Renegade Runaways :: Chapter Seventeen

Hope stared out the window at the beach down below. They'd been stuck in the same beach house for five days. She wished she could be outside enjoying the sun and the sand. She longed for a real vacation full of romance. She sighed.

"You doing okay?" Marlena's voice drew her away from the window.

"Yeah," Hope nodded. Her arms instinctively crossed her chest. She felt restless. Anxious.

"You've been pretty withdrawn the past several days," Marlena observed quietly. She sat on the edge of the bed, "Anything I can do to help?"

Hope pressed her lips together and slowly shook her head, "I'm just tired of feeling like a prisoner. Bo is like a ticking time bomb. I miss my daughter."

"I miss home too," Marlena agreed, "Should I talk to Bo?"

Hope smiled and almost laughed at the idea, "No…"

Marlena shrugged, unoffended, "If he feels up to it, let me know."

Hope sighed, "He's exhausted. He was a prisoner. Now he's free, but he's not really. He's constantly looking over his shoulder. We're all in danger and it's eating him alive. I think he feels responsible. He's anxious all the time. He's been through so much. I can't imagine the nightmares he has."

"Is everything okay with you two?" Marlena asked softly.

Hope nodded, "Slowly, but surely."

Kayla appeared in a rush at the bedroom door. Panic filled her face and she tried in vein to close the door quietly behind her. She had tear stains on her pale cheeks, and fresh ones on the way. She appeared as if she'd seen a ghost.

"Kay?" Hope questioned, "What's wrong?"

"Someone's in the house," Kayla's voice broke, "Someone is here."

"Lock the door," Marlena urged, but stood and brushed passed Kayla to do it herself.

Kayla's hands were shaking as Hope led her away from the door.

"How do you know?" Hope asked, "What happened? Where are the guys?"

Kayla shook her head quickly, "I don't know. I don't know where they are."

"They couldn't have just left us here," Marlena scoffed.

A creak in the floor outside of the bedroom door perked Hope's ears up. She reached into the nightstand for her gun.

"Get away from the door," Hope whispered. Her heart pounded. She turned the lights out, suddenly aware that someone could be watching from outside the window. She motioned for the other women to get down, taking cover on the other side of the bed, "Stay low."

"What happened?" Marlena questioned quietly.

"They have my mother," Kayla gasped.

"What?" Hope's throat tightened.

"They left a picture on the kitchen island," Kayla whispered, "When I found it, I stared at it. I was in shock. Then a bullet shattered the glass of water 6 inches away from me."

She held up her right arm, revealing glass shards still stuck in her skin. Blood oozed down her arm.

The hair on the back of Hope's neck stood up. Kayla could have been killed. She wondered if the shooter would have shown as much mercy if Bo or Steve would have found the photo. Her heart was still racing.

A quiet jiggling noise came from the door knob.

"Get under the bed," Hope demanded quietly. Marlena and Kayla obeyed, "Don't say a word. Don't even breathe."

The door swung slowly open, letting light from the hallway into the bedroom. Hope could feel her palms sweating as she gripped the gun she held with white knuckles. She sat crouched on the other side of the bed. Heavy footsteps fell one at a time, slowly checking out the bedroom. As they rounded the corner of the bed, Hope shoved her heel into the person's ankle as hard as she could. The man fell to the floor with a heavy thud and a loud cry of agony.

It didn't stop him from pointing his gun at her, and she instinctively fired first. The smell of gunpowder and blood hit her nostrils, but she didn't have time to react. Another man dressed in black entered the room.

"Get back, or I'll shoot," Hope warned.

The man didn't reply. Bo's voice calling from down the hall made her look away from her target. That second was all the man needed to throw her off balance. He punched the gun out of her hand, sending it flying across the room.

"Hope!" Bo appeared at the door, with Steve and John not far behind. They were surprised to find Hope in hand to hand combat with an intruder and Kayla crawling out from under the bed in an attempt to retrieve the loaded gun.

Hope grunted as she flew into the wall. She could taste blood on her lip, but it didn't stop her from fighting back. She didn't have to for long, because Bo stormed into the room, grabbed the man by the back of his t-shirt and shoved him up against the wall. The force was so hard, picture frames fell off of the wall and crashed to the floor.

Steve helped Kayla up, taking the gun from her. Marlena scurried out from under the bed.

"I'm getting the car ready," Steve announced and handed over the gun to John.

"I got Bo," John nodded, "Doc, go."

Marlena gladly followed Steve and Kayla out of the room, leaving Bo, Hope, and John behind.

"Get out of here Fancy Face," Bo demanded. He took another swing at the relentless man.

"I'm not leaving you," Hope replied evenly. She took the gun from John. Fire raged within her. She didn't take being under attack lightly. As soon as she had a clear shot, she didn't hesitate to take it. The shot rang out throughout the house, leaving a deafening silence behind.

"Guess you didn't need me," John winked at Bo, who stood breathless over a dead body. He was exhausted, but adrenaline made him move quickly. He ripped the gun out of Hope's hands and grabbed her wrist. She had to run to keep up with him, as he forcefully led her to the getaway car.

John jumped in the passenger seat of the waiting SUV. Marlena and Kayla were in the very back, leaving room for Bo and Hope to jump in the middle seats. Steve sped away from the house like a mad man.

"Slow down," Bo ordered, "Do you want to get pulled over by the cops?"

"Do you want some sniper tailing us?" Steve argued, "He could have killed your sister."

"We've got to figure out how these guys keep finding us," John announced. He was clearly irritated.

"No, what we need to do is save my mother," Kayla argued from the back seat. Her voice shook, but she was angry and determined.

"What?" Bo scowled at her as he turned in his seat.

Kayla shoved the picture of Caroline at his chest. Bo stared at it with a blank face. His heart sank. They had bait they knew he would take.

"Bo," Hope reached for his hand. He jerked it away, still mad at her for not leaving the room when he said to. He was reeling in shock and confusion.

"Let me see," John reached for the picture. His face was solemn, "I'll see what I can find out from Shane."

Silence fell over the car. The game was changing and the stakes were higher than ever.