Chapter 12 Escape At Dawn

• Scarlett’s heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst through her ribs. The barn was dark, the only light a faint glow from a cracked window that revealed shadows dancing on hay-strewn walls. She pressed herself and her children behind the stack of old feed sacks, breath held tight in her chest.
• Footsteps creaked on the wooden floor outside the door. A heavy breath, then another, closer. Olivia’s hand tightened around Isla’s shoulder; Theo crouched low, eyes wide and alert.
• Scarlett willed her pulse to slow as the door swung open with a groan. The first operative stepped inside, flashlight beam sweeping across wooden beams. A second man followed, gun drawn, scanning the shadows.