Noah grabbed Paul’s ankle, and he pulled it towards him as hard as he could. It was totally unexpected, and as Paul fell flat on his ass, he shrieked in pain. His tailbone was shattered.

For the first time in her life, Nancy’s reflexes were quick. She grabbed the lamp on the bedside table and smashed the base against the back of Paul’s head, and he went down like a sack of bricks. Then she crawled off the bed and went to sit with Noah. She cradled him in her arms and asked him if he was ...