Married by Monday

Cash hesitated.

Warning bells went off inside Carter’s head.

“Dad?”

“I just heard from an old friend at San Quentin.”

Eliza!

“What happened?”

“There was a disturbance tonight. Some information leaked out.”

“What information, Dad?” Carter was wide awake now and kicking the covers off.

“My sources came across a note claiming Sanchez called out a hit. There weren’t any names on the paper, but I have to assume he meant Eliza.”

The air inside Carter’s lungs escaped and he grew dizzy. He knew the possibility of Sanchez making that call was there. Hearing it confirmed brought a sand paper blanket of prickly dread over him. “How long ago was this?”

“An hour, maybe more.”

Carter stretched the limits of the phone cord and retrieved his pants, yanked them on. “Did you call Eliza?”

“The line wasn’t working. The power’s out over half the city.”

“Hold on.” Carter unplugged his cell and dialed Eliza’s cell. It went straight to voice mail.

“I’ve got to go.”

“I’m on the first flight out,” his father said.

“Yeah…okay.”

No more words were necessary and Cash hung up.

Carter called Blake’s home number and met with a busy signal. The next call was to his pilot.

Thank God, he’d bought the damn plane.

****

The door to Eliza’s room slammed shut and jolted her out of her sleep.

Zod darted to his feet and whined.

The wind outside rattled the frame of the house—not a small feat considering the size of it. Must be a window open somewhere.

Eliza pushed off the covers and patted barefoot into the bathroom. She attempted the light switch but nothing happened. Luckily, the glow off the nearly full moon illuminated the window, casting light inside.

Sure enough, the bathroom window was open by an inch. Just enough to make the bedroom door slam.

Eliza turned, nearly stumbling over Zod who followed silently behind her.

She walked to the east window, made sure it was shut, and then walked to the north window and checked that one, too.

Her eyes caught something moving in the backyard. One of the glass tables teetered on the edge of the swimming pool.

“Oh, man,” she whispered. Shattered glass inside a body of water would be a nightmare to clean up.

With a flashlight in hand, Eliza donned her bathrobe and called Zod to her side. She passed her purse sitting on her dresser and quickly tucked her gun in the pocket of her bathrobe.

“Might as well let you out to pee while we’re out here,” she murmured to the dog. She walked by the security room down the hall from hers and poked her head in. “I’m taking Zod outside.”

“Want me to do it?”

“No, I got it.”

Russell pushed out of his chair to go with her.

“I can manage,” she told him.

“The power’s out, the wind is blowing, and the battery backup died twenty minutes ago. Pete isn’t outside walking the yard. With all respect, Mrs. Billings, I’m going with you.”

“Well, when you put it like that,” she said with a little laugh. “Bring some muscles with you. The yard furniture is making its way into the pool.”

Russell had to push against the back door to open it. The chimes that normally rang when the door opened didn’t sound. She hoped the power company could get the juice back on soon. She’d grown used to all the security measures of late. Not having them left her feeling naked in some strange way. It didn’t help that her husband was hundreds of miles away. Strange how quickly Carter had wiggled under her skin.

Zod braved the wind, and Eliza made sure the back door wasn’t locking behind them when she closed it.

The wind was a typical warm Santa Ana. Her hair flew in all directions as she cast her light on the patio furniture in the yard. Sure enough, one of the glass side tables tipped close to the water’s edge. She sat the flashlight on the ground and said, “Take the other side and let’s move it close to the house.” After moving it safely beside the house, she retrieved one of the chairs, and Russell followed her lead with the others. No use fishing anything out in the morning.

Zod barked from behind them, his growl carried off by the wind. Then his bark changed and the hair on Eliza’s neck stood on end.

Oh, God.

Zod’s bark grew vicious.”

“Get down!” Russell dropped the chair in his hand as he yelled.

Before Eliza could turn around and call a command, a flash of light and the sound of a gunshot filled the night.

****

“I need you to go get Eliza. Take her back to your house. Anything.” Carter’s words were as frantic as his stomach. He barked orders at Blake as if he had the right to.

“What’s going on?”

“I heard from my dad. Sanchez called out a hit on Eliza.” Carter was already in the air before he managed to connect with Blake via cell phone. “The power is off at the house, and I can’t get a hold of anyone there. I called Dean, he’s on his way there now.”

“Son of a bitch. We’re not there, Carter. Sam and I are headed toward you.”

“You’re what?”

“It’s Harris. There was a fight. They rushed him to San Francisco General for surgery.”

Carter clutched his fists as frustration filled his every cell.

“What about Neil?”

“He’s with Eddie. Gwen’s on her way to the house. I’ll ask Neil to go get Eliza.”

“Please.” Carter would beg if he had to. “Jesus, Blake. It’s all going to shit.”

“Deep breath. You don’t know if anything is wrong.”

Yes, he did. Deep in his bones, he knew something wasn’t right.

****

Zod tore into the shadows as Eliza grabbed her left arm and fell to the ground. Heat and searing pain followed warm, sticky blood oozing between her fingers.

A female scream lifted in the wind when Zod stopped barking and starting growling.

Russell rushed to her side with his gun drawn. One look at her and he shielded her with his body and shoved her into the safety of the house.

Outside the frantic screams of a woman yelled for Zod to stop.

Lightheaded from the wound in her arm, Eliza removed her gun and turned off the safety

“Go,” Eliza told Russell. “Don’t let them get away.”

Russell swore under his breath, clearly torn with the decision to leave her side.