Scarlett's POV
The air in the tiny safe room was hot and suffocating, but I didn't dare move. Through the small peephole, I watched the three masked men move like shadows through my bedroom. They didn't talk much; they only moved with a hauntingly precise rhythm.
"Search the bathroom," the leader whispered. His voice was deep and cold.
One of the men kicked the bathroom door open. I heard the shower curtain being ripped back and the sound of cabinets being pulled open. A few seconds later, he walked back into the bedroom, shaking his head.
"She's not there," he grunted. He stopped near my bed and sniffed the air loudly. "I can smell her scent. It's fresh. It means she was just here, and it hasn't been long since she left. Damn it!"
"Maybe she heard us coming and ran out the back?" the second man suggested, gripping his gun tighter.
"We should wait," the third one said. "She has to come back eventually."
