His heart thudded painfully in his chest as he crept out of the room and across the short distance to the stairs. Pausing at the edge of the wall, he peered down into the thick darkness of the lower level. There was no movement within the shadows. He started forward again, but immediately stopped. Ears straining. There was a distant scrape and a crackle of fracturing glass. Someone was crossing the kitchen. Possibly stepping on the broken glass from the window or door. He needed to hurry.
Balancing on the balls of his feet, Snow quickly and silently descended the stairs, expertly skipping over the third stair from the bottom. A poorly hammered nail when the stairs were built now creaked under any pressure. Snow had lain awake far too many nights, waiting to hear Jude hit that step after a long shift, announcing that he was finally home safe and about to crawl into bed.
Jude knew that creak too. He’d listen for it while he waited for his chance to join in the fight. It was one of the few little early warnings they had in this very new home.
As he reached the ground floor, Snow grabbed a large jar candle Rebecca had given them as part of a housewarming gift. The candle and glass had a nice weight, and he could comfortably wrap his hand around it. Not a great weapon, but it was the best he could do on short notice. He’d been tempted to grab the gun he kept in a lockbox in the bedroom closet, but the truth was that the damn thing had gotten buried under random shit over the past years, thanks to a quieter life. He wasn’t even sure if he had ammunition for the thing anymore.
Snow paused in the hall as he heard footsteps crossing the living room toward the front door and the staircase leading to the second floor. Silently, he drew in a deep breath and waited. There was just enough light from the front windows and a nearby streetlight that he caught a glimpse of the man’s harsh features before he brought the candle down hard on the man’s head. The glass broke, and Snow was vaguely aware of it slicing into the palm of his hand, but his main focus was on the intruder collapsing to the floor in a motionless heap.
Another man swore, but Snow didn’t catch what he said. He swung out with his right, knocking away the gun the man was raising. A wild shot brought a flash of light before it clattered to the hardwood floor. The sound was deafening in the enclosed space, leaving a ringing in Snow’s ears.
The man recovered quickly. A fist slammed into Snow’s jaw, snapping his head to the right and causing him to stumble backward a step. Pain exploded across his face. He managed to dodge a second blow and backhand his attacker with his left. A new jolt of pain lanced along his palm from the cut. He could feel his hand growing wetter as blood coated it and ran down his wrist.
With a grunt, the man came at him again, but Snow was ready. Adrenaline coursed through his system and dulled the pain in his body. He landed two more punches, sending the man backpedaling. The bastard tripped backward over a low ottoman. He reached out with both hands, trying to save himself from falling, and snagged Snow’s arm, jerking him off balance. The larger man’s weight pulled them both down into a heap on the floor.
“General!” Jude shouted as Snow tried to untangle himself from the other man. There was another loud cry, and then Snow caught a blur of motion as it looked like Jude launched himself off the stairs onto the man who had just picked himself up off the hallway floor. There was a loud thud as they both hit the floor and possibly the front door.
Snow didn’t have the chance to join Jude and lend him a hand. The man he was struggling with had broken free and kicked him hard in the stomach. Air rushed out of his lungs and Snow instinctively curled into a ball to protect himself. The attacker tried to kick him a second time, but Snow caught his foot and gave it a good jerk, twisting it until the man screamed. He kicked out with his free foot, clipping Snow’s chin. Everything went bright white for a second and he released the man’s foot.
“Fucker,” the attacker snarled. “Keep your fucking nose out of our business, or you’re both dead.”
Jude shouted and Snow fought to sit upright while trying to get his damn head to clear. Where the hell was Jude?
The other intruder said something that sounded like a curse, and then their footsteps thundered back the way he came. Snow scrambled around the overturned furniture and through the house in time to see the two intruders exit through the rear door with the broken window pane.