Oh crap. “So, if someone tries to open the door while we sleep?”
“It’ll be a long nap.”
“Well, don’t you have something that would protect us against the gas?” I mumbled, embarrassed because he was right. I didn’t know jack squat about the technology.
“Like in my back pocket? I foolishly thought you were in danger and rushed to rescue your butt from any of the million dangers of the woods when I found you nattering with these people.”
“Again, I didn’t plan on this. I was afraid of Nate’s knife.”
Greer laughed, and he hissed, “You’ve got to be kidding me. You were afraid of a little knife?”
“And why wouldn’t I be?” I whispered back.
“Because you’re…” He stopped himself short, and I waited for the answer.
“Well, what?”
“Nothing.”
We were face to face there in the dark, and I had nothing to say to him. “Fine. Let’s go to bed.”
“Fine. Leave the sunglasses on.”
“Fine. You take the floor.”
“Well, honey, considering we’re a couple, we’re sharing the bed.”
“Fine! Stay on your side.”
“Not a problem.”
“Fine!”
“Fine.”
Chapter 26
The Cat and the Fiddle
Greer wasn’t next to me when I woke up, and it terrified me. He should have been, and if I knew one thing about Greer, nothing would have made him leave me in the Diddle’s house alone without force. This was not good. Not good at all.
I went to the door and turned the handle only to discover it turned halfway and stopped with the click of the lock. There was no mistaking it. The Diddles locked me in. I backed away, afraid messing with it more would knock me out.
I went to the window.
Outside, a horrific scene developed before my eyes. Tied to a tree, Greer struggled against his ropes. Three skinny, bald, rough men threatened Greer with brass clubs. At first, I thought the Diddles were behind the chaos, but then I noticed the three oldest Diddles tied to a nearby tree.
I backed away from the window. They were all in danger, not just Greer. “Hey!” Donna called down from the loft, and she waved me up. I looked outside again and saw a man whack Greer in the ankle. I pounded on the window. If I had to break it, I would.
“Don’t! You’ll release the gas,” she said.
I stopped. If I released the gas, Greer wouldn’t stand a chance. I was his only hope. They’d hurt or kill Greer. It was my stupid fault we were there. I climbed the stairs.
Donna stared out a small window. The men walked towards her father, bats raised.
“Get away from the window,” I said, and I put my body before her view.
"Those three showed up, and Dad and your boyfriend went outside and then they tied your boyfriend to a tree, followed by my dad and then Natalie and Mom.”
“Why?”
Donna hid behind her long blond hair. “Dad called The Hunters this morning because… he, um… Dad turned you in to them for the finder’s fee, but then they turned on him.”
“Crap.” On all fronts. From the little window, I saw Nate get hit in the shoulder with a club. These guys were hurting them, maybe they even planned to kill them. I had to do something.
“Do you have a weapon or anything?”
“Dad has an old hunting rifle, but he took it out with him.” As she said it, the man hit Laura. She screamed, and Donna let out a squeak. “Not Mom.”
No matter if they were going to turn me in, I had to help.
“I’ll save them, okay? Just tell me how to get out of the house so we won’t get knocked out,” I said.
At that point, Donna was too scared to talk, and she pointed her shaking hand to a small window on the other side of the loft.
“Thank you. Hang tight, okay?”
She gave me a weak nod, and I opened the window and shimmied out. The ground wasn’t far; if I hung down the drop would be four feet max. I let go, landing as softly as possible on the ground.
As soon as I was out, I heard the shortest of the men yelling. “You should’ve called the Libratiers last night, Nate, but you didn’t! You called me, me! of all people. You owe me thousands of dollars and you called me to make a deal. You should’ve known better. You run like a little girl out into the woods from me. Me? Have I ever seemed kindly to you or forgiving? Like I’d share the reward.”
I put my sunglasses on and silently moved around the building. The three men were all young. On the back of each of their shaved heads, I saw a tattoo of a serpent with the head of a man. These men looked rough and dangerous, and the Diddles betrayal deepened. The Diddles never earned my trust but handing me over to these people was truly terrible.
“Take the girl and leave,” Nate demanded. “You can have all the money; just go.”
“Go near her and I’ll kill you!” Greer yelled.
“You kill us. You?” the short one mocked. “You’ll be dead long before that.” One of the bigger men stepped forward and slammed the baton right into Greer’s chest, and Greer let out a growl of pain. The man raised the club again, this time aiming for Greer’s head.
I couldn’t stand there and watch. I stepped out of the clearing. “Leave them alone!”
The man did a slight bow. “Well, Princess, it’s nice to meet you but nah. Not going to happen.”
“It’s a royal order!” I called. “Leave them alone.”
“Again, nah. We’re out here to take you in, return you to the Merrics, and you won‘t stop us.”
“Waverly, run!” Greer said. “I will be right behind you.”
The man stepped closer. “I don’t think so. You’re not going anywhere.”
He lunged for me. I jumped back, and
