by Katie Reus
The bathroom lights were too harsh so she crawled to the entry and shut them off. Relief rolled over her at the sudden dimness. There was still a little stream of light from the bedroom, but her eyes didn’t hurt anymore. Wanting to call Nash and her mother, she opened her clutch, but frowned when she didn’t see her phone. The purse wasn’t big, so it wasn’t as if it was hiding in a compartment. Which meant it had likely fallen out in the SUV. Lord, she couldn’t even remember whether she’d brought it. Everything about tonight and the past few days was too fuzzy. Cursing, she snapped the clutch shut and struggled to her feet. She shouldn’t have come tonight and didn’t want to be lying on the floor when Mrs. Dobbins and her mother found her.
As Maria entered the bedroom she heard loud male shouting coming from the next room. At least three men. Two had accents she couldn’t place, but one man she recognized. She wanted to say hello, but was too ill to face anyone and the shouting was escalating.
A low hum of panic threaded through her veins as the yelling suddenly increased in volume. She couldn’t make out the words, but then everything got quieter. Curious and worried, she hurried to the shared wall and pressed her ear against it.
“You cannot bomb the Freedom Tower last,” the familiar voice said, anger punching through each word.
“We can and we will. It is symbolic,” an accented voice growled.
“No—the Tower is a landmark. If you try to wait, it won’t work. The police, FBI, and everyone hunting you will—”
Maria wavered on her feet. Bomb the Freedom Tower? Panic gripped her with sharp talons, digging into her chest until it was hard to breathe. Blood rushed in her ears and she shook her head, trying to clear her fear so she could hear better. Straining, she held her breath as a man talked about bombing other Miami landmarks. Then there was a vile curse about hating the United States.
When everything suddenly went quiet, she pushed away from the wall. What the hell had she just heard? Terror was like a living thing inside her, pushing back most of her nausea. She had to tell someone what she’d just heard. While she didn’t recognize two of the voices, she knew one of them. And that scared the holy hell out of her that he was involved with . . . whatever was going on.
Her gaze landed on the door, but she backed away from it. There was no way she could exit through it. What if she ran into one of those men in the hallway? Looking around the unfamiliar room, she hurried to a double panel of floor-length curtains. Peering behind one of the thick silk panels, she realized the curtains covered two French doors.
When she disengaged the lock, the sound seemed overpronounced in the stillness even though she knew no one could have heard it. Slipping outside onto the small balcony, the cool air rushed over her skin and a chill ran through her that had nothing to do with the weather or her sickness.
Glancing around the expansive moonlit acreage, she looked for a guard or any sign of life. Are you freaking kidding me? The place had to be crawling with extra security.
Maria slipped off her heels and hurried across the small stone patio outside the room she’d been in. Immediately her feet hit grass. It was cool under her toes, but nothing could calm her right now. Pure panic raged through her as she hurried across the yard. On all sides she could see only a wall of hedges engulfing this place. Heading east across the yard in what she thought was the direction where Nash had originally parked, she picked up her pace. She still felt shaky and nauseated, but nothing could stop her now. The hair on the back of her neck raised as another fear set in. What if someone had seen her leave that room? Or was watching her right now?
Those men had been serious about the destruction they meant to cause. She had to get help.
When she reached one of the giant hedges, a small sliver of relief slid through her. It wasn’t an actual wall, just thick bushes that she could slip through. At this point she didn’t care what was on the other side. She just had to escape from this place and get to the limo. Her phone should be there and, more important, Nash would be able to help.
As she tried to find an opening she could shove through, she heard a rumble, and then a horrific blast filled the air. She spun around, her heart in her throat. Not truly comprehending what she was seeing, her stomach pitched when a giant ball of orange flames tore through the sky, engulfing the mansion.
Another rumble ripped through the air as the place started collapsing in on itself. Her mouth opened but no sound came out as the knowledge that her mother was in there pierced through her numbed mind. Darkness edged her vision, but she started to run toward the fire, needing to get to her mom, when another ball of flames tore through the night sky. Her entire body trembled under the impact, heat warming her despite the distance from the building. She blindly reached for something to hold her up but collapsed to her knees as her legs gave way. Unable to help, unable to breathe, she felt tears stream down her face as she watched the place implode.
Though she tried to fight it off, the darkness that had threatened to overtake her earlier suddenly claimed her as she passed out.
