“Sure.” Grayson answered her question. “If you want something hot, there are pods in the cabinet above the Keurig.”
Priscilla smiled her thanks. Luc admired her easy grace as she walked to the machine. She quickly made a cup and carried it to the kitchen table, easing into the chair to his left.
“Couldn’t sleep?” Luc wrapped his hands around his mug.
She smothered a yawn behind her hand. “After the day I’ve had, it’s not too surprising. I did manage to catch a few hours’ rest after dinner, but now I can’t get back to sleep.”
“What’s not surprising?” Mac entered the kitchen and headed straight to the Keurig.
“That we couldn’t sleep,” Luc supplied.
Glass shattered, accompanied by a whooshing sound. “Get down, now!” Mac shouted.
Luc dived out of his chair, his hand shooting out to grab Priscilla’s arm to tug her down after him. Luc pushed Priscilla under the table, his hand sliding down her arm to grasp her hand, just as an acrid scent permeated the house.
“The couch is on fire!” Mac yelled into his earpiece to alert the other marshals, then swung shut the kitchen door leading to the dining room before moving to the sink and turning on the faucet. He opened a drawer and yanked out a stack of kitchen towels.
Another crash indicated a second projectile had likely been thrown into the house.
“Put this under the door to buy us some time.” Mac tossed Luc a soaked kitchen towel.
Luc let go of Priscilla’s hand to catch the towel, then wedged the wet fabric into the crack at the bottom of the door. Once it dried, the smoke would seep into the room again.
“We have to get out of here! I’m going to check the back,” Grayson said, crawling to the back door.
“Be careful, Grayson!” Mac called as he handed Priscilla another soaked towel. “Tie this over your nose and mouth.”
Grayson slowly pulled open the door. Gunshots erupted and a torrent of bullets shredded the wooden door. Grayson crumpled to the floor in a pool of blood.
Mac shoved a wet towel into Luc’s hands, then dropped to his knees beside the downed marshal and placed his fingers on the man’s neck. His eyes met Luc’s. “He’s gone.” Mac swallowed hard, then tied his own wet towel over his mouth and nose.
A man was dead, and they would soon follow from smoke inhalation or fire. A little smoke filled the room already. Luc pressed the cold wetness against his nose and mouth as he tied the towel behind his head. Immediately, he breathed a little bit easier, but he could hear the fire roaring behind the kitchen. Priscilla huddled beside him. “Is there another way out?”
Mac’s face settled into grim lines. “We could try a back bedroom window.”
“There’s some kind of hatch underneath the rug in the hallway.” Priscilla’s eyes watered above her towel. “I tripped on the rug earlier tonight and saw it. Maybe it leads to a crawl space?”
“We can go through that door.” Luc pointed to the third entrance into the kitchen a few feet from the table. “I’ll check it first.” He moved to the door and placed his hand on the wood. Warmish, but not hot. “I think we might have a chance.”
Mac grabbed the fire extinguisher from the kitchen wall. “Priscilla, you stay back as Luc pulls open the door. I’ll spray the fire if it’s too close.”
Luc stood to turn the handle. It didn’t budge, possibly because the door wasn’t used as much as the swing-door entrance. He tried again, this time moving the handle enough to unlatch the door. Bracing his foot against the door frame, Luc tugged with all his might. His arm screamed in agony at the pressure, but the door popped open, nearly sending him tumbling across the kitchen floor.
Fire extinguisher brandished like a sword, Mac went into the hallway first, nearly duckwalking to keep low to the ground. “Come on!”
Priscilla crawled after him, turning to the right, Luc at her heels. She scrabbled to get the rug out of the way, and Luc cried with relief at the sight of a brass ring and the outline of a trapdoor.
He pulled up with his remaining strength, and the door gave way with a groan to reveal a dark space below. Above her own makeshift mask, Priscilla’s eyes widened. Luc touched her arm. “I’ll go first.”