Chapter 11 #2
But Alec adjusted the settings. The sensor isn’t supposed to be triggered by small animals like raccoons and possums. A deer or bear, sure, but why would one of those be walking past Angel’s back door? Especially when her small backyard is fully fenced in?
“Can you see what it is?” I ask. Turning away from the door, I see Max watching me with concern.
“I’m trying to rewind the recording,” Angel replies. “It’s not loading. My internet…”
Then she gasps.
“Angel. What is it?”
Instead of her answer, I’m met with quick, frantic breaths. Then a flurry of soft footsteps.
Fear clutches at me. “Angel.” I work to keep my voice calm. “What’s going on?”
“It… It was a person,” she whispers. “Oh, God.”
“What?”
Max stands. His worried gaze meets mine, silently questioning.
“I hear something downstairs.” She makes a small, scared sound. “Like someone’s trying to get in.”
What? Someone’s trying to get in?
Fear edges towards panic. But if she’s right, if someone’s coming inside… Shit. How could they? The cameras. The deadbolts. The unsuspecting house in a safe neighborhood.
But I know how they could. It’s my damn job to know. But fuck. It’s not supposed to happen to Angel.
“I can hear them,” Angel whispers. “The door. I can hear someone messing with it.” A tiny, choked sob escapes. “Ronan. Someone’s trying to get in my house.”
Fuck.
Ah, fuck.
For a second, I’m frozen.
I can’t speak. Can’t move. Can’t even think clearly.
Panic takes over everything.
Someone’s breaking into Angel’s house. While she’s there, all alone.
It’s my fucking job to protect people. But when Angel needs me, where am I? Not there. I’m at fucking Max’s house, watching some sport I don’t care about, pissed at myself—
Stop. Get it together, the voice that’s guided me through countless ops speaks up. Yes, it