cut through the red haze that blanketed Otto’s mind. Hugh had hold of his left arm, and Theo silently gripped his right. “Listen. You need to do this right. No sense in running out into the snow and getting shot or freezing to death, especially since everything you need is right here. Think, buddy. You don’t even have gloves on.”

Otto’s heart rate slowed slightly as reason sank in. Hugh was right. He could move a lot faster with the right gear. “Fine.”

“We’ll go with you,” Grace said, but Otto gave a short shake of his head.

“No. You’ll slow me down.” She flinched, and he knew the words had been too harsh, but it was the truth. He needed to move quickly, without worrying about anyone else keeping up. As much as her friends loved Sarah, they weren’t driven by the panicked need to find her like Otto was.

Theo and Hugh released him, and Otto surged forward. He grabbed a hiking pack and snowshoes. The others helped, filling the pack with insulated coveralls, gloves, and a balaclava. Jules ran to grab bottles of water from the cooler, and Otto switched out his boots for warmer ones.

“We’ll go as far as the pass,” Theo said, tossing in some waterproof matches. When Otto took a breath, ready to argue, Theo’s look shut him down. Biting back his objections, Otto gave a short nod.

The guns and ammunition were locked up, and none of the keys Grady had given them worked on the case. Hugh offered to pick the lock, but time was ticking away, and Otto didn’t want to stay in the store any longer than he had to. Otto had his loaded 9mm Glock, as well as a spare magazine.

“Are you carrying?” he asked the others.

“Of course,” Hugh said.

Theo just jerked his chin up in his typical short nod.

“Yes!” Jules pulled up her coat and hoodie to show the gun in a belt holster at her waist.

Otto blinked in surprise.

“Theo’s been teaching me to shoot.” Jules allowed her hoodie and coat to drop back into place, covering the gun. “He said I’m a natural.”

“She’s a good shot,” Theo said without looking away from the display. He picked up several folding knives and handed them out. Even though Otto already had his, he accepted another. He had a feeling that it would be a good time to carry a spare.

Unfolding her knife, Grace examined it before closing it again and slipping it into her pocket. “I’m not. I’m terrible. Hugh, tell Otto how terrible I am at shooting.” There was an underlying tension to her voice, to all their voices, that told Otto they were eaten up with worry for Sarah. Grace’s attempt at joking sounded forced, and he knew she was trying to distract them from the dangers they were all facing.

“She’s bad,” Hugh agreed.

“I’m not getting better, either,” Grace admitted. “Every time we go to the range, I get fewer and fewer holes in the target. It’s a little annoying, especially with Straight-Shooter McGee over there.” She jerked her thumb at Jules, who gave a tight smile.

Otto felt tension building inside him. He needed to move, or he’d explode. Hooking the snowshoes to his pack, he swung it onto his back and buckled the straps. “Do you have what you want to take?”

Grabbing some crossbow bolts, Grace tucked them in her pocket and slung the bow onto her back. “Ready.” Her voice shook slightly, before she straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. “I’m feeling very Katniss right now.” Hugh gave her a tender smile and squeezed her arm.

As they made their way through the back room again, Otto’s unease grew. He glanced at Theo and Hugh. By the tense way they were walking and scanning the area, Otto could tell they were as on edge as he was. He pushed open the back door with relief. Although being inside the store was technically safer than being outside, it had felt small and crowded, with too many blind corners.

The wind was finally starting to subside, allowing the snow to fall straight down rather than driving sideways. The flakes lit up in the glow from the security light. Otto frowned as he looked across the illuminated, snow-covered lot and then back at the small sodium bulb above the back door.

The light stretched too far for that weak bulb. Turning, he backed away from the building until he could see the cloudy sky. Bright lights, small but quickly growing, pierced through the snow.

“’Copter incoming!” Otto barked, waving for the others to run away from the building and then falling in behind them. “Head for Mrs. Epple’s house!” Even when she went to Florida for the winter, the woman never locked her doors.

Jules glanced back, a confused look on her face, and then slowed so Theo and Viggy could take the lead. Jumping a decorative, two-foot-high border, they cut across the backyard of a cedar-sided ranch-style house. Theo opened the door and held it, but Jules gave him a shove into the house.

“Now is not the time to be chivalrous!” she said sharply, following him inside. “I don’t know where I’m going!”

The rest of them stampeded into Mrs. Epple’s house, running through her kitchen and antique-filled living room. Otto peered through the lacy curtains, searching for the helicopter. It wasn’t hard to find.

