Chapter 9
Four kittens prowled the length of the living room, much to the delight of two little boys. Jenna had shot Paradise a help me look when the boys asked to keep them, and Blake had quickly jumped in with a claim that Paradise wasn’t looking for a home
for them.
It wasn’t exactly how Paradise felt, but she didn’t want to cause a ruckus in the peaceful evening that unfolded in front
of her. New gun in hand, she left the boys in charge of the kittens and followed Blake outside to his Gator. The short ride
to the shooting range at the Dillard Ranch blew back her hair and lifted her spirits.
He drove through a gate and parked the UTV. “This is it.”
The range backed up to a huge mound of dirt that served to contain any stray bullets. The place was deserted, though she heard
one of their lions roar in the distance. The area was clean of debris, and she didn’t even see any shell casings. Targets
at various heights were situated on the far side by the berm. Several trees had targets as well, and the bark was missing
in places where someone had missed. Paradise suspected she’d add her own dings to the terrain.
A tremor moved in her belly, and she pressed her palm there. “I’m not sure I’m ready for this. I’m not afraid of the gun, but I don’t think I could aim it at a person.”
He turned from rummaging in the storage compartment. “You’re smart, Paradise. I think you’ll know when someone is trying to
kill you. Your lesson today will mostly be about gun safety.” He held out ear protection. “These amplify noises like voices
while muffling the gunshots. I think you’ll like them. Let me grab the safety glasses too.” He reached back into the box.
She drew a breath and put on the ear protection and slipped on the glasses. He was right—this was self-protection. So many
crazy things were happening right now, and she had to be prepared.
“I really like this little SIG. It’s got a manual safety.” He showed her. “You operate it with your thumb.” He demonstrated,
then had her try. “Good job.”
His biceps flexed as he moved, and her gaze lingered on the muscles of his chest beneath his tee. He was handsome, tanned,
strong—and hers. How was she so blessed to have won the love of a man like Blake? The amazing bit was that his character was
even more compelling than his good looks. He loved fiercely and forever, and she didn’t ever want to take that for granted.
He grew still and a smile lifted his lips. “You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?” He set the SIG onto a metal table and
stepped closer.
“Sure I did.”
“What did I say about loading and unloading the ammo?”
She cast back for some snippet of his instruction and came up blank when his eucalyptus scent wafted her way.
The smile vanished, and his blue eyes grew intense as he gazed into her face.
Her mouth dried at his smoldering expression.
He stepped closer, and her lids fluttered shut as she tipped her head up.
His lips came down on hers, and she sank into his embrace.
His passion matched hers until he stepped back with regret on his face. “I don’t remember anything I was going to tell you.”
“I don’t remember anything you said,” she admitted. Her fingertips touched her lips. “And it’s all your fault.”
He barked out a laugh. “What’s a man to do when you look at him with those amber eyes that say ‘kiss me’?”
“My eyes don’t talk,” she said primly.
“They telegraph every single thought in your beautiful head.” He raked his fingers through the long strands of her ponytail
and took it out of its band so her hair was spread out on her shoulders. “I don’t think I want to shoot. I’d rather sit in
the Gator and kiss you.” He nuzzled his face in her hair. “You smell like sunshine, and I can’t think when you’re around.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist. “You are way too distracting. You know your mom will ask how the lesson went.”
“We’ll tell her it went great,” he murmured against her neck. His lips trailed along her shoulder and back to her neck.
A delicious cascade of goose bumps shivered down her back and arms, and her knees went weak. His lips found hers again, and
she didn’t even remember where she was until he sighed and stepped back.
“You’re right, and we need to make sure you’re equipped to deal with an attacker. I can’t be with you every second, and you
need to be able to protect yourself.” He reached for the gun again. “The nice thing about this gun is you can load it and
unload it with the safety on. We don’t need you accidentally shooting yourself.”
She pushed away her regret and gathered her scattered thoughts. “Or someone else.”
“That too.” He nodded.
She paid attention as he took her through all the safety precautions and practiced flipping the safety on and off so she recognized the click it made.
He had her load and unload the magazine in the gun before he let her shoot it.
The trigger had just the right amount of pull, and she was instantly in love with the little gun when she hit the target every time.
She loved it almost as much as she loved Blake. Almost.
