Chapter 10 - Into the Woods
Tommy’s finger whitened on the trigger of his automatic. He stared at Declan, trying to read the bluff, weighing the risk of a federal drop against the absolute necessity of eliminating his boss.
“You always were a stubborn bastard, Declan,” Tommy muttered, his eyes narrowing. “Guess I’ll just have to take my chances with the feds.”
He raised the barrel.
Before Tommy could pull the trigger, a heavy clanging sound echoed across the carriage house floor.
Norah had rolled the iron mechanic’s jack across the concrete, slamming it directly into the side of Tommy’s shin with a brutal, unexpected impact.
Tommy yelled out in pain, his balance buckling as he stumbled sideways, his shot firing wide into the wooden rafters above in a deafening crack of thunderous sound.
“Run, Norah!” Declan roared, dropping his calm facade and lunging forward to tackle Tommy around the waist, driving both men hard into the side of a vintage Mercedes.
Glass shattered. Metal crumpled.
Norah didn't hesitate. Clutching the leather ledger and the satellite phone, she scrambled out from beneath the Navigator, sprinted toward the rear wooden stairs, and scrambled up to the hayloft.
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The rain lashed through the open loft doors as she reached the ledge, looking down one last time into the dim, chaotic interior of the carriage house. Declan and Tommy were locked in a desperate, bloody struggle on the concrete floor, rolling among the tools and shadows.
Without looking back, Norah threw herself through the loft opening into the dark, freezing embrace of the north woods, disappearing into the storm.
