Perilous Read Free

parking lot, revealing a black van with the headlights off. It backed up to the Sears store three hundred feet in front of them. The dull mall lights glinted off the windshield. The engine stalled and went silent. Three masked men dressed in black slipped out and moved to the emergency exit door.
    Callie’s brow furrowed. “What are they doing?”
    Amanda sucked in her breath. “That’s the exit by the jewelry department. The same one I opened, remember? They’re going to rob the store!”
    Jaci stood up, fear warming her body.
    “That’s it,” Callie said, her voice breaking. “We have to call someone and get out of here. Where’s the nearest payphone?”
    Jaci’s heart raced. The payphone stood fifty feet from the store entrance. We’ll never get there without being spotted.
    An electronic grinding noise assaulted her ears, then a bright flash. The streetlights and warm red glows from the mall went out, followed by all the lights on the block. Sudden darkness engulfed them.
    “How did that happen?” Jaci said. She could barely make out her friends around her.
    “Ha!” Amanda’s voice was too loud. “Someone knocked out the transformer for this block. There’s a conspiracy.”
    “Shh.” Callie waved a hand to quiet her. One of the men turned on a flashlight. “They haven’t noticed us. That door will trigger an alarm. The police will be here soon.”
    Jaci’s eyes were adjusting to the dark, and she remained riveted to the spot, staring at the flashlight’s distant orb.
    One of the men aimed the beam on the door while another one lay on his back on some sort of gurney, reaching upward to fiddle with the knob. A third shone a laser device through the crack between the door and the wall.
    The door sprang open. The men glanced around them before stepping into the store.
    “They broke in,” said Sara.
    Jaci’s heart pounded so hard that she couldn’t hear her own thoughts. She had the insane urge to scream at the top of her lungs. Thank heavens the lack of light and shadow of the alley kept them hidden. She forced herself to focus. Think. What’s the best thing to do?
    “Here’s the plan,” Callie said, chewing on her lip. “Somebody sneak over to the payphone and call 911. Everybody else stand close by and cover.”
    “I’ll call,” Jaci said.
    “I’ll keep an eye on the store,” said Amanda. “Make sure no one comes out.” She turned and started toward the door.
    “Amanda!” Callie said, gesturing with one hand as if to pull her back. Amanda didn’t even slow down. “Forget her. We don’t have time to lose. Let’s go.”
    They hurried to the payphone. Jaci glanced at the store. No one was outside except Amanda, back against the wall as she peered into the darkened opening.
    “Sara, watch Amanda,” Callie instructed. “Tell us if anything changes.”
    “All’s clear,” Sara said.
    Jaci reached up and grabbed the phone. Next to her, Callie gave a shriek, and Jaci jumped, dropping the receiver. “What?” she said, blood rushing to her head. She blinked as a flashlight shone on them.
    “Run!” cried Callie.
    Jaci whirled around to chase after her friends, suddenly aware of the sound of running footsteps behind her. Her shoe caught on the uneven sidewalk, and she fell forward, hitting her face on the concrete. She heard a muffled yell a few feet away.
    Behind her an engine sputtered and roared to life. Two boots stepped into her line of vision. She could see a figure fumbling with a flask and a small cloth. The man knelt next to her, dousing the rag with the flask and holding it to her face. She gasped, struggling against him. He pressed the rag over her nose and mouth, and an acrid burning filled her nostrils.
    She panicked, struggling for breath. He’s going to kill me. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and everything went dark.
     
     
    September 13
    Idaho Falls, Idaho
    The phone under Kristin’s pillow was ringing.
    Carl Hamilton sat up in bed and turned on the