“That’s Captain Nabera.” Layla was whimpering.

Doors slammed. Near the front of the building, women were screaming.

Nabera shouted, “Door-to-door search.”

There was the hard sound of boots on wooden floors.

“They’re here. Dear God, they’re here,” Serena moaned.

Children scrambled from the corner, fleeing to their mothers.

Run, run, run. Heart hammering, Kit turned in a circle, frantically looking for an exit.

She didn’t know how to escape the room.

Situational awareness. Why hadn’t she paid attention as Hawk had said?

A child shrieked, and Kit almost panicked, thinking it was Aric. No. Her son was safe with Hawk.

There were other children here. Her fear was pushed aside by determination. Help the children.

She spun and snapped out, “Miriam, block the door.”

Dashing across the room to another door, she yanked it open, hoping it would lead to somewhere that could be barricaded better.

It was a closet only big enough for one person. Worthless.

At the door to the hallway, Miriam braced a chair under the handle. Others pushed more furniture against the door and the chair.

A man’s voice came from the hallway. “There’s someone in there. Sounds like kids.”

Mothers immediately silenced their children, as he rattled the handle and tried to open the door. “It’s braced shut,” he hollered. “Fucking cunts.”

A bullet came through the door—and someone let out a shriek.

Other men were talking.

“Yeah, got women in here.”

“Might have some fun before we leave, huh?”

“Get that door open.” The voice was Captain Nabera’s. “Get a hatchet.”

Shaking started deep inside Kit’s body as if her very bones vibrated with fear.

Think, Kit, think. “If someone has a phone, call 911.” Living in the compound, the women had lost the almost instinctive response of calling the emergency number.

One woman whipped out a phone.

When the men break in, we’ll be trapped here. Kit headed for the door to outside.

“Yes,” Mary agreed. “We need to get out of this room.” She started shoving women and children that direction.

Kit shoved the door open and went out with the wave of people.

Outside, she could almost hear Hawk’s voice. Where is your line of retreat?

She moved away from the building to look around. The outside area was a small meditation spot. A thick privet hedge with no openings divided it from the other sides of the yard. The far wall was the six-feet tall privacy fence that enclosed the grounds.

They’d never get the children over that fence before getting caught.

Kit scowled. Screaming wouldn’t help. The area was residential. No one would come running to help.

Loud thumps showed the men were battering down the door into the room.

“Block this door too,” Mary ordered. She’d pulled a folding chair out with her.