Theirs to Keep

“The motion lights out in front kicked on.”

“So? They always kick on,” I shrugged. “Any time the wind blows the trees too hard, or—”

“No, this was a person,” Bryce said. He took two steps and arrived at the window.

“Could’ve been another deer,” I offered. The hairs on my neck were already standing on edge.

“I saw arms. Legs. What almost looked like a fac—”

Abruptly he exploded into action, running full tilt in the direction of the foyer. I hesitated for a moment, but only because I was so surprised. Two seconds later I was sprinting after him, racing barefoot through the timeworn hallways and struggling to catch up.

“Bryce! Wait!”

My words fell on deaf ears as he unlocked the front doors and exploded through them.

Fifty-One

KARISSA

I spilled out into the courtyard, my arms pinwheeling as more motion lights came on. They illuminated the whole front of the construction site; pallets of stone and marble, a 30-yard dumpster, two Bobcats with their buckets held high…

… and a man in a ski mask, dressed head to toe in black.

Holy shit!

Bryce was running as fast as his legs would carry him, but he was big, broad, bulky. The man, it turned out, was faster.

“He’s headed for the gate!”

I bore down and really dug in, pumping my arms for that extra burst of speed. I’d always been fast. Back at the academy I’d almost broken three records during my cadet training, even. But right now I was shoeless, and the intruder was not. I was running over all kinds of gravel and rocks and jagged pieces of construction debris that could be anything from broken screw heads to errant staples from wrapping the exposed parts of the building in Tyvek.

“Don’t chase him!” I heard Bryce call as I leapt passed him.

I ignored his cry, just as I ignored the pain. My legs were longer than the man in front of me, and he was weighed down by his boots. I was gaining, and rapidly too. Halfway to the gate, he was within arm’s reach.

“KARISSA NO!”

I tackled him around mid-leg, dragging him down to the cobbles. We bounced hard off the rough surface, both of us groaning loudly as the wind was knocked from our lungs. I could see him rolling away. Struggling to breathe, like I was.

Then suddenly Bryce was there, straddling the man’s chest.

“Got him!”

An unexpected fist caught my lover in the jaw, followed by a knee to his midsection. Bryce went down, rolling to one side. The man in black got up again, and looked fleetingly toward the gate.

Then he turned around and kicked Bryce in the ribs.

“You bastard!”

I pushed myself to a standing position, my lungs still gasping for air. The man kicked again, and I heard a dull snap. He was rearing back for a third kick when I grabbed his foot and shoved forward with all my might.

“Get… the fuck… off!”

The man in the ski mask fell backward, rolled deftly, then returned to his feet. He glowered back at me through the slit in his mask, his eyes murderous, his gaze full of hatred. The look was so intense it froze me for a second. Kept me from acting…

Then he was kicking and punching Bryce again.