Chapter 34 Emma #2
I waved my hand at him to go ahead. He connected the call with one hand, grabbing one of mine with his other, interlocking our fingers and holding on tight while he listened.
“Shit. Yeah, I’ll be right there.” He met my gaze.
“Power went out on the Henderson property. Just before it did, the new security cams caught sight of what might’ve been someone running from the back gate toward the barn.
There’ve been no known power outages in the area, so it feels suspicious.
The police have been called, but I need to be there in person. ”
My heart rate spiked. I could be there, in that attic right now, in danger. I was so grateful to not still be sleeping there, my legs nearly collapsed.
Still holding my hand, Caleb grabbed his keys from the counter. “Let’s go.”
“There’s no ‘let’s.’”
A pained expression crossed his face. “You’re serious about walking away from me, from this?”
My eyes burned. “Yes.”
Something flickered in his gaze, and he swallowed hard.
“As always, you’re free to do whatever you want.
” His voice was tight. Frustrated. “Except right now, in this moment, where I have a very bad feeling about that jobsite and exactly who’s being targeted, so I’m not letting you out of my sight.
You don’t have to talk to me, you don’t have to like it, but you’re coming with me. ”
“Afraid I’ll eat the rest of your ice cream?”
“Afraid you’ll pull a me, and I won’t see you for another ten years.”
“Caleb.” I felt tears block my throat. “I’m not sure there’s anything else to say.”
“Humor me.”
It had started raining, and the night was even darker than it had been when I’d left work. Out here on the outskirts of town with no city lights, I could hardly see my hand in front of my face as a silent Caleb drove with intense focus on the problem ahead. He’d found his zone.
In the back seat, Calvin and Klein were in their zones as well, faces pressed to the window, excited about a nighttime drive.
I didn’t have a zone.
When Caleb parked in the familiar circular drive, he set a hand on my headrest and craned his neck, looking around. “I don’t know how we beat the cops.”
I did. He’d driven like a bat out of hell.
From somewhere behind the house came a beam of light, which was gone before I’d even registered it. “Was that a flashlight?”
“Yeah.” Caleb turned all his penetrating focus on me, his voice low and dark. Commanding. “New plan. Wait here for the police. I’m leaving you the keys and the boys. Lock the doors when I leave.”
“Wait. What?”
“You see anyone who isn’t me or a cop, drive away.” He started to slide out of the truck, but I grabbed his sleeve before he could slip out. He put his hand over mine and said, “Five minutes, Em, that’s all I’m asking. Stay here, please.”
Stubborn alphas—not as much fun as they’re rumored to be. “You keep saying you want me to stop being an island of one, but you expect me not to worry when you’re an island of one, going in there alone?”
He gaped at me. “I can handle myself.”
No shit. “At least take the dogs to watch your back.”
Jaw tight, he shook his head. “Calvin and Klein stay with you.” He was half out of the truck, but he twisted to face me when he heard me unclick my seat belt.
“Stay,” he ordered as if I were Calvin or Klein. “If I’m not back in five minutes, call nine-one-one again, and then Ryder and Tucker.”
And then he was gone.
I’d walked away from him in his kitchen—well, okay, I hadn’t gotten the chance, but that had been the plan, and now, only thirty minutes later, he’d done the same to me. Guess that makes us even. “I can’t believe he did that. He knows how I feel about it…”
Calvin whined.
Klein howled.
I wanted to do both. Instead, still shaking, I let both dogs hop over the console and into the driver’s seat even though I knew they weren’t allowed up here.
Well, Calvin took the driver’s seat. Klein took my lap and licked my chin.
I hugged him, unsure who was comforting whom.
“Trust me, your dad and I are so going to fight about this later. Please feel free to shed all over everything.” I kept my eyes on the spot where we’d seen that flickering light.
It had probably been someone running with a flashlight. The idea gave me chills.
Caleb was out there, on his own. He’d said we were a team.
He’d sworn it, but he hadn’t walked the walk or lived his talk.
My heart felt cracked in two even if deep, deep down, a part of me knew I was overreacting, but dread made it hard to be logical.
Caleb hadn’t wanted me walking into danger, and yet he’d run straight for it.
Misguided, protective, stupid, stupid man.
What if something happened to him while I just sat here?
I’d never forgive myself. He was my…well, I’d just broken us up pretty good, so boyfriend was out.
But he was still my friend, or so I hoped.
And a coworker—of sorts. And…and who was I kidding?
He was so, so, so much more than any of those things, including a boyfriend.
