THE GROUND OUTSIDE rumbled, filled with the throaty growl of an engine. The sound abruptly stopped, casting the house into stillness once again. Alf slid a look toward the crumpled figure on the tile beyond the doors. The man hadn’t moved since Alf put him down with a hefty punch to the temple.
Alf called softly to Pleasance, hoping she wouldn’t respond. She and the boy should be a mile away in the rainforest at that point and, once Alf took care of the problem outside he’d find them. He moved to the window and tugged a dusty cotton curtain aside just enough to peer though. A mud-coated dirt bike crouched in the center of the sandy yard, empty. A soft whistle sounded from the direction of the porch. Alf tucked himself into the shadows and slipped quickly toward the sliding doors. Peering
