Free Winterfall by Denise A. Agnew

as we can. If bad shit goes down, you run as fast and as hard as you can.”
    She didn’t know what to say and there wasn’t time, as he glided to a stop nearby the trucks. Two men stood outside the trucks, and she couldn’t see if they had weapons.
    “Shit. Shit,” he said. “Stupid. I shouldn’t have taken us this way.”
    “You didn’t know.”
    “I should have.”
    “This is Briarwood. Houses are expensive in here. You wouldn’t think anyone would set up an illegal roadblock.”
    “True. But it looks like they have anyway. The Sentry Security sign on the SUV will either help or hurt us.”
    Rain had thinned to a light splattering, just enough to put spots on the cars. As the headlights splashed over the men, she could see two men dressed in sock hats, flannel coats and jeans for cool weather. Oh, and the large semi-automatics over their shoulders looked lethal as hell. Both men were middle aged, with pleasant smiles. Please let those smiles be real.
    “Evening sir. Everything all right?” Mark asked as he rolled down the window.
    The first guy leaned down and peered in at them. “Howdy. Sorry to stop you like this, but we’ve had a lot of problems lately in this neighborhood. We got permission from the city to set up our own checkpoints.”
    She relaxed only a little.
    “Understandable.” Mark handed the man his identification. “Mark O’Day, Sentry Security. We’re passing through on the way home.”
    She tensed and waited. One of the men crossed to her side of the car, and he leaned down and smiled at her. She grinned, but knew she probably looked more afraid than comfortable. The guy looked around sixty, and he nodded and left her side of the car after he got a look at her.
    The man who’d taken the identification read it and handed it back with a nod. “Sentry Security eh? I’ve heard of you guys. You’ve got a good reputation.”
    She caught a glimpse of Mark’s reassuring smile. “We aim to please.”
    “Say, I heard you guys up there are all ex-Special Forces or something.”
    “Some of us. We’re not too shabby.”
    “What did you do?”
    Oh, goodie. Men in a chest pounding contest.
    “I was an Army Ranger. A sniper.” Mark quoted what he’d done without bragging.
    “Damn.” The man sighed. “Well, that’s impressive.”
    Mark’s charming smile came out. “We’ve had some heavy duty training. Sorry we’ve invaded your area, but I decided to skip the block on the main drag. It’s ten cars deep.”
    The man shook his head. “Probably not a wise move, Mr. O’Day. You never know who might stop you.”
    “You’re right.” Mark took the chastisement without rancor. “My bad.”
    The man laughed, his chuckle filled with genuine good humor. “Well, you have a good night.” He waved. “Sir. Miss.”
    “Goodnight,” Mark said. “Stay safe gentlemen.”
    Tension flowed out of her in a whoosh as Mark rolled up the window and they proceeded.
    Mark glanced over at her as he continued through the neighborhood. “All right?”
    “Now I am. God, I was so worried.”
    “I’m sorry. That wasn’t one of my brightest moves.”
    She’d seen him in action and knew he was highly competent at his job. “Don’t beat yourself up.”
    “Yeah, well, I am. If it was just me in the car, no biggie, but I have a passenger. I felt something was off, and I used this route anyway. I usually go with my gut and I screwed up.”
    She couldn’t help smiling herself. “Well, if you’re determined…I could punish you.”
    Oh. That came out sounding a bit kinky. And she couldn’t believe she’d said it.
    He let out a half-strangled noise. “Do I get to pick my punishment?”
    “Nope.”
    “Damn.”
    They turned onto the main road and headed straight for her neighborhood. In the increasing darkness, a glow lit up the horizon.
    “Oh, God, what is that?” she asked, but knew what she was seeing the minute she spoke. “Fire. And it looks like it’s coming from my