Not only were the lights blinding, but the sound of the engine and the rotors cutting through the air were thunderous, even here. Theo—who’d taken up position on the other side of the window, with Viggy bristling with excitement next to him—pointed outside. “Three at two o’clock.”

Across the room, Hugh called in a low voice, “I’ve got two on this side.”

“Four,” Grace corrected. “There are a couple more slinking along the back of the coffee shop.”

“Good catch, Gracie,” Hugh said.

Theo glanced at Otto. “Take out the helicopter, and Jules and I will deal with the rest.”

“Wait, what?” Jules asked from one window over. She was kneeling on a floral chaise, using the back as a gun rest as she aimed out the opened window. Theo slid their window open.

A shock of cold air hit Otto in the face. “Let’s do this.”

Lining up his sights, Otto aimed for the tail rotor of the helicopter. It was a small target, but the most vulnerable part of the aircraft. If he managed to hit it, he could bring the helicopter down unless the pilot was unbelievably skilled. Once he started shooting, though, he’d attract the attention of the people on the ground, so he’d have to be fast.

He squeezed the trigger, slow and easy, barely hearing the blast. The helicopter didn’t waver. Otto aimed again, focused on his task, and everything else faded into the background except for his target. The helicopter started turning to face them, the spotlights flickering in Otto’s peripheral vision. He was losing his chance. Forcing the adrenaline down, he aimed and then pulled the trigger again.

The tail rotor shattered. “Hit!” Theo called triumphantly.

“Focus on the bad guys, darlin’!” Jules yelled back, her voice higher than usual.

As the helicopter began to spin, Otto turned toward the mercenaries on the ground. The spotlights flashed and then went dark and then flashed again as the helicopter spun out of control, messing up Otto’s vision. He thought about taking out his flashlight, but that would just give the guys outside a lit-up target to aim at.

Blinking hard, he cleared his vision and focused on one of the figures in winter camouflage. He pulled the trigger, and the man went down. Otto couldn’t think about how he’d just shot someone, possibly even killed them. Right now, he needed to concentrate on getting everyone in that room out alive.

Jules yelped.

Theo’s head whipped around at the sound. “Jules! You hit?” He rushed over to her.

“Just a graze,” she replied, but she sounded breathless.

“Okay?” Otto asked.

“Yeah. It’s minor.” Despite that, Theo still sounded murderous.

Refocusing out the window, Otto took aim again, this time on a figure mostly hidden by the branches of a snow-covered pine tree. Otto fired, and the sniper dropped, just as the helicopter crashed into the roof of Grady’s store.

“Get down!” Theo warned, and Otto dropped to the floor and scooted away from the window, covering his head with his arms. The world exploded in a way that was becoming too familiar, the night lighting up right before the thunderous explosion. The glass blew out of the window, shards raining down on the hardwood floor.

Otto’s ears felt as if they’d been stuffed with cotton balls. Everything was muffled and slow-moving. Lifting his head, he checked out Theo, Jules, and Viggy. The three were huddled together, but all looked conscious and unharmed, so he turned toward Grace, Lexi, and Hugh. In the dim light, with his night vision destroyed by the blinding explosion, he couldn’t see if they were hurt.

“Okay?” he called. The word echoed in his head, but he wasn’t sure if it had come out loud enough, so he said it again.

“We’re good!” Hugh said, and Otto felt his tensed muscles relax slightly. “Or we would be if you’d stop screaming at us.”

That was such a smart-ass Hugh answer that Otto felt a rush of relief. It only lasted a moment, though, before Otto remembered Sarah was alone and there was a small army outside. Duck-walking back to the window, Otto held his gun at the ready as he peered outside. The burning store and helicopter lit everything as brightly as daylight—a hell-scape daylight. He scanned the area, but all he could see were the fallen men lying unmoving in the snow.

“Looks clear on this side.” Theo echoed Otto’s thoughts. “How are things to the north?”

“Four down over here. We’re clear.” Hugh paused for a second, and then asked, “Unless you see anyone, eagle-eye Gracie?”

“No.” There was a slight shake to her voice. “No one moving, at least.”

Her words reminded Otto of what he’d just done, but he pushed away the memory to deal with later. Right now, he had to go find Sarah. There was still one more helicopter and who knew how many more of Aaron’s mercenaries. The town was still under siege, and no one could get in to help until the snow let up—even if Steve and Cleo did manage to get a message through to the outside world.

“Theo, you lead,” Otto said, straightening up to a standing position. Glass crunched under his boots as he moved toward the door. “I’ll take the rear.”

With a short nod, Theo picked up Viggy, slinging him over his shoulder. Otto turned to Hugh. “You okay with Lexi, or do you want me to get her?”

