Darcy nodded at the receiver and sat a moment just holding it, as if somehow Brandon’s strong voice was still there on the line. She’d closed the door leading up to the attic, but now her eyes fastened on it again, waiting for the soft thud of little bodies on the other side. When nothing happened, she hung up the phone and covered her face with her hands. Where was Jake? A vision of his bloody clothes … his bloody hand … floated into her mind, and she forced it away. Oh, Brandon, please hurry.… When she looked up to see him standing in the doorway, she nearly jumped out of her skin.
