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By Root 607 0

his shorts. With both hands directly in front of him, a firm grip on the gun, the pad of his index finger on the trigger, he clicked off the safety. Slowly, he crossed the hall, one step at a time, then he was in the room where he’d seen the two shadows looming outside seconds ago. Wary, he peered into the darkened corners, searching for someone or something. Nothing. He inched over to the window, eyes peering just above the windowsill so that he could see outside without being spotted by whomever he’d seen lurking in the yard. Again nothing. He moved away from the window and spied a small door on the north side of the room. Must be a closet. He inched his way across the room, his finger ready to pull the trigger at the first sign of movement. In his peripheral vision, he saw Pete step into the hall. Tick removed his left hand from the gun and motioned for Pete to stay put. Step after step brought him within inches of the closet door. Heart slamming in his chest, blood rushing in his ears, Tick saw a small crack in the door. Bird chose that moment to fly away while squawking, “I’m outta here!”

Using his foot to nudge the door all the way open, careful not to take his eyes off whatever lay beyond it, he gave the door a slight push with his foot. What he saw, cowering on the floor, almost knocked the breath out of him. He crammed the Glock in his waistband and stepped back.

“Pete, come in here.”

Pete entered the room to stand beside his brother. He was as surprised as Tick was at what they were seeing.

“Damn, Tick! What—”

“Shhh, she’s frightened.”

A small girl, seemingly no more than ten or eleven, huddled on the floor inside the closet. Long dark hair tangled around her face, and clothes that were little more than rags barely covered her stick-like arms and legs. Though it was dark, Tick could see the fear in her eyes, thick tears streaming down her face. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he said. When he saw the girl didn’t seem to comprehend a word he said, he spoke softly, using words he thought she might understand.

“No voy lastimas. No tenga miedo.”

Big brown eyes stared up at him. Tick offered his hand to the girl, but she backed farther into the corner, her eyes downcast.

“Mi nombre es Patrick. ¿Cuál es su nombre?”

“I thought you didn’t speak Spanish,” Pete said.

“I don’t. Not much anyway.”

Seeing the girl crouched on the floor reminded him of Emma, even though this girl appeared to be a few years older. Images of Emma and Ricky overwhelmed him. Tears stung his eyes. He knuckled his eyes before the tears even had a chance to pool. He sniffed, then reached out to the child again, repeating what he’d just said. “No voy lastimas. No tenga miedo.”

“Tick, what the hell are you saying to the kid? She looks like she’s scared out of her mind.”

“I’m telling her I’m not going to hurt her and not to be afraid.”

“I don’t think she understands.” Pete knelt on the floor just outside the closet’s small space. With her skittish behavior, the girl reminded him of the horses he used to ride in the rodeo. You had to earn their trust. Speaking in low, soft tones, Pete told the girl about his days with the ponies, and how he’d come to understand their every move. After several minutes, his soft words seemed to confirm to the child that he wouldn’t cause her any harm. She held out her hand to Pete, and he gently pulled her upright and led her out of the closet.

Chapter 14

“Itold you to stay down,” Kate whispered to Sandy, who was standing outside the bedroom window peering inside, where all the activity was taking place.

“They’re in there. And not only are they inside, they’ve found someone. I saw one of them carrying a body out of the room!” She gasped.

Squatting on her haunches, Kate managed to crab walk away from the window, dragging Sandy by her leg in order to keep her from peeping in the window. She didn’t know who was inside and wasn’t going to take any unnecessary chances.

Kate spoke sharply. “Shhh, be quiet. We don’t know who’s in there or what they’re liable to do if they see us. Sit down! I need to think