Page 45 of Hold Back
A narrow cot was bolted to the wall, neatly made, a heavy blanket folded with military precision at the foot. Above it, shelves held water, ration packs, a med kit, spare ammo, and a radio sealed in waterproof casing. A small desk held a satellite phone and a laptop already plugged in, its cables routed cleanly into the wall.
The room smelled faintly of metal and cedar, with an undercurrent of oil and ozone. This wasn’t a place meant for comfort. It was a place meant to survive.
Red stepped back and assessed the room the way he assessed everything else—clear lines of sight, no blind corners, no weak points.
If things went bad, if the danger he felt circling ever broke through the trees and the silence, this room would be where Kit stayed.
And no one was getting to him while Red was breathing.
Red madeKit run through activating the door, accessing the panic room, and closing the door on the world several times before he was satisfied.
“If the alarm sounds don’t hesitate, get in the panic room,” he ordered. “I’ll have your back at all times.”
“I’ve paid to have fun with these places,” Kit said. “It’s different when your life is on the line.”
Red wanted to assure Kit he felt the same way, but he was supposed to be the strong one. Not the one admitting he was scared too.
Kit yawned, his jaw cracking. He grimaced and rubbed his jaw. “I know I slept most of the day, but I feel like I could sleep for hours.”
Red was about to suggest they went to bed when his phone buzzed and he looked at it. “Mo wants to talk to you.”
He held back a grin as Kit edged closer to him.
“To me? He’s kinda scary,” Kit confessed. “You won’t leave me?”
“He is, but there’s no one I’d rather have protecting me. I won’t leave you,” Red promised.
At the knock, Red checked who it was on his phone before he opened it. “Stay out of sight,” he ordered.
To his relief, Kit moved out of the line of sight of the door.
Red took one look at Mo’s expression and knew there was trouble. He stood back to let Mo in.
“Do you want a drink?”
Mo shook his head. “No, I have to get back, but this news couldn’t wait.”
“What’s happened?” Red demanded.
Mo turned to Kit, his expression somber. “Kit, I’m sorry, the clubhouse was torched earlier today. No one was hurt, but there’s nothing left of the building.”
Chapter Ten
KIT
Kit stared at Mo.Evergreen Wolves clubhouse was gone? His home? Up to now he’d been able to pretend this was some mistake and everyone was overreacting. But now? The clubhouse had been part of his entire life, and someone had torched it. What about his brother?
“Tony?” His voice crackled like footsteps on dried leaves. He coughed and tried again. “Is he safe?”
“He’s safe,” Mo assured him. “But I don’t know where he is.”
“Does he know about the clubhouse?”
“I don’t know,” Mo admitted. “Craig called me, so I imagine he does.”
“What about the club members?”
“They’re all safe.”
