Away From the Sun Read Online Free Page A

that you are well-equipped to handle those situations.”
    Sly dog, I think. Samuel almost has me convinced.  
    The room is silent for a moment. There really isn’t anything I can say. Samuel has Stephen thinking, and voicing any more of my opinion won’t help.  
    “This is something I have to talk over with my people,” Stephen finally says. “But you make a compelling case.”
    “That’s what I’m here to do.” Samuel looks toward the door. “Mac,” he shouts. A guard opens the door behind us. “Bring in Stephen’s men.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    It only takes a minute for Mac to bring Stephen’s scouts to the room. Samuel, Stephen, and I all stand when they enter. The two of them look a little rough, but probably not from anything Shadowface’s men did to them.  
    “How did they treat you?” Stephen asks.  
    One of them nods and says everyone was nice to them.  
    Stephen looks back at Samuel. “I appreciate you taking care of my men and being civil about everything.”
    “Why would I be anything less?” Samuel asks. He nods at one of his guards who promptly hands the radios back to Jim and David. “My only regret is making you worry last night.”
    Stephen nods in agreement, but doesn’t say anything. I’m not sure he knows what to say.  
    A squawk on the radio turns everyone’s heads. At first it’s just static, but a voice finally breaks through.  
    “4978, this is Home Base, do you copy?”
    “I left mine in the SUV,” Stephen says. He reaches out and takes the radio from one of his men.  
    “Must be good radios,” Mac says with a scowl.  
    “Got them from the police station in Elkhorn,” either Jim or David says. I’m not sure which.
    Stephen walks to the other side of the room as if doing so will make it where only he can hear, though everyone is listening intently. “Go ahead, Lydia.”
    “Just wanted to let you know that we let the three newcomers in to stay through tonight.
    “That’s fine,” Stephen says. “I’m busy right now, I’ll get back to you later.”
    “Ten-four,” Lydia says. “I thought I should tell you that they are looking for Remi.”
    All eyes fall on me and my stomach drops. Why would someone be looking for me?
    “They say their names are Gabe, Ethan, and Waverly.”
    This time my heart leaps into my throat. Did she just say Waverly? Surely not. I can feel my mouth hanging open, and I know the look of shock on my face will raise some questions later, but I don’t care.
    I’m about to shake my head and tell them that I don’t know what’s going on, but a rumbling from the building’s foundation interrupts all of our thoughts. Then, my ears feel like they burst when a noise that must be an explosion shakes the walls.  
    Everyone dives for the floor as the table and chairs rattle. The explosion sounds like a bolt of lightning just went off right next to my head. Several of the guards shout out curses, asking what the noise could have been. Finally, the rumbling settles and all is quiet again.
    I close my eyes and try to focus my hearing in the direction of the explosion. In the distance, I’m not sure how far, guns are going off. My head snaps upward when the door on the other side of the room swings open. A woman is standing in the doorway, a look of worry etched across her face.  
    “They are here again,” she says, looking at Samuel. “We’ve got to get to the roof.” The woman glances at me for a moment. She looks to be about forty-five, maybe fifty years old. Her blonde hair is straight and cuts off at the bottom of her cheek. Her eyes stab into me and then flit to Stephen nervously. She has to be the woman I heard talking to Stephen before the meeting. And I can’t help but feel like I’ve seen her before. She seems so familiar.  
    Is she Shadowface? Surely not.  
    “Get you and your men to the ground floor,” she says to Stephen. “They aren’t after you. They want us.”
    “Not exactly selling me on trusting you,” Stephen