Defiance: The Complete Box Set (The Defending Home Series Books 1-3) by Weber William H

Author:Weber, William H. [Weber, William H.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-07-31T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

Dale

Watching Colton work the pulley system to lift and lower the retractable stairs was a sight to behold. They had offset it slightly from the middle back window so the opening could still be used as a firing position. More importantly, it meant that they now had more than one option for entering and exiting the house. Like the stone keeps from the Middle Ages, if a threat were to present itself, everyone could quickly enter the house and raise the stairs. Dale also had them include a failsafe in case the addition became stuck or otherwise inoperable. Two pins and key joints could be pulled and the stairs kicked off the metal hinge which held them in place.

“Not bad if I do say so myself,” Colton shouted from the upstairs window.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you were a master carpenter,” Dale cried and gave him a thumbs up.

Standing next to her father, Brooke didn’t look pleased.

“What is it, honey? I thought you’d be happier when the job was finally done.” He wondered if the incident with Nicole was still weighing heavily on her. The whole situation still felt unreal, like watching a movie and somehow knowing in the back of your head that you were seeing scenes from your own life. They had locked Nicole in one of the bedrooms, her hands and feet bound, while they tried to figure out what to do next.

After the group confrontation this morning, Ann had retreated to the room she shared with Walter and hadn’t emerged since. Dale wondered if she had told the old man already, part of him hoping that she had kept it to herself. Walter needed his strength in order to heal and get back on his feet. News like that would only derail that process.

“I think the stairs are great,” Brooke said. “What’s not so great is we haven’t seen any other traders, apart from Billy, since the cartel attacked us.”

Dale had noticed the same thing, but had told himself they would eventually return.

“There are items for the house we need,” she said. “Stuff we normally exchanged for jugs of water. It was one of the reasons Sandy and I had to head to the Keller farm to find fertilizer. I just can’t help but feel like each time we head off, we risk driving right into an ambush.”

The thought made the flesh on Dale’s scalp shrink-wrap to his skull. “We’ve been fortunate, I know. But I’m not sure what to tell you. If folks are too afraid to come by, what can we do?”

She glanced up at him. “Maybe if we talk to Billy, he could get the word out that things are safe, at least for now. I think it’s also important people see that we’re doing what we can to contribute.”

Markets in war-torn Third World countries often operated even amid the sound of distant fighting. As US forces had discovered during patrols in Baghdad and the rest of Iraq, finding markets devoid of people was usually a sign of an ambush.

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