Go, go, GO!
She turned and rounded the car, sprinting toward the house, through the yard. She heard Lester shout her name in surprise, heard a grunt as he started after her, clipping the car.
GO!
Ten yards. Maybe five.
The front door began to open and a slash of light fell across the porch. Maria was sure she could hear him behind her now.
Run!
She strained forward, surging toward the light. She could feel Lester reaching for her. In what seemed to be slow motion, she watched Serena step out onto the porch.
He’s going to kill us both…
Standing in a pool of light in front of the open door, Serena didn’t understand what was happening. She stared at Maria in confusion as Maria hurtled toward the porch.
Are those his fingers skimming the back of my shirt?
She willed herself to move even faster, sprinting with everything she had.
“Maria?” Serena called out.
Only later would Maria realize that Serena had shouted her name. Almost there…
And then, she made it.
Grabbing Serena, she pushed the two of them through the still open door, slamming it shut behind them.
“What are you doing?” Serena cried, bewildered.
Maria locked the door and grabbed Serena’s wrist, jerking hard. “Get away from the door!” Maria screamed. “He’s got a gun!”
Serena stumbled as Maria pulled, almost falling.
“Who has a gun?”
“Lester!”
Dragging Serena to the kitchen, she spotted her mom standing near the stove, clearly startled by the commotion. But no Dad… Maria turned from side to side…
Oh, God.
Where’s Dad?
“Wait – Lester? Lester’s here?” Serena demanded from behind her.
“He’s outside!” Maria shouted, her gaze suddenly swinging to the sliding glass doors, hoping her dad was on the porch. “Lester Manning! The guy who was chasing me!”
He’ll burst through the door any second…
He’ll kill me and them, and then kill himself…
Just like Gerald Laws and Cassie…
With a surge of relief, she spotted her dad at the porch table, Smokey in his lap.
Serena was babbling; her mom had started asking questions as well, but Maria registered none of it.
“Just be quiet!” she shouted. “Both of you!” She slid open the back door. “Get in here!” she hissed at her father, motioning him inside. He responded instantly, leaping to his feet with the dog tucked under his arm.
Both Serena and her mom went quiet. Maria listened intently – for the door, for the sound of a window smashing.
Silence.
Serena stared at her, fear written on her face. Both of her parents watched her openmouthed.
Still nothing.
What if Lester was coming around from the back?
In the silence, Maria registered the sounds of the sirens again. Loud enough now to be heard from inside the house.
“I don’t understand,” Serena finally said, her voice trembling with tears. “Where was Lester chasing you?”
“In the yard,” Maria said. “You saw him. He almost grabbed me.”
But Serena only shook her head in confusion. “I saw you running but no one was behind you,” she said. “I saw someone else running down the street…”
“He had a gun and he was chasing me!”
“No,” Serena insisted. “He wasn’t.”
Before Maria could process her words, the sound of the sirens filled the house and the walls were flashing red and blue in steady rhythm.
The police, she thought. Thank God.
At that moment, the front door crashed open.
Maria screamed.
CHAPTER 25
Colin
All things considered, Colin decided he was okay with what he’d done. Though as the adrenaline drained from his system, leaving him feeling both exhausted and shaky, it was hard to ignore the fact that he was on his stomach with his hands cuffed behind his back, guarded by two glowering officers and most likely staring at a long prison term.
Maybe he should have pulled over for the officers who’d been following him.
And maybe he shouldn’t have come to a screeching halt behind the squad car that was already at the Sanchez place while those officers had been approaching the door. And maybe he shouldn’t have ignored them when they’d demanded that he stop his charge to the front door and simply let them handle it. If he’d made different decisions, the officers probably wouldn’t have drawn their weapons, nor would he have faced a situation in which he’d wondered whether they might actually fire them.
On the plus side, he hadn’t actually touched any of the officers after he’d kicked the door in, but none of them were in any mood to listen when he’d tried to tell them about the vacant house or the park, places that Lester may have run off to. All four were too pissed for that. They had him on speeding, reckless driving, and ignoring lawful directions, and they weren’t going to settle for writing a couple of tickets and be done with it. They’d placed him under arrest, which meant his deal was going to be revoked.
His lawyers would fight it; no question about that, but more than likely, the original judge would be informed. That judge – as evidenced by his decision in the first place – was fair and reasonable, but he’d also been crystal clear in his expectations, and the court would know about it. Add in the fact that Margolis would be arguing on the other side for permanent placement among the dangerous and violent, and the writing was on the wall.
Prison.
He wasn’t afraid of being locked up. As a general rule, he did well in places with rules and structure, even without freedom. He knew how to keep to himself and mind his own business and look the other way when necessary and keep his mouth shut, and after a while, the whole thing would likely become routine. He’d survive and eventually get released and he’d start over again. But…