THE PHONE RANG AND rang, and with each ring Kurt became more frustrated. There should have been someone standing by the phone, ready to answer it if he rang, and the lack of a response made him wonder what was going on, and if something was being planned. He looked out the window again, searching the street for some sign of what the police were up to; he had no intention of being caught by surprise, not if he could help it.
Because his attention was all on the street, he was unprepared when the attack came, from within the room not outside of it.
Nathan leapt to his feet as athletically as he was able and launched himself at Walker, following the shoe he had thrown at the killer’s head. He had his cuffed hands stretched out in front of him, reaching for the sawn-off shotgun in Walker’s h
