Chapter 5 - Sirens in the Night
The bedroom door cracked down the middle with a deafening splinter of wood and drywall.
I shoved my heavy oak dresser backward, jamming it hard against the ruined door frame just as a gloved hand reached through the jagged opening, grabbing frantically at empty air.
"Over here! The bedroom’s barricaded!" a man shouted from the hallway.
"Break the hinges!" the second voice barked.
I turned around, my heart hammering like a jackhammer against my ribs. Oliver was curled up in the corner beside my bed, his face buried in his knees, sobbing silently so as not to attract attention. I dropped to my knees beside him, wrapping my arms around his small frame, shielding him with my own body.
"Listen to me, Oliver," I whispered fiercely into his ear, my voice trembling. "Look at me. We are going to be okay. State troopers are outside right now. They're almost here."
Crash!
A heavy shoulder slammed against the dresser. The massive piece of oak furniture slid a full six inches across the hardwood floor, showering us in drywall dust. A pair of cold, metallic eyes peered through the opening—a man wearing a black tactical jacket and a balaclava pulled down over his face, revealing only a jagged scar across his left cheek.
He reached through the gap, his fingers stretching out to grab my shoulder—
WEE-WOO! WEE-WOO!
A deafening wall of sound tore through the quiet night air right outside my window. Flashing red and blue lights painted the bedroom walls in frantic, strobing strokes.
“State Police! Nobody move! Drop your weapons!” a bullhorn blared from the alleyway below.
The man at the door froze. He yanked his arm back, shouting curses to his partner. "Cops! Move, move, move!"
Heavy footsteps pounded down the hallway, racing toward the back fire escape. A window shattered downstairs, followed by the sound of heavy boots hitting the gravel alley.
Ten seconds later, heavy pounding shook the outer apartment door.
"State Police! Open up!"
I pushed myself up from the floor, my legs shaking so badly I nearly fell. I stumbled into the hallway, past the splintered remains of the front door, where two state troopers with drawn sidearms stood scanning the empty rooms.
Agent Hayes stepped in right behind them, his trench coat swirling around his ankles, his expression thunderous.
"Nora! Are you and the boy alright?" Hayes demanded, holstering his weapon as he rushed toward me.
"We're... we're physically okay," I gasped, leaning against the kitchen counter to steady myself. "They went out the fire escape. Toward the alley."
Hayes snapped his fingers at the troopers. "Perimeter's breached. Secure the alleyway, block off Elmwood, and pull traffic cameras from the laundromat across the street. I want those men caught before they leave Multnomah County."
The troopers nodded and bolted back down the stairs.
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Agent Hayes turned back to me, his gaze softening slightly as Oliver slowly stepped out of the bedroom, clutching his casted arm, his eyes wide with lingering shock.
"This changes things, Nora," Hayes said grimly. "They aren't just looking for financial documents anymore. If they tracked you down here within twenty-four hours of your arrival, it means they have eyes everywhere. You and Oliver cannot stay in this apartment another minute."