“We’re good.” With his unbroken arm, Hugh swung Lexi up off the glass-strewn floor. She wriggled and tried to lick his face. “Thanks, Lex. Okay! Enough! I think the puppies are more restrained and well-behaved than you.”

“And you, probably,” Grace said as she fell in behind him. Her voice sounded almost back to normal, although Otto knew that was just a front. They’d all have to deal with the events of the night…if they survived it.

Theo, gun in one hand and steadying his dog with the other, checked the area out front. He stepped outside, and Otto felt the tension in his muscles ratchet up. There were no gunshots, though, just the roar of the flames and the occasional pop of a small explosion. Otto now wished he’d given Hugh time to break into the gun-and-ammo case. It was a waste that everything would get destroyed when they’d likely need the weapons before the night was over.

Once outside, Theo lowered Viggy to the ground and then moved fast. The others poured out of the house and took off after him, running as quickly as they could through the snow. The dogs loved it, bounding along in rabbit hops. Otto, on the other hand, was tense and watchful, expecting people in camouflage to come out shooting at any moment.

It bothered him that they couldn’t stop long enough to check if any of the mercenaries were still alive. It was one thing to shoot in self-defense, but the idea of leaving survivors bleeding in the snow twisted up his insides. Again, he was forced to push that thought away and focus on keeping everyone in his group alive and getting to Sarah.

The snow was still falling heavily, muffling the sounds they made as they ran through the yards. Theo led them on a zigzag route toward Gordon’s compound, keeping close to trees and buildings as much as possible to give them cover.

Something was coming toward them. Otto opened his mouth to give a warning, just as Theo’s hand came up in a “stop” gesture. They were in the middle of an unfenced yard without any nearby concealment. It was the worst possible position for a fight. Otto, Theo, and Hugh surrounded Grace, Jules, and the dogs, and Jules immediately aimed her pistol through the small space between Otto and Theo.

The shapes kept moving toward them, and Otto brought his Glock up with both hands, lining the sights up to the biggest form in the center. Something was wrong, though. Whatever they were appeared both too large and too small to be Aaron’s soldiers.

One of them broke away and sprinted toward them. As it grew closer, Otto recognized him. Shock rippled through him. “Hold your fire!”

“Is that Mort?” Hugh asked.

“Yeah.” His surprise changed to a tentative thread of hope. If Mort was here and okay, then there was a chance that Sarah might be, too. Holstering his gun, Otto stretched out his hands and crouched, greeting Mort with a rough scratch of his scruff. He ran his hands over the dog, verifying that Mort really was in front of him, warm and familiar and blessedly alive. The delicate tendril of hope strengthened, and Otto’s heart beat faster. Mort was here. Mort was fine. Please let Sarah be with him. Viggy whined with eagerness, and Mort danced over to his old buddy.

His heart crashing against his rib cage in hope and excitement, Otto started to jog toward the other forms moving through the snow, unable to believe what he was seeing. As he recognized Bean and Xena and then the woman riding the horse, Otto’s jog turned into a run. She was there. He wasn’t quite sure how, but Otto didn’t care. His Sarah was alive and right in front of him, and he couldn’t reach her fast enough.

“Sarah?” His yell came out as a croak, all of his oxygen fueling his legs as he plowed through the snow toward her.

“Otto!” Sarah threw her leg over Bean’s back and started to slide to the ground. Otto caught her before her boots could touch the snow. Once his arms wrapped around her and he pulled her in to his chest, it became real. He was holding Sarah. All of the nightmare scenarios he’d been imagining—her bleeding or caught or blown to pieces—lost their power to haunt him. She was here, and he would keep her safe.

“Sarah.” He pressed his cheek against the top of her head, squeezing her even more tightly. “I was so worried.” At the understatement, his laugh bubbled out, filled with sheer joy and amazement and gratitude. She clutched him just as hard, her face pressed into his chest.

He didn’t want to let her go for even a second, but he needed to see her and make sure that she wasn’t hurt. Lowering Sarah to her feet, he looked her over, checking for any bullet holes or missing limbs or, really, even the faintest scratch. She looked perfect. Her cheeks and nose were pink from the cold, but none of her exposed skin looked like it was in danger of frostbite. He pushed back an irrational urge to strip her naked and check every inch of her for possible damage. His hands smoothed over her cheeks, and she smiled at him. He couldn’t seem to stop touching her. In fact, he was pretty sure he’d never be able to stop. Unable to hold back any longer, his mouth crashed down on hers.