I looked at the dogs. “It’s been five minutes by now, right? ”
Klein licked my chin. Calvin whined and nudged me with his cold, wet nose.
I didn’t know if he agreed with me or just wanted his turn in my lap.
I pulled out my phone, my thumb hovering over his contact.
I was hesitant to call Caleb and have his phone make a noise if he was closing in on whoever that flashlight belonged to.
The last thing I wanted to do was put him in more danger.
The dogs barked, and I heard stress and worry in their tones.
Well, okay, so that might have been me projecting, but still.
I called 9-1-1 and was told police were en route.
I called Ryder next, but he didn’t answer his phone, so I left a voicemail giving him the gist and added one last word—hurry.
I tried Tucker next; no answer there either.
I left him the same half-hysterical message I’d left for Ryder.
Then I stared out the windshield, desperately hoping to see Caleb coming toward me so I could kill him for scaring me. Only, I saw nothing except a very dark night. Sucking in a breath, I slid out of the truck, flanked by a dog on either side. I had a tight grip on their leashes this time.
Where was Caleb? Was he hurt?
Or worse?
It was a chilly night, but the backs of my knees were sweating. Fear crawled along my skin, and it pissed me off. I’d lived here for weeks. I was comfortable here, and no one was going to take that away from me.
And no one was going to take Caleb, either, even though I was so mad at him, I could scarcely breathe. First chance I got, I was going to eat the rest of his ice cream and put the empty container back into his freezer.
Caleb had gone around the side of the manor, so the doggos and I did the same, huddling close to the building, wanting a better vantage point to see the back of the property.
I didn’t dare use the flashlight app and broadcast my presence, but just as I got to the back corner, I heard something.
Footsteps. Relief flooded me, and I opened my mouth to call out to Caleb, but twin low growls from either side of me had me going still.
Not Caleb.
I tightened my grip on the leashes, but then they stopped growling. I had enough time to relax for a beat before I was shoved from behind, sending me flying. I heard someone scream, then lights out.
***
“Wha…” Confused, I blinked rapidly to clear my vision, but it remained cobwebby. What was going on? I was on the ground. Why was I on the ground? I shifted, and pain slashed through my skull. “Ouch.”
The dogs were nudging me with their noses, whining for me to get up. “Okay, okay…” I tried harder to sit, but hot, oily nausea washed over me. Swallowing hard to keep my stomach out of my throat, I put my hand to my head.
It came away sticky and wet. “That can’t be good,” I said weakly, closing my eyes and lying back down. “Someone please stop the merry-go-round.”
“Omigod, omigod… Emma?”
I blinked, but my vision wouldn’t clear.
Then Hazel’s face appeared above me. She was gasping for breath with…a baseball bat in her hand?
When she saw my gaze go to it, she dropped the bat and crouched at my side. “Oh my God! Are you okay?”
“Did you…hit me with a baseball bat?”
“No!” Hazel’s face paled. “You don’t remember what happened?”
I shook my head, moaned, then closed my eyes again, dizzy, nauseous.
“No, open your eyes! Please, Emma.” I could feel her huddled over me protectively, uneasy and scared. “I didn’t hit you,” she whispered. “I swear.”
I believed her. Mostly because if she had, I’d probably be dead. I was pretty sure after I’d been shoved from behind, I’d hit the stucco corner of the manor. But then why did I hear a roaring in my head, like…waves? “Are we at the ocean?”
“We’re at the Henderson job.” She touched the side of my face.
I winced and jerked back. She was staring at her fingers.
“Okay, that’s a lot of blood,” she said shakily, running her hands over me, checking for other injuries.
“Can you hear me okay? No, keep your eyes open! Emma!” She shook me gently. “Stay awake!”
“Don’t—” Something was weird with my tongue. And if she shook me again, I was going to throw up all over both of us.
She didn’t shake me, but I threw up anyway, retching and gasping for air. Hazel rolled me to my side, holding me there as I lost my cookies. Literally.
“Shit, Emma.” Hazel was trying to hold my hair back while fumbling with her phone. “I’m calling nine-one-one.”
I swiped my mouth with my sleeve. Disgusting. “Already did,” I said. Or at least, that’s what I meant to say, but it came out all weird. I closed my eyes and lay back. “I don’t like merry-go-rounds—”
“Damn it, don’t you dare die. Caleb will kill me.” Hazel yanked off her sweatshirt, balled it up, and pressed it to the side of my head. “Hold this. With pressure.”
I lifted my hand and pressed down on the sweatshirt against my face and decided to take a nap.