Chapter 7: Shadows in the Driveway
The air outside tasted of wet asphalt and crushed pine needles. The black SUV idled with a low, barely audible purr, its exhaust curling into thin, ghost-like wisps under the perimeter floodlights. I pulled the rear door open with a quiet click, my heart tightening as I looked inside. Mia was still curled in her pink pajamas, her pale face illuminated by the faint, rhythmic glow of the dashboard clock. Her thumb was tucked lightly against her lower lip, her breathing slow and even, utterly oblivious to the armed professionals currently scaling our perimeter fence less than fifty yards away.
"Daddy," she murmured softly without opening her eyes, her small hand blindly reaching across the leather seat until her fingers brushed my sleeve. "Is the party over?"
"Almost, sweetheart," I whispered, sliding onto the bench seat beside her and carefully wrapping a heavy wool blanket around her fragile shoulders. I kept my body positioned between her and the window, blocking any view of the flashing amber thermal indicators on the security monitor mounted near the center console. "We're just going on a little night drive. Close your eyes and count to fifty for me."
"Are we leaving Aunt Tina?" she asked, her eyelids fluttering open just a fraction, revealing cloudy blue eyes that seemed far too old for her five years. "She looked really mad when the lights went off."
May you like
"Aunt Tina is staying home to take care of the house," I replied, my voice steady and reassuring, masking the raw iron taste of adrenaline rising in the back of my throat. "Remember what we talked about? Black House rules. When the lights blink, we travel light."
Mia nodded sleepily, her head dropping back against my chest as she pulled the blanket tighter. Her breathing immediately slowed back into the deep, rhythmic pattern of a child drifting back into a safe dream. I held her close, feeling the fragile cage of her ribs rise and fall against my palm, while my right hand slid down to the cold steel handle of the Heckler & Koch pistol secured in my shoulder holster. Through the tinted glass of the SUV, I watched two figures in dark tactical gear drop silently over the rear stone wall, their movements efficient, practiced, and lethal.
