Page 55 of Guarding Truth
She surveyed the area and didn’t see any movement, so she sprinted through the front yard and bolted to the door. Noelle opened it the second Juliette arrived.
“We’ve got to go,” she said.
Caleb jumped up off the couch, ready for action.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. He grabbed his Glock off the end table and crept next to the sliding glass door. Noelle returned to the living room with a sleepy Ivy.
Juliette kept an eye on the front yard and heard Caleb take a sharp breath. “FBI agent, down on the ground. He’s not moving. Blood on the concrete walkway outside of the patio could mean a gunshot wound to the head.”
“The other is dead in the car. Same wound.”
Caleb motioned for Ivy to stand behind him. The girl trembled but complied without saying a word. Juliette watched out the front window for any signs of movement. A car parked across the street three doors down had her concerned.
She held her breath, willing her pounding pulse to steady. “We’ve got company.” The car door opened. A man dressed in all black slipped out and stood in the shadows of the neighbor’s shrubbery, creeping closer to the safe house. Sunlight glinted off the gun in his hand.
“The front is not an acceptable escape route,” she announced and flanked the other side of the sliding glass door, across from Caleb.
She fixed her eyes on him. “Do you think we should make a run for it?” she asked. Somehow that didn’t feel safe, but with the man creeping around the front yard, what options did they have?
Caleb held up one finger. “Listen. What’s that noise?”
Juliette swiveled her head, trying to locate the source of the high buzzing sound. She dashed to the front window to keep a visual on the intruder. She didn’t see anything in the front yard, but the humming grew louder, like a swarm of bees. Or maybe it was—“It’s a drone,” Ivy said. Juliette watched as a mechanical box with four propellers dropped into view of the window. She raced back to the sliding glass door and caught Caleb’s attention. “We’ve got to go. The drone has a gun mounted on it.”
Noelle darted to the back bedroom and returned with two shotguns. “I thought we might need extra protection, so I packed accordingly.” She handed one to Caleb and stood against the wall with Ivy, all of them staying well away from being seen in the window. Caleb gave Juliette a tight nod. “We’ll run through the yard to the fence at the back. There are some trees that will offer limited protection, but there is a house about a quarter mile back. Maybe we can get help.”
“But that drone is going to target us the second it spots us.”
Caleb racked his gun. “You and Ivy run. Noelle and I will take care of the drone.”
Shots rang out, and the picture window in the front of the house exploded. They dove for the ground, glass fragments flying everywhere. Juliette met Caleb’s eyes. “It’s now or never.”
At Caleb’s nudge, Ivy crawled across the floor next to Juliette. Juliette squatted by the door and cracked it open. She froze. “Do you hear that?” The humming sound intensified.
Caleb stood, sticking to the wall while trying to stay out of view from both the front window and the sliding door. He parted the blind slats to take a peek. “I don’t see the drone,” Caleb whispered.
“It’s drones,” Ivy said. “Plural.”
No time to argue about a plan that put them all in the direct line of fire, because based on the sound, the hackers had sent a drone army to attack them. Caleb could defend himself. But Ivy? The girl put on a brave face, but this was more than any twelve-year-old should have to deal with. They needed to run across the patio to the yard, but that would take them right past the fallen agent.
“Ivy, we’re going to run.” Juliette stood and pulled Ivy up. “Look straight ahead. Focus on the rooftop of the house at the end of the pasture. Aim for the small group of trees near the fence.”
Juliette nodded to Caleb, and he moved into position behind her, with Noelle guarding the rear. Ivy wrapped her hand around Juliette’s arm.
They all stepped onto the patio and froze.
“What’s going on?” Juliette’s whisper was lost in the steady thrumming noise. They clung to the side of the house, under the awning of the patio. Multiple drones descended across the backyard. There had to be at least twenty of them dropping out of the sky, lining up in a grid-like pattern across the lawn.
“It looks like a chess board,” Ivy whispered. “They’re quadcopters. Expensive.”
The whirring stopped as the black rectangle machines with four propellors settled into the grass, unnerving Juliette more than the incessant noise. They stared down at the drone army parked across the backyard.
“It’s like a scene from a science fiction movie. What are they waiting for?” Juliette asked.
Caleb’s face paled. “Us.”
* * *
FRIDAY, 6:15 A.M.