Loco – Cheap Thrills Read Online Mary B. Moore

Categories Genre: Alpha Male Tags Authors: Mary B. Moore Advertisement

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The sound came again—rattling at the back door, deliberate and testing.

I held my breath, heart pounding, and listened. The locks would hold. Roque had reinforced every entry point after the last scare with deadbolts and internal braces—there was no way someone was getting in quickly. At least, not without a battering ram or making enough noise to wake the entire neighborhood, and I doubted they’d risk that.

Still, I didn’t want to gamble on how far they’d go.

I scooped Kairo into my arms and nudged Kaida gently awake.

“Come on, baby,” I whispered. “We’re gonna play a little game.”

Kaida blinked awake, bleary but calm, curling her fingers around my hoodie as I carried them both through the hall, carefully avoiding the windows. Every creak of the floorboard felt too loud like it echoed through the whole house. My phone was tucked in the waistband of my leggings, and I kept glancing at it, but I didn’t dare make any calls until the kids were safe.

We slipped into Kaida’s room, and I immediately headed for the closet. Roque had shown me the spot one night after we’d stayed up too late talking, long after the kids had fallen asleep. A section of the closet wall looked solid, but with a bit of pressure, the plasterboard panel shifted to reveal a space behind it. Not big, but enough for us.

I pulled the panel open and helped Kairo climb in first. He curled into the corner, hugging his knees. Kaida followed, still a little unsure but trusting me completely.

I crouched beside them, brushing their hair back, lowering my voice to a gentle whisper. “We’re playing hide and seek with Roque. He’s ‘it’ and never finds the best hiders, okay?”

Kaida’s eyes lit up a little. Kairo nodded solemnly, his bottom lip wobbling just a bit.

“You stay here, stay quiet, and no matter what, you don’t come out until Roque or I say so. Understand?”

They both nodded, but Kaida gripped her little dog, her knuckles white.

I kissed each of their foreheads and whispered, “You’re my brave babies,” before gently sliding the plasterboard panel back into place, sealing them in.

Then I turned and crawled back down the hallway toward the kitchen. Every inch made me feel more exposed as I moved carefully and low to the floor.

Once inside, I opened the nearest drawer and almost cursed when I couldn’t find a gun or a bat. But I grabbed what I could—a rolling pin, A long, sharp kitchen knife, and a cast iron skillet that made my arms tremble when I lifted it—but I wasn’t leaving it behind.

Then I backed into the hallway, breathing hard, the weight of everything pressing down on me. But I didn’t let it crush me. The kids were safe, and I had what I needed. I was done being scared. If they came through that wall, they weren’t getting past me.

I pressed the plasterboard panel gently into place, hands trembling just enough to make the edges bump against the frame. One last look at their faces—Kaida blinking up at me with wide, quiet eyes, Kairo clutching her hand like he was the big brother she needed him to be—and then it clicked into place, sealing them into the narrow, hidden space.

It wasn’t much, but it was enough.

They’d be safe there. They had to be.

I stayed crouched just outside the closet, every sense on high alert, listening to the silence around me. The house felt like it was holding its breath, just like I was. Waiting for whatever came next.

Slowly, I reached into the waistband of my leggings and pulled out my phone, tapping the screen to life. The notifications were still rolling in—motion was detected in the side yard, back porch, and front lawn. There were too many.

I opened a new message and started typing with shaking thumbs.

SAYLA: We’re in Kaida’s room behind the panel you showed me. There’s motion everywhere, but the doors are still closed. I don’t know how many.

I hit send just as the world exploded.

It wasn’t a gunshot or a door being kicked in, it was something bigger.

The whole house shook like it had been lifted off the ground and slammed back down again. A deep, gut-rattling boom cracked through the silence, followed by the rattle of windows and the groan of wood straining against its structure.

I dropped flat to the floor instinctively, my body shielding the kids from the panel, heart hammering so hard I could barely breathe.

What the hell was that?

Dust trickled from the ceiling, and tiny tremors echoed through the floorboards.

My phone buzzed in my hand, but I didn’t look at it immediately because something outside had changed.

There were footsteps inside the house. They were coming, and I was out of time. I positioned myself in front of the kids, protecting them with my rolling pin in one hand and the knife in the other.

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