Every Precious Thing

CHAPTER SEVENTY — TWO

As Sara and Diana ran from the room, Logan checked his watch. They were almost out of time.

He nodded at Rachel and Kurt, and said to Richard, “Keep an eye on them.”

He made a quick circuit of the formal living room, dining room, and family room, turning off all the lights and the TV. Reggie, apparently deciding to be his shadow, followed happily behind.

“Why are you doing that?” Kurt called out.

“He’s trying to save your life,” Richard said.

Ignoring both men, Logan stepped over to a window that faced the street and pulled back the curtain. At the moment, it was quiet, no cars in either direction as far as he could see, but he knew that wouldn’t last long.

He heard footsteps and turned to see Sara and Diana walk back into the entryway. Emily was in Sara’s arms, hugging her.

“Can I see her?” Richard asked.

Logan realized this must have been the first time Sara’s brother ever laid eyes on his niece. Diana, he knew, had seen her earlier that summer when she visited Sara in Riverside. But as wonderful as that moment should be, this wasn’t the time.

“You need to go, now!” Logan ordered.

Richard looked annoyed, but he turned from his sisters and opened the front door.

As the others moved to follow him, Rachel reached out to grab Emily from Sara. “You’re not taking her anywhere.”

“You all go!” Logan yelled.

Emily started to cry.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” Sara said. “It’s okay.”

“Go, go!” Logan said.

“Go where?” Kurt asked.

“I don’t care,” Logan said. “Away.”

“Why?”

Both Richard and Diana had already disappeared outside, but just as suddenly, they came running back in.

“Car,” Diana said as Richard shut the door.

Logan moved back to the window.

A car was heading down the road toward the house.

“Keep going,” he whispered. “Keep going.”

But his mojo wasn’t working this time, and the vehicle started to slow.

“Out the back,” he said quickly. “Go over the fence to the next yard!”

“What are you taking about?” Kurt said. “I’m not going over any fence. You’re going to tell us what’s going on, and you’re going to tell us now.”

“Go, dammit, go!” Logan said. He pulled out his phone and dialed Dev.

No one seemed to move. Instead everyone started arguing.

Outside, the car was only half a block away, its speed at a near crawl now.

“Logan?” Dev said.

“Where are you?”

“I’m in Simi. Maybe five minutes away.”

Five minutes was too long. “I’m in the house. It appears the others are just pulling up.”

“I’ll get there as quickly as I can.”

Logan hung up, and looked back. Everyone was still there.

“Do you all not get it? There is only one person in this house the people who just got here want alive, and it’s not any of you, or me.” He glanced at Emily, then scanned the others. “Get the hell out of here now!”

They started to move. Even Rachel’s husband seemed shaken enough not to put up a fight.

Logan returned his attention to the street. The car was only one house away now, angling for a section of the curb directly behind the car Logan and the others had arrived in. As soon as it parked, its lights went out, but the doors remained closed.

Logan looked down the street, wondering if they might be waiting for reinforcements, but, as of now, there were no other cars heading this way.

He heard one of the sedan’s doors open, and looked back at it.

Not one door, but two. Dr. Paskota exited the front passenger side, while one of her goons climbed out of the backseat. Logan could see three shadowy forms still inside-Alan and Harp in the back, and a final man still behind the wheel.

Logan clearly saw what he needed to do. Divide and conquer.

He stepped over to the front door. Leaving the deadbolt undone, he turned the knob lock just enough so that it was partially engaged, then looked through the peephole to be sure the woman and her friend were definitely heading his way.

They were.

Logan moved quietly through the house, with Reggie lumbering slowly behind him.

“Scoot, scoot,” he said to the dog, pushing him through the open sliding glass door, and following right behind.

As soon as they were outside, he shut the door and took a quick look at the back fence. Richard was trying to help Kurt get over the wall, but it was obviously a struggle. The others were gone.

“You guys need to hurry,” Logan whispered. He patted Reggie on the head. “Come on.”

With a hand on the dog’s collar, he guided Reggie along the back of the house into his pen, and closed the wire gate.

“Be a good boy and stay quiet, okay?”

Reggie licked his hand and chuffed once.

“No, no. Quiet,” Logan said, holding his finger to his mouth.

This time the dog sat down.

“Good boy. We’ll be back for you soon.”

Hoping he was right, he stepped to the fence and eased himself over the top.