Chapter 120 #38: Just Hold Tight
The convoy rolls to a stop half a mile from the hunting lodge, darkness swallowing us the moment we step out. Marcus signals his team with a low hand gesture, and four men peel off toward the tree line, moving quietly with their rifles slung low.
Sel stays close to me. “You sure about this?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything.” I check the gun at my waist one more time, then meet her eyes. “She’s in there. I can feel it.”
Marcus returns from a quick recon of the perimeter. “Motion sensors are active on the east and north sides. Two cameras covering the front porch and the helipad. No visible guards outside. Either he’s confident or he’s waiting.”
“Both,” I say. “He thinks we don’t know about this place.”
Maya’s voice crackles through the earpiece Marcus gave me. “I’ve looped the cameras. You’ve got a twelve-minute window before the system pings for verification. East approach is clear. There’s a service door on the back side with a deadbolt but no alarm. Get in, get Lucy, get out. I’ll guide you once you’re inside.”
I nod even though she can’t see me. “Let’s move.”
We slip into the trees in a single file. Marcus leads, Sel behind him, me third, two of his men bringing up the rear. The ground is uneven, roots and fallen needles underfoot, but we move fast and quiet. My heart hammers against my ribs, not from fear exactly, but from the unbearable pressure of every second ticking past.
The lodge comes into view through the branches: dark log walls, wide windows glowing faintly from interior lights, smoke curling from the stone chimney. It looks almost peaceful, like a family retreat instead of a prison.
Marcus raises a fist and we stop.
He points to the service door Maya mentioned. “That’s our entry. I’ll take point. Nora, you and Sel follow. Rear guard stays outside and covers the perimeter. If anything moves, we pull back. No heroics.”
I don’t argue, but I know for a fact I’m not leaving without my child.
We cross the open ground in a low rush, staying in the camera blind spots Maya mapped. Marcus reaches the door first and tests the handle. Locked. He pulls a small tool from his vest, works the lock for less than ten seconds, and the bolt clicks back.
He pushes the door open an inch, listens, then slips inside. Sel follows. I go next holding my gun low, with the safety already off.
Marcus signals: clear. We move deeper.
The hallway opens into a large open-plan living area. A stone fireplace dominates one wall, and a leather sectional faces it. On the coffee table sits an empty whiskey glass and a half-eaten plate of sandwiches, signaling that someone has been here recently.
Maya’s voice sounds through the comms: “Thermal shows three heat signatures upstairs. One small, two adult. Ground floor clear except for the kitchen. Watch the stairs. They creak.”
I motion upward. Marcus nods.
We climb in a single file, stepping where the boards look solid. At the landing Marcus pauses and listens. Nothing.
The upstairs hallway stretches left and right. Three doors on the left, two on the right. Maya whispers in my ear, “Small signature in the room at the end of the left hall. Door’s closed. There's no visible lock.”
We move. Marcus takes the lead again with his rifle up. I stay close behind him, Sel at my back. The hallway carpet muffles our steps. When we reach the door Maya indicated, Marcus tests the knob and we find it unlocked.
He looks at me for confirmation, I nod, and he pushes the door open.
We see Lucy immediately.
She’s curled on the bed in the corner, her small body wrapped in a quilt, facing the wall. A nightlight shaped like a star glows on the dresser. She’s asleep, her breathing slow but even.
Relief crashes through me so hard my knees nearly buckle. I step past Marcus, run across the room, and drop to my knees beside the bed.
“Lucy,” I whisper, brushing hair from her face.
Her eyes flutter open. Confusion first, then recognition. “Mommy?”
I pull her into my arms, crushing her against my chest. She’s warm, solid, alive. I bury my face in her hair and breathe her in. Tears burn behind my eyes but I blink them back.
“I’m here, baby. I’m here.”
She clings to me, her small hands fisting my jacket. “I want to go home.”
“We’re going home, pumpkin.”
Marcus is already at the door, checking the hallway. “We need to move. Now.”
I lift Lucy up and settle her on my hip. She’s heavier than I remember, or maybe it’s the weight of everything else I’m carrying. She wraps her arms around my neck, and presses her face to my shoulder.
Sel takes point now, raising her gun. “Stairs are clear. Back door is our exit.”
We retrace our steps. Lucy stays quiet, somehow sensing the urgency. When we reach the mudroom, Marcus signals the rear guard outside.
“Exit should appear in about thirty seconds. Bring the vehicles to the service road.”
We slip out the back door into the night. The cold hits Lucy hard and she shivers against me. I zip my jacket around her as best I can.
“Almost there, sweetheart.”
We cross the open ground toward the tree line, trying to move as low as we can. The SUVs wait on the service road with it's engines idling.
Marcus speaks into his comms. “Maya, we have her. We need you to guide us out.”
Static.
He tries again. “Maya, copy?”
Nothing.
Sel glances at me. “That’s not good.”
We keep moving. But now we’re moving blind.
Halfway to the trees, headlights suddenly flare behind us and the lodge lights snap on, flooding the yard. Voices shout, followed by boots pounding across the porch towards us.
“Ambush!” Marcus shouts. “Go!”
We break into a run. Lucy clings to me tighter. “Mommy, what’s happening?”
“Hold on, baby. Just hold tight.”
Gunfire erupts from the house, followed by bullets snapping past us, kicking up dirt. Marcus returns fire, covering our retreat. One of his men drops, clutching his leg. Another drags him toward the trees.
We reach the tree line. Sel helps me shield Lucy behind a thick trunk. Marcus and the remaining two men lay down suppressive fire.
“This doesn’t have to be bloody!" One of the other men shouts over the exchange of bullets, and everything goes silent. “We’re willing to accept a trade.”
We all exchange puzzled looks.
“What do you want?!” Marcus shouts back.
“Nora.” He deadpans. Everything goes absolutely still as everyone’s eyes turn to me. “Nora stays behind and you all get to leave.”
“Like hell she will!” Marcus shouts back. Then he tries the coms again. “Maya! We need a way out. Stat!"
But still, he’s answered with nothing but static.
“Fuck,” he curses. “We can’t outrun them with the wounded. And we have no way out.”
I look at Lucy’s face pressed against my neck. Then at the men bleeding in the dirt. Then at the lodge lights blazing behind us. I make the decision before I can second-guess it.
“Sel, take Lucy.”
She stares at me. “What?”
I pry Lucy’s arms from around my neck. She starts to cry. “Mommy, no!”
I kiss her forehead. “Listen to Aunt Sel, okay? She’s going to take you to the car. I’ll be right behind you.”
Lucy sobs. “I don't want to go!”
I hand her to Sel. “Promise me you’ll keep her safe. Promise me you’ll get her to the hospital. Don’t come back for me until she’s there.”
Sel’s eyes fill with tears. “Nora we're not–”
“Promise me!”
She nods, sniffing. “I promise.”
I turn to Marcus. “Get everyone out. I’ll buy you some time.”
He starts to argue but I cut him off. “You're wasting time. Just go!”
He hesitates, then nods. “We’ll be back for you.”
They move.
Sel carries Lucy toward the SUVs. Lucy reaches for me over Sel’s shoulder, tears streaming down her face. “Mommy I don’t want to go! Mommy!”
I watch them disappear into the trees and I step out from behind the trunk with my hands raised.