Free Reckless (Wrecked) by Elle Casey

in the gas tank outside.”
    “That’s not exactly true,” said Sarah.  “We may have money here.”  She pointed to the guy on the floor.
    “Good point,” said Kevin, bending down and feeling the guy’s pockets.  He pulled out a wallet with about a hundred dollars cash in it and an ATM card.  “I wonder what his PIN code is,” he said, flipping it over and then back again.
    “See if he wrote anything on a piece of paper in his wallet.  Some guys do that,” said Jonathan.
    Kevin searched through all the little pockets and pulled out a business card from a bank he’d never heard of.  There was writing on the back.  He held it up.  “This might be something.”
    Candi took it from him and handed it to Jonathan.
    Jonathan shrugged as he looked it over. “Maybe.  We’ll take it and try it.”  He put it in his pocket, adding the ATM card that Kevin handed over.  “There were four agents downstairs.  We need to go see if they’re okay and maybe if they have any money if they’re not.”
    “If they’re okay and totally oblivious to what happened up here, what do we do then?” asked Candi, not believing for a second they were perfectly fine down there.  She and Sarah had made too much noise for them not to investigate, and they should have been standing outside their doors.  It made her wonder why the bad guy’s partner hadn’t already come to lend a hand.
    “I don’t know what we do,” said Jonathan, sounding frazzled.  “Sneak out?  Steal a car?  Get on a bus?”
    Sarah held up her hands.  “Just relax, everyone.  One step at a time.  First we need to go downstairs and see if anyone’s there.”
    Candi nodded.  It was the only plan that made sense.  Staying here in this room made her feel like a sitting duck, begging to get shot at.  Going home would only put her parents in danger.  Calling the FBI would only alert whoever might be tagging them over there to what they were doing.  Their lives were a total wreck, and at this point, it was just a matter of choosing the least awful option.  “Fine.  Let’s go,” she said, moving to get behind Kevin at the door.
    “Okay, so eyes open for the partner of this shithead on the ground, right?” said Kevin, looking back over his shoulder.
    Everyone nodded.
    “Jon, grab that lamp.  Girls, stay between us.  I’ve got the knife.”  He held it up and nodded reassuringly at them before shutting off the light and turning the handle on the door.
    Candi moved as silently as she could, keeping one hand on Kevin’s back, the light weight of Sarah’s on hers making her feel not more secure but like she had just that much more at risk.
    ***
    All four agents had been killed in different areas of the house, each with their throats slit.  There was blood everywhere, indicating arteries had been severed.  Only one of them looked like he’d put up much of a fight, a nearby stool turned over.  Jonathan set it upright for a second and then changed his mind, placing it back where he’d found it.
    As a side thought, he pulled off the undershirt he had put on upstairs before they came down and wiped the chair where he’d touched it.   Can’t be too careful.  What if they think we did this?   He knew it wasn’t likely, but he also hadn’t thought this kind of carnage would be likely either.  The odds that the killer had taken out four highly-trained professional agents but had been stopped by his sister and pregnant girlfriend were too high to even calculate right now.  The fact that the assassin had a partner was the only explanation that made sense; but was it possible there were two knife-wielding murderers after them?  Jonathan shook his head, going back to the kitchen to join the others.  He’d figure this all out later.  Right now, he just had to get everyone to safety.
    “What’d you find?” asked Kevin, breathing heavily from the stress.  “Are they all gone?”
    Jonathan nodded, eliciting a squeak of panic from