Escape from Ice Mountain by Cassie Miles

Author:Cassie Miles
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-07-11T20:58:40+00:00

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AFTER BLAKE FED the twins breakfast and listened to the many reasons why—including a magic recipe—their mom’s pancakes were better than his, he decided it was time to establish their emergency escape routes in case they were tracked down and surprised by Gruber. The boys needed to be educated about security. In the front room, he went to a window and placed the flat of his hand against the pane.

“Do you see how gentle I’m being?”

“So what?” Alex demanded.

“If I press harder, I set off the alarm.”

Cooper frowned. “Is there some kind of force field or something?”

“Cool,” Alex said. “Can you make the window explode?”

“I’m trying to show you something about the alarm system,” he said, stating the obvious. “If somebody or something breaks the glass or pushes too hard against the interior or exterior, it sets off a loud alarm.”

“Can I do it?” Alex marched toward the window with both hands sticking straight out. “How hard do I hit the window?”

“Stop right there,” Blake said. “Your mom is still sleeping. Do you really want to wake her with a screeching blast from a security alarm?”

The boys gave identical nods and grins. “Yeah, let’s do it.”

“Bad idea.” They weren’t listening to him. He was losing control. “Get over here by the door. I’ll show you how to lock and unlock without engaging the alarm.”

“Then can we set it off?”

“Why would you want to do that?”

“A joke on mom,” Cooper said. “She’s really goofy before she has coffee.”

“Have you got coffee in the kitchen?” Alex asked.

Blake recalled the conversation from yesterday. “No caffeine for you guys. But yes, there’s a fresh pot made.”

They exchanged a sneaky glance that turned all wide-eyed and innocent when they looked up at him and asked him to please explain the alarms. The five-year-old boy who lived in Blake’s memory warned him not to trust these two. He really wanted to believe that his adult self was in charge.

He illustrated the use of the keypad that was just reachable for their three-foot-ten-inch height, which Jordan said was tall for their age. “Within sixty seconds of opening or closing the door, you tap these numbers into the pad. If you fail to do so, an alarm sounds from here, and an emergency call is placed to my buddy, Chester, who can be here in ten minutes.”

“How come?” Alex asked. “Why would your buddy rush over here?”

“To protect the house or to help me deal with intruders.”

“Do you get many burglars?” Cooper asked.

“Few. This cabin is remote.” He grabbed the opportunity for a teachable moment. “It’s better to be overprepared instead of not being ready for a break-in or an attack.”

“Why would you get attacked?” Alex demanded.

“You know,” Cooper said. “That’s why Dad has all those dumb security guards. He’s got enemies. Do you, Blake? Are there bad guys after you?”

Rather than attempting to explain that the bad guys worked for their father, he sidestepped the question. “Let’s go over the procedure for the alarm again.”

They tried it once and then again.

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