Paradise’s car smelled fresh thanks to Blake’s thoughtfulness in cleaning out the dung left on her seat. He’d detailed the
car completely, and it felt like a new vehicle. With Blake’s good-night kiss still on her lips, she got in and started her
Kia. The gold-and-orange sunset had come and gone, leaving darkness to shroud the tupelo and oak trees.
Though the drive to Nova Cambridge was short, she hated to leave with the two kittens still in her care. Jenna had caved to
the boys’ pleas the minute Blake had taken Paradise out to the shooting range, which had surprised no one. Kittens were hard
for anyone to resist, least of all an animal lover like Jenna. Paradise smiled, remembering how the boys had carted the furballs
off to sleep with them. Levi had claimed the black-and-white female, dubbing her Selah, while Isaac wanted the gray one, also
a female, and named her Bailey.
She started the car and drove away. The silence after the welcome chaos at Jenna’s house felt oppressive, so as soon as she
crossed over the bridge, she flipped on the sound system. The strains of “The Phantom of the Opera” blared from her speakers.
Her pulse went into overdrive, and she slammed on her brakes as a reflex.
Pulse pounding and chest heaving, she pulled to the side of the road and fumbled with the controls. Instead of the radio being set to a radio station, she found a USB drive streaming the movie soundtrack into her speakers. She threw open her door to leap out.
Scents blew in her face: dew, grass, and wildflowers, and she heard a boat puttering past the bridge. An owl hooted from the
woods on her right, and the wind fluttered the leaves. Normal sounds that should have soothed her but didn’t. She peered through
the window into the back illuminated by the interior lights. No one was lurking inside the car, just kittens sleeping in their
carrier. Just to be sure, she checked the trunk and found it empty as well.
Someone had done this while it was parked at The Sanctuary.
The tightness in her chest eased, so she got back in the car and locked the doors behind her. Glancing in her rearview mirror,
she realized she was closer to her apartment than to The Sanctuary. The boys would be in bed now, and if she returned, she’d
disrupt the whole household. There was no physical danger to her. It was a prank designed to scare her, and to her shame,
it had succeeded.
She hadn’t turned off the music and she listened to the familiar tune as the Phantom crooned about being inside her mind.
That was what this faceless person wanted—to get inside her mind and confuse her. Why? What threat did she pose to anyone?
Her reasons for being here were strong enough that no one was going to scare her away. If anything, she was more determined
to find out who had killed her parents.
Her phone lit up with a message, and she picked it up.
Her DNA results were in. Before they could disappear, she clicked on the link and went to the site and downloaded the document.
She stared at the folder she’d saved. The subtle fear campaign had started when she began to search for her brother.
Why would someone be so determined to keep her from talking to her brother?
She changed the media input back to her Christian music station and put the car in Drive. When she got home, she’d call Blake
and tell him about the incident. Maybe something would show up on the cameras in the parking lot. The kittens had awoken and
were meowing in their crate. She moved her foot from the brake to the accelerator and heard a rustle—a rattle.
She froze. There was no mistaking the sound of a rattler. The noise reverberated in the enclosed space, and she wasn’t sure
where it was coming from. The kittens were going crazy, too, scratching at the carrier and yowling. Could the snake get to
them? Did she dare move?
Aware any noise could rile the snake, she silenced her phone before texting Blake. There’s a rattler in my car. What should I do?
Don’t move. I’m on my way.
There was a slithering sound, and she pinpointed the location. The snake had been under her feet and was moving beneath her
seat to the back. The kittens were in danger. Blake would be here in five minutes, but she couldn’t wait.
She threw open her door and catapulted from her seat in one seamless movement. Her bad shoulder hit the pavement, and pain
flared white-hot down her arm. She groaned and sat up, holding herself and rocking back and forth until the agony eased a
bit.
Though all she wanted to do was not move until Blake arrived, she forced herself to her feet and took a step toward the open
car door. The triangular head of an eastern diamondback rattler turned her way, and she paused before beginning to inch away.
Maybe the snake would leave her car of its own volition.
When she was three feet from the car, the snake slithered down the side and disappeared under the vehicle, but she didn’t dare approach without knowing where it was. She went down on one knee and tried to see where the rattler had gone, but it was too dark.
Tires on the road growled from the bridge, and she needed to get out of the middle of the pavement. She moved to the other
side in time to see Blake’s truck fast approaching. Relief left her lightheaded.