Burn (Brothers of Ink and Steel #2) by Allie Juliette Mousseau Page B

meet you when it’s safe.”
    “You think they’re going to turn around.”
    “I think we need to be prepared if they do.”
    Adrenaline is rising through me. A moment later, we both see the blue lights reflected in the windows around us.
    Liam says, “Run through Park Alley and then double back. Cut in between the houses and stay off the roads. Do you hear me?”
    I nod. I don’t trust my voice.
    He uses his hand to tilt my head towards him. “I promise I’ll come back for you.” I feel the pressure of his lips press over the hat as he kisses my forehead. “Run now.”
    The second after I bolt, the cruiser’s sirens howl, slicing and echoing through the early morning quiet.
    I run as fast as I can and as long as I can without slowing down and pray to the angel that neither of us will get caught.
    I follow Liam’s instructions until I can’t hear the sirens anymore. My lungs are burning, my side is hurting and my muscles are aching when I finally have no choice but to slow my pace.
    A yellow school bus picks up a group of kids waiting at a stop. I hide behind an old car and watch, burning with jealously—jealousy that I’m not one of those kids, that I won’t be going to school today or meeting Liam in the hallway for a stolen kiss next to my locker. I’m jealous that they came from their warm beds and protective parents who kissed them goodbye and told them to have a good day.
    I sink into my hiding place and wait.
    It’s an hour later when I turn down the alley behind Huron. 
    I hang for a while, watching the house. I don’t see anything going on in it, or around it, and there are no cars in the surrounding homes’ driveways. Maybe—hopefully—everyone went to work.
    Holding my breath, I move through the backyard and get to the doorway. The window on the door is shielded by a curtain, and I can’t see inside. I work the knob carefully.
    “Shit!” It’s locked! “Now what?”
    I’m at the back of the house—moving around to the side or front doesn’t seem smart. I press my eyes closed and do the only thing I can think of. I knock on the door.
    I practice what I’m going to say if someone answers. “Hey, I’m wondering if you saw a black kitten? We lost her last night.” I whisper it over and over, while I coax my heart to calm down.
    No one comes.
    “Okay, now what do I do?” I worry the inside of my cheek. I hope to God Liam is right and the house is empty.”
    I find a rock and use it to break through the glass and then reach in and turn the lock. Opening the door slowly, I put my head in first. This door goes to the kitchen, and I can see all the way through the dining room into the living room.
    A big sigh of relief blows out of me.
    There’s no furniture. It’s empty.
    Carefully, I let myself in and close the door behind me. My heart doesn’t stop pounding for some time, and I don’t go any further, just in case someone does respond to the breaking and entering I’ve now gotten myself into.
    Once I feel more secure, I walk soft-footed through the lower level. It’s cold; I watch my breath steam in front of my mouth.
    I’m confident no one is here.
    Luckily the water is still on in the house. First thing I do is use the bathroom; second thing I do is stick my head in the sink and drink from the faucet until my stomach hurts. There are no towels and the water is like ice, which means it tastes good, but there is no way I can wash up.
    I tip-toe up the stairs. Honestly, I’m terrified. Just because the downstairs was clear doesn’t mean the upper floor is. If Liam knows about this place, who else does?
    The floor creaks, and panic races up my spine, but the sound is only from my own footfalls.
    The quiet is eerie, and after checking through the barren bedrooms, I curl up like a ball in the closet, in case someone else comes in from the cold.
    I have nothing here to do or to entertain me. Since my mind isn’t occupied, it starts wandering to crazy shit—like when my mom was