Good morning and Happy Hump Day ! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.
Just when the fire turns out to be a false alarm, the boys get a call of a prowler at their house? And Sarah and baby Alex are there alone? See what's going on in this week's chapter of Rose and Thorne 6. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers! Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!
Everything else took second place in that moment.
Returning to our home and seeing to the welfare of Sarah and Alex had just
become priority number one. Of course we weren’t about to leave Benny alone at
the hotel, especially under the circumstances. He seemed as anxious as we were
to find out what was going on, not surprising considering his niece and
great-nephew were involved.
This would have been a good time to have one of
those flashing lights to slap on the top of our car, the kind you see the
police use in lots of movies and TV shows. Being undercover, we’d never really
had a need for those before. Technically, this didn’t qualify as a police
emergency either, and we probably could have got into trouble for using them
anyway. I’m amazed we weren’t pulled over
considering how fast Ethan was driving. Luck was on our side, and we reached
our house in record time. Ethan pulled into the drive and just barely threw the
car into park before jumping out and heading inside. Benny and I were right
behind him.
Ethan yanked open the front door and burst inside.
The living room was empty. “Sarah? Sarah!” he cried out. Hearing no immediate
reply, he pulled his weapon and waved me toward the kitchen while he moved
toward the back of the house, down the hallway. I motioned to Benny to wait
where he was.
I could easily follow Ethan’s thoughts processes.
Secure his sister and nephew before we searched outside for the prowler,
although anyone with any sense should have fled the moment we arrived. Still,
there were people for whom common sense was a foreign language.
The kitchen was clear, not a perp in sight, so I
followed in Ethan’s footsteps. The hallway was empty. Ethan was just coming out
of our bedroom. Obviously no one there. Ditto with the bathroom. The door to
the spare bedroom, the one where Sarah and Alex were sleeping, was closed.
Ethan and I exchanged glances just before he reached for the doorknob.
At that moment, the door opened, and Sarah appeared
in the doorway. She slid out and quickly closed the door behind her. She seemed
puzzled as she looked between us.
“What’s up, guys? I thought you were at the hotel,
guarding Uncle Benny?” Then she looked past us, exclaiming. “Benny!” Apparently
he was standing just inside the living room. Hoorah for family reunions!
“One of the neighbors reported a prowler, that’s
what we’re doing here,” Ethan said tensely. “Are you and Alex all right? Is
anyone here? Did anyone try to break in?”
I wasn’t sure why Ethan was questioning her so
closely. I mean she was standing right there, clearly unharmed. What did he
suspect? That there was intruder hiding in her bedroom? Maybe using little Alex
as a hostage to keep her from revealing his presence? She did seem somewhat
tense herself, all things considered.
“Everything’s fine, Ethan,” she assured him. “Go on,
take Benny back to the hotel before you get in trouble.”
Strangely, she made no move to otherwise greet or
embrace her long lost uncle, hovering protectively by the bedroom door. My
suspicions were growing stronger, and I suspect Ethan’s were as well.
“We can catch up later,” she added, almost as an
afterthought before yawning very widely. A fake yawn if I ever saw one. What
the hell was she playing at?
Just then I heard Alex squeal from behind the closed
door, followed by a peal of laughter.
“Step away from the door, Sarah,” Ethan said calmly.
Sarah gave a nervous laugh. “You are being so
melodramatic! Isn’t he, Vinnie?” She appealed to me, as if for support, and
much as I loved her as Ethan’s sister, I couldn’t offer that support right this
moment. I was more than a little suspicious myself.
When Ethan tried to reach behind her, Sarah yelped.
“So help me, Ethan, don’t do it,” she warned him. “Please, please just trust me
here. Okay?”
I could tell Ethan was not going to be swayed by her words. I was afraid I was about to
witness a sibling fight such as I’d never seen between them before, and I felt
helpless to stop whatever was about to happen. I laid my hand on Ethan’s arm.
At the same time, I could feel Benny drawing closer.
But before anything untoward could happen, the door
opened. Standing inside the doorway was a man I’d never seen before, little
Alex in his arms. My blood ran cold at the sight of the intruder. My gun was in
my hand, but I certainly couldn’t shoot and take a chance on hitting Alex. What
sort of stand-off were we in the midst of?
And then I heard Ethan’s next words and suddenly I
understood.
“James.” Ethan’s voice sounded unnaturally cold.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
to be continued
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