Read Recourse 2 (The Arrangement) for Free Online Page B

around the room. I eyebrows shot up as I remembered setting the alarm for the morning just in case I slept through the night. I pulled down the covers and heard a muffled thump somewhere close to my foot. I dropped down and felt the area. I felt something under the cloth and jerked the cover towards me, revealing the yearbook. I swore for the second time as I searched nearby. Something glossy was lying against the wall. I reached out and bowed my head in relief.

    I quickly jumped back to the window and glued myself against the wall, peering just barely over the window frame. I felt my stomach churn as I imagined the intruders making their way through the house. They didn’t know I was staying here, but what if they ran across something that gave it away? How far were they ready to go? I forced a hard gulp down my throat and used my trembling hands to find the power button on the phone. The black screen didn’t respond to me forcing the switch. I shook the phone in my hands and prayed for it to respond. Clasping the finger on top of the power button again, my eyes welled up as the screen only showed the red outline of a battery with a line across it. The light panic turned into full fledged terror as my raspy breath accelerated into the suddenly very claustrophobic room. MY body responded by sending tremors, jerking my spine up from the wall. I grabbed the bottle on the table and propped myself up against the door, my nostrils flaring for a good hour before I found the courage to look outside again. I stayed glued to the window jumping at every imaginary movement in the black backdrop until I’d force my mind to settle, and then finally found the courage to run over to the neighbors and phone Chase once the first dawn appeared across the sky.

CHAPTER 9

    The house didn’t show any signs of a break in. Chase was livid, and wanted blood. The fact that we had no idea of who was behind the intrusion made it that much worse. Amy was adamant that the whole situation started to get out of control.

    Amy an I decided to fly down to Mazatlan and stay with her friends until things calmed down a bit more. It would allow Chase to concentrate on the battles in front of him. Driving to the airstrip the car was shrouded in silence for most of the way as the tension hung in the air.

    “I just can’t put my finger on it.” Chase broke the silence. “Who would be so bold?”

    He rubbed his ear. “Even Loushen wouldn’t go this far. I think.”

    Amy had her hands in her lap, and was staring somewhere off in the distance. Her face was not giving anything away. I pressed my lips tighter together and shook my head. It had started to occur to me that Chase needed to hear the full story. Lighting reflected in my eyes as I glared at her. Whatever reasons she had for keeping quiet she was going to tell me during our flight. The car passed through the private security gate and drove right onto the airfield. A small pearl white jet stood on a runway. It was a small private plane with a propeller, fit for only a few people.

    “I want you two to be very safe.” He pulled the luggage from the car into the plane’s cockpit.

    “Don’t worry, we will be.” I assured him. “We both know how to use guns now.”

    “I brought a few along, they are in the back of the plane.” Amy said as he mouth stretched into a playful smile, “Along with some other ‘equipment.’

    Chase raised his eyebrows, “Now I wish I was going with.”

    “How long do you think we should stay put?” Asked Amy.

    “The first big hearing is in two weeks. I’ll know more after.” He looked over at the plane, and then gazed straight into my eyes. “I am sorry to have you do this.”

    “Focus on Matrox.” I said. “That is much more important right now than our little vacation.”

    “You got it.” Chase gave he a quick nod and smiled. “They won’t know what hit them.”

    “Where is our pilot?” I looked over at the empty cabin.

    “Present.”