Free The Claiming by Tara Sue Me Page B

Before she could question her actions, she broke off into a run. “Hey, guys, wait for me.”
    She caught up with them at the entrance to the maze.
    â€œOh shit.” Julie was half laughing while trying to catch her breath. “Did we just do that?”
    â€œI think they were going to end it early anyway,” Abby said. “There really wasn’t much in the box to begin with.”
    â€œShh, I hear them.” Sasha could barely make the sound out of the three men. “Let’s go into the maze.”
    She’d been through the maze only once. The day after they arrived, Cole had walked through it with her. At the time, she been captivated by the different types of plants she saw. Now she wished she’d paid closer attention to the path they needed to take.
    â€œThere’s a back entrance to the house somewhere around here.” Sasha tried to picture an aerial view of the maze. “Ugh, I should’ve been listening when Cole was going over the pattern of the pathways.”
    â€œI don’t hear them anymore.” Julie looked over her shoulder. “Do you think they gave up?”
    Abby snorted and then whispered, “Have you ever known them to give up on anything, ever?”
    â€œI don’t think ‘give up’ is in Cole’s vocabulary.”
    â€œI know Nathaniel’s never heard of it.”
    â€œThen why can’t we hear them?” Julie asked.
    Sasha thumped her friend’s shoulder. “Because they don’t want us to hear them.”
    â€œOr maybe because they’re planning what to do to us when we get back.”
    They were all quiet as they thought about that. But really, how bad could it be? Sasha thought. There were three of them, after all.
    â€œOkay,” Sasha said. “Here’s the plan. We find the exit in the maze that leads to the back of the house. We go in through the old servants’ entrance. That’ll put us in the kitchen. From there, we sneak through the pantry because it leads to the ballroom. We go through the ballroom out to the back stairs and up to our bedrooms. It’s foolproof!”
    Julie bit her bottom lip. “I don’t know. It sounds too easy.”
    â€œEasy?” Abby asked. “With all that sneaking around? We’ll be lucky if we make it to the house, much less all the way upstairs. Hell, they’re probably on the other side of this hedge, listening to everything we’re saying.”
    â€œI know,” Julie said. “One of us could call them. That way if they’re close enough, we’ll hear their phone ring.”
    Abby shook her head. “Won’t work. I’m pretty sure they’re smart enough to turn their phones off if they’re going into stealth mode.”
    â€œSo what do you suggest?” Sasha asked.
    â€œWe have to go with your idea.” Abby shrugged. “It’s either that or sleep out here tonight and you guys know I love you, but I don’t do camping.”
    Julie agreed. “Okay, first thing then is to find our way out of here. Sasha, do you have any idea which way?”
    With renewed determination, Sasha retraced their footsteps and though it took longer than she would have liked, they finally made it out of the maze.
    â€œI’ll go first,” Sasha said, “and make sure the path and kitchen are clear. Then I’ll come back for you.”
    â€œAnd if you don’t come back?” Julie asked.
    â€œThen you know one of them found me and you’re on your own.”
    â€œFair enough. Let’s do this thing.” Abby nodded. “Good luck.”
    Sasha wasn’t sure why her heart pounded the way it did. Seriously, she told herself, the worst she could do was run into Cole. But that didn’t exactly help matters. She peeked out the exit of the maze and scanned the short distance to the house. It looked clear.
    She gave Julie and Abby a thumbs-up and darted to the kitchen