Part 72 (1/2)

”Hurry,” she gasped. ”Hurry through.”

The soldiers were more than ready. Like a panicked horde, most of them made a mad scramble to leave this world and go back where they belonged. She watched them fighting each other in their haste to get through the doorway before it closed. A few held back, and she knew some would rather take their chances here than with the Iron Man of Sun Acres. Some rushed for the bas.e.m.e.nt, and she silently wished them good luck.

As she watched, the majority ran headlong into the trees. When the doorway was clear, Avery and Brusco followed.

Brusco disappeared quickly. But when Avery had gained the other side of the doorway, he turned and stared at her, his face suddenly contorting.

”No!” he shouted. He tried to run back to her side of the barrier. But his body jerked, and he grabbed his throat as he sank to his knees.

Falcone stared through the doorway. ”What in Carfolian h.e.l.l have you done?” he screamed at her.

”Nothing. It must have been too much for him. Go. Get out of here.”

”Not without you,” he growled. ”You're coming with me where I can deal with you the way I should have in the first place.”

When he reached for her, she pulled out the gun that she had concealed in the cus.h.i.+on beside her. ”Get away from me. Or I'll shoot you with this thing.”

He stopped short, staring at the weapon. ”You wouldn't dare!”

”Yes, I would. Get back.”

He must have decided she didn't have the guts, because he kept advancing on her, and she squeezed the trigger the way Logan had showed her. But nothing happened.

GREAT Mother, something was wrong. Logan had told her all the things she needed to know to make the gun shoot, but the weapon wasn't firing. Then she remembered-only the Glock worked with the safety inside the trigger guard.

As she frantically looked down at the weapon, Falcone pulled out his own gun.

Before he could fire, a tremendous booming sound shook the house. It took a moment to realize it was outside the building.

”What the h.e.l.l?”

As Falcone focused on her again, a gray form leaped from the darkness and collided with him.

A wolf! Logan.

The gun went off, sending a bullet into the wall.

Falcone screamed and tried to point the gun at the wolf, but two more animals leaped from the shadows. One grabbed his hand, biting down until he dropped the weapon. The other knocked him to his knees.

Falcone screamed again, kicking and clawing at the wolves, fighting them with what looked like more than human strength.

The air on the other side of the portal stirred, and something drifted toward Rinna, tugging at her. She got up and tried to stumble toward the opening, compelled by a terrible force that clawed at her mind.

It wasn't pulling her into her own world. She had lied to Falcone. She had never intended to open a portal to safety. Instead she had found the world of the Suckers. And the mind vampires were trying to drag her and Falcone through. To join the others who had rushed to their destruction.

She'd thought she could get out of the room before they attacked her. But Falcone had kept her close to the portal.

She stared at the doorway. It couldn't stay open for long because she only had enough power to gain a temporary opening. Now the Suckers were making a desperate attempt to grab the remainder of their prey before the doorway closed.

Hurry. Come to us. Before it's too late.