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they had been holding when the
large gate rumbled upward. It started closing as soon as they were
inside.
    Before they could park, a door opened up and
three men rushed outside brandishing assault rifles, yelling. "Keep
your hands where we can see them! Stay in the car! Stay in the
car!"
     
     

CHAPTER FIVE

     
    A gasp caught in her
throat, but she teared up when she recognized the men. "Well, I
feel better already." A collective sigh filled the interior of the
car. Sarah pressed the button; her window slowly lowered. "Eric?
It's Sarah."
    A large man with deeply tanned skin,
six-feet, two-inches and close to two hundred pounds, lowered his
weapon and moved toward her. The other two stood guard.
    "Sarah?" He leaned in the window, cupping
her face in his hands. "Thank God." He opened the door his gaze
taking in the other passengers. He motioned to the other men. "It's
okay. It's Sarah and Meredith. And someone who looks a lot like
Sarah." He smiled briefly. "You must be Dana."
    "I must be." She smiled back at him. "So
you're Eric. The man my sister has been going on and on about for
the past six months. Eric this and Eric that—" She rounded the SUV
to stand beside her Sarah.
    "Dana! What the heck?" After all they had
been through, and now she wanted nothing more than for the floor to
swallow her.
    Eric's laugh echoed in the garage. "Six
months. Really? We've only been on two dates in the last month and
I had to work my butt off for those." Amusement shone in his dark
brown eyes.
    "Well, one thing you can say about our Sarah
. . . she ain't easy."
    "I am so gonna get you for that." She bumped
Dana's hip and changed the subject. "So it looks like you guys have
things under control here."
    "Took a while, but it's secure for now.
Let's get you inside."
    "Good. Cause I really don't feel well."
Meredith slumped in her seat.
    "Meredith? You okay?" Sarah touched her
shoulder.
    "Yeah. I will be. I just need to lie down
for a while."
    "Well let's get you all inside."
    The other two men came forward. Eric tried
to take Maggie from her, but the girl gripped her tightly even in
sleep. "It's okay, I've got her."
    He grabbed Meredith's bag and tossed the
blankets, pillows and jackets to Robert, one of the other Sheriff's
deputies. Theodore helped Meredith from the truck and hopped in,
adjusted the driver's seat and backed the SUV into a spot near the
door.
    Once inside, Eric led them down a stark
cream-colored hallway and stopped at a bulky metal door. His
keycard opened it quickly and he motioned them inside. Sara stood
there looking from the door to the keycard. "If the electricity
goes out..."
    "We won't be trapped in there," Eric said.
"There's a manual override as well as keys for every room and
cell."
    Once inside, the door clanged shut behind
them. It was a large space with twenty cells where prisoners were
held when they had court cases pending. A bulky metal door closed
it off to the rest of the building. No one would be able to get
through it easily. The section also housed the building's security
equipment. Outside and inside views showed up on several monitors,
some in night vision green.
    "We'll figure out something better later.
For now, the electricity is still on here and the backup generators
are in good order. We can see anything coming at us. And we can
heat this area a lot more efficiently than the whole courthouse.
There are beds in the cells here, too. I always wondered why they
bothered to put in beds when no one stayed overnight, but I'm
glad—" Eric dropped the bag he carried and grabbed Meredith as she
swayed. Picking her up, he started down the hall to one of the
cells.
    "I can walk, Eric. Put me down." Her weak
voice didn't carry far.
    He ignored her protests, carrying her into a
small cell. He sat her on the bed. "You don't have any blood on
you, so I'm assuming you haven't been bitten. Is that right?"
    She sighed. "No. I haven't been bitten.
Chemo's kicking my ass. I just need to rest."
    He nodded and looked