Page 54 (2/2)

all the hours she’d spent, all the money she’d scrimped and saved, it all burned on the other side of that door She’d never hated anyone as ht now

“Hoe get out?”

Claire swung her head around Jake stood, fully dressed, only inches fro up her thong under her dress “Turn left out the door and we can get out the delivery entrance It opens up to the alley If they’re still in the parking lot, they won’t be able to see us”

Jake lowered his head and crushed hiskiss meant to embolden her spirit, not entice her body Brief and intense, like a shot of passionate courage, it did the job By the ti

Bucked up, she set her sights on the door “Let’s do this”

The doorknob warmed her palm but didn’t burn it Cautious, she turned it and opened the door an inch Jake peered through the slight opening

He pushed it shut “There’s smoke, but I couldn’t see any flames Are there any towels in here?”

Claire pulled two orange dishtowels from a drawer near the sink She wet them and handed one to Jake They tied them around their heads bank-robber style so only their eyes showed He reopened the door, sank down to his hands and knees and crawled into the hallway She dropped to all fours and followed close behind

A pitch-black darkness enveloped the less hallway The bastards enerator That hts, no fire alar anytime soon to hose down Harvest

Dry Creek’s population deserted Main Street most Mondays after five pm It had been near nine pm when she’d found the phone and flash drive in the bathroo had passed since Burlington sent her to dreamland

If she had any luck, and in her heart she knew she did not, dawn had arrived and Margret Goodas about to open her bakery shop across the street That busybody would call the fire departhters would arrive before Harvest burned to the ground Daret’s telephone gossip tree before

Sht to keep theli fit took hold of her, shook her entire body down to her toes In her atteen, she sucked the towel into her ed breath Tainted air burned its way down her esophagus and spread through her lungs like wildfire tears across the plains

The combination of s theripped her and her lungs tightened Another hacking spasm rocked her body The walls closed in around her Overwhel

Did they turn right or left out of the door?

What if they had turned the wrong way?