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from Noah’s as he turned around, staring up at her with big, sad eyes as she started to follow his path along the wall. “Am I in trouble?”
    “You bet.”
    He heaved out a sigh and looked down at the toes of his sneakers. Then, just as she reached the doorway, he jerked his head up. “My schoolwork!”
    He lunged away before Noah could stop him, and out of reflex Trinity moved to block him.
    The second her foot touched those boards in the middle, trepidation reached up, grabbed her. She heard the boards crack and instinctively she threw out a hand, shoving Micah back.
    Every nightmare she’d had about that damn house came true. It was like the floorboards just … melted. Right under her feet. She fumbled, tried to move. But she was already falling.
    *   *   *
    Noah bit back something ugly as he tried to grab the boy. Micah was about as slippery as a fish. Trinity blocked Micah, and as she looked up her and Noah’s gazes locked. Everything slowed.
    One second she was there, and then she was falling. Noah swiped out a hand to grab her, but it was too late. His fingers brushed against the soft material of her top and that was it. Her scream bounced off the walls and he was already moving, but he wasn’t fast enough. A cellar—there was a cellar down there, his mind noted, filing it away even as panic crashed through him.
    What the—
    In the back of his mind, he was thinking all sorts of thoughts that had no bearing on the situation— should have boarded the door, should have made Teddy get started in here sooner, should have used Caine’s group—
    Nonsensical thoughts that made it easier for Noah’s mind to process the real problem.
    That was the fact that Trinity was lying sprawled on her back in a small, dark space that had probably been used as a fruit cellar back when the house was built. Light from the exposed bulb over his head shone down on her as he stared over the edge. “Trinity!”
    She groaned and reached up, touching her head. “Micah?”
    Noah shot the boy a look—he was standing there, white-faced, eyes frozen wide. “Mama!”
    As Micah tried to dart around him, Noah caught him by the waist. “Sorry, pal. You need to stay back until I help your mom.”
    “But she fell!”
    “Micah!” Trinity’s voice, tight and laced with pain, came from the hole in the floor. “You sit your butt down and listen to Mr. Noah. Now. ”
    “Sounds to me like she’s fine,” Noah murmured, nudging the boy out of the way. “Go sit on that bench right there and be quiet a minute, okay?”
    Once Micah had parked his little tail down, Noah focused back on Trinity.
    “Trinity.” His voice sounded firm and level, a fact that surprised him to no end, because he was terrified. “Are you hurt anywhere?”
    She grimaced. “I don’t know. Micah’s fine?”
    “He is.” Noah shot the boy another look and then glanced around, trying to figure out how in the hell to get her out of there. If he went down he could lift her up, but not if she was hurt.
    She went to sit up.
    “Trinity, damn it, don’t go moving yet,” he said. “We need to know if you’re hurt.”
    “I’m not. Well, my head a little but…” She groaned again and sat up, ignoring him when he told her again not to move. She reached up, touching the back of her head. “You cussed. Preachers don’t cuss.”
    Noah didn’t bother asking where she’d heard that—it was Madison; she probably knew what size shoes he wore. “I’m not a preacher anymore, Trinity. Be still for me, okay? Are you hurt?”
    “No.” Her voice was grouchy and she sighed. “I’m pissed off. There’s a hole in my floor, Noah. A hole. Why in the hell is there a hole in my floor?”
    She went to go to her knees.
    The bottom of his stomach dropped away as she froze and went white—white as death itself.
    “Trinity?”
    “Noah—”
    Her voice broke.
    Following her gaze, he found himself staring.
    It took his mind a minute to process it—another to adjust.