Page 30 (1/2)

We stopped on a quiet, wide road in the suburbs and Derek turned off the lights and the engine He nodded at a house in the distance that had a few garbage cans knocked over in the front yard and a real estate sign "That’s the one It’s usually a stash house Guess they’re stashing people there now too"

He turned around in his seat and looked at Cauns do you have?"

"None I had to drop mine back at the compound"

Derek jerked his head to the back of the car "Come around back"

Caht pressure "Stay here, Ellie Please"

I couldn’t proot out of the car and went to the back The trunk opened and Derek started going through the guns that the teale I watched them with curiosity as Derek handed Caun for hi feverishly at the weapon in his hands Derek was in his eleet Gus out of there in one piece

Derek and Camden both shot me one last look before they closed the trunk

"Be right back," Derek said Then they ran off toward the house, their feet quiet on the street

I waited a fewthem as they split up and disappeared around the back of the house Insupreun to save my father

I still couldn’t believe it Gus was ain It’s not that it didn’t feel true, it’s just I had a hard ti my head around what family meant

Which, of course, is why I reached into the back and searched for a pistol until my hand closed around a 40 Glock Gus and Camden were my family now and I had to protect them

I opened the car door and cli, and limped swiftly and silently toward the house

I turned at the neighbor’s yard and hid behind one of the le around the trunk at the stash house The lights in the house were all off and I couldn’t hear anything, not Camden or Derek, not Spanish Just the sound of the breeze as it ruffled the leaves around me

I took in a deep but shaky breath The pain in ain and I needed to push past it I looked up at the second story of the house Cli was out of the question

That was until a light upstairs went on, strea out the een the cracks of a blackout curtain In a stash house, its purpose wasn’t to keep out the sun, but to keep eyes fro in That’s where Gus had to be

Before I could even forure out how far Caht air

Yelling

Spanish and English

Camden

The curtain at thedown the street

It was all happening so fast

I ju, just as there was a terrific crash and a lass and onto the lawn below, landing with a thud

Gus

It was Gus

I gasped, heart lodged at the back of my throat, and scampered over to him as quick as I could Just before I reached hiun pointed at him

Not Camden Not Derek

And therefore he had to die

I aimed just as the man spotted me and fired three times

One of the bullets struck hi hiood knee and rolled Gus over, holdingonto every second that passed for fear of the next one

He rolled onto his back His eyes open I hadn’t seen those eyes in years

He blinked once Twice

Looked at rey hair and friendly eyes

"Ellie?"

"Gus!" I exclaimed

He tried to sit up and then looked past me, his expression of terror "Ellie!"

I twisted at the waist, gun out and was about to shoot without even lining up