Path To Resolution (Fighter's Den, #5)

Prologue - Wolfe

"Shh!" Mama pleads with a shaky finger to her lips, eyes watering.

She smiles but it doesn't look like the smile she usually gives me. This smile looks like she's pretending, just like when I pretend to be asleep past my bedtime when Mama checks my room at night.

"I need you to be very quiet, son. Can you do that for me?" She whispers.

I nod but I don't understand why she doesn't want me to speak. Something is wrong right now and Mama always says that if something is wrong, I should talk about it.

Daddy lifts me up and holds me tight, going up the stairs in a rush. He's almost running and I don't understand why he's doing that, either. There's no running in the house.

I open my mouth but Daddy puts his hand over it. He smiles at me but his eyes look mad. That's when I remember I'm not supposed to be talking right now. I want to apologize but I guess I can't do that.

I feel a little bit better when my parents and I go inside my room and they close the door. I like my room. It's safe. I start to smile at my parents but frown when I notice them give each other the look — the one where they don't say anything and read each other's mind. They don't look like they feel safe. Should I not feel safe, too?

I want to ask what's wrong but I don't want to make my parents feel worse than they do. I wish I saved my candy instead of eating it after dinner. If I still had it I would give it to them and maybe then they'd feel better. I wish I could tell them my idea but I'm trying really hard not to break the no talking rule again. I don't like upsetting my parents.

"Harold, what are we going to do?" Mama whispers to Daddy. They're talking in quiet voices but I still know what they're saying. I'm good at being sneaky.

"I don't know." Daddy mumbles, pacing back and forth. "There's too many of them. We're outnumbered."

"Dispatch the precinct. They'll come to you."

"My walkie is downstairs." He tugs on his hair hard and I frown. That looks like it hurts. He shouldn't do that.

"What are we going to do?" Mama says again.

She comes over to me on the bed and pulls me into her lap, hugging me close. I love Mama's hugs. They're warm and nice and make me feel good. But this hug is different. Mama's body is shaking and I can feel her heart beating super fast. She's scared and now I'm scared but I'm also trying to figure out what's happening. Who's in our house? What do they want?

"I have no choice." Daddy suddenly says and Mama and I look at him. "I'll have to sneak downstairs and try and get my walkie so I can call for backup."

"No!" Mama takes me off her lap and stands. "You'll get caught. There's too many of them and they're all armed. Are you insane?"

"What choice do I have, Mary? The only landline is in the kitchen so if I want to contact anyone, I have to go downstairs."

"We'll figure something out. Please. Our only advantage is that they haven't found us yet. Let's try to sneak out of the house."

"And jump from a two-story window? Maybe you and I can somehow manage that but Wolfe is here too."

They both look at me and I stay quiet in case I say something that will get me in trouble. But I also stay quiet because I'm scared and I don't know what to do.

"Jesus." Mama hugs her own body, exhaling shakily. "Are you saying this is our only option?"

"No other choice." Daddy nods his head, looking upset. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I hate that this is happening because of me."