She kissed him back just as desperately, just as eagerly. The night had been endless, and Otto felt as if they’d been separated for so long. As they kissed, warmth filled him, and his worst fears loosened their hold, slipping away until all he knew was relief and bliss.

Pulling back, he broke the kiss and met her eyes. He loved that dazed and happy look she got when he kissed or touched her. A part of him hadn’t believed he’d ever see it again. The thought of a life without Sarah felt like a kick to the belly.

“I love you,” he said without thinking or planning or even knowing the words were going to fall out of his mouth. He didn’t care about the possible rejection or embarrassment. She needed to hear it, because she could’ve died, and then she would’ve never known how he felt about her. “I love you so much.”

Her gloved hands came up to cup his face, mirroring his. “I love you, too, Otto.”

He had to kiss her again. When he finally raised his head, he felt almost dizzy with happiness. Clearing his throat, he somehow found his voice. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” She smiled at him, and everything inside him warmed, but then her expression turned sad. “I need to tell you—”

Something tugged on his sleeve—hard. He glanced down and blinked.

“Hortense?” His heart lurched. Not only was Sarah alive and uninjured, but she’d rescued all of his animals. He loved her so much it hurt.

“I couldn’t leave her there.” The goat started chewing on his coat sleeve. Normally, he wouldn’t let her, but right now he was just so happy to see them that he let her go to town.

Otto marveled that Sarah had brought the horse, the goat, and the dogs all the way from his house and over the blocked pass. His love was impressive, and braver than anyone he’d known. He looked at Bean. The horse appeared calmer than Otto had ever seen him. “You rode him bareback with a halter?”

“Well, we didn’t really have time to tack up, since we were running for our lives and all,” Sarah said. “Listen, Otto…”

Jules and Grace interrupted before she could finish. They took turns hugging Sarah.

“Glad you’re safe, Sarah,” Theo said, giving her a brief but genuine smile. “We need to keep moving, though.”

“Aaron’s behind this,” Sarah blurted out. “He, Logan, and Jeb escaped the transport van. They shot two FBI agents. The van and their…bodies are on the other side of the rockslide.”

Silence fell over the group. The pieces clicked into place in Otto’s mind. The conversation they’d overheard on their way to Grady’s made more sense now.

“How’d they—” Hugh started to ask, but Theo interrupted him.

“We have to go,” he warned. “We’ve been standing here talking too long already.”

Otto fully agreed, but now they had a new problem. The dogs and possibly even the goat could join them in the bunker, but there was no way to get Bean down there. He tried to think of anyone in town who had a barn or even a shed of some sort where they could keep the horse temporarily. His mind was a blank, though. All his brain kept repeating was Sarah is okay. Sarah is here, and she’s okay, and she loves me.

“Schwartz has a workshop in back of his house,” Theo said, seeming to read Otto’s mind. “It’s not really set up for horses, but it’d probably work in a pinch. He raises rabbits, too, so he should have hay.”

“Amazing, isn’t it?” Hugh said in a low voice. “Gordon Schwartz, savior of the town. Who would’ve thought?”

It is amazing, Otto thought. “We’ll head back to the bunker.”

“Theo, Jules, and I’ll keep searching for people,” Hugh said. “Gracie, it’s bunker time for you.”

“But—”

“No.” Hugh, Theo, and Jules spoke in unison, interrupting Grace.

“You and Sarah are their targets,” Theo said.

Grace’s shoulders slumped slightly before she turned to Sarah with a small, forced smile. “Guess we’re bunker buddies, then.”

Sarah linked her arm through Grace’s, squeezing it affectionately against her side. As Jules, Theo, and Hugh turned to leave, Grace said quietly, “Hugh.”

He turned back toward her, and Grace reached out, grabbing a handful of his coat. Yanking him toward her, she kissed him. It didn’t last very long, but both were obviously breathing hard at the end. Otto glanced away, feeling like a voyeur.

“You’re savage,” Hugh said quietly. “I love that about you.”

“And I love you,” Grace responded. “Which is why, if you die out there, I swear I’ll resuscitate you just to kill you again. Got it?”

“Got it.”

The two groups separated with quiet goodbyes and admonitions to be careful. Otto followed the two women toward Gordon’s place, leading Bean and keeping an eye out for danger. He was also sneaking quick glances at Sarah. His brain couldn’t wrap around the knowledge that she was actually here, that she actually loved him. His gaze couldn’t stay off her. Even in the oversized winter clothes and backpack, she looked beautiful.

Now Sarah was safe and within reach, but Aaron was still out there.

They had to keep her safe—and save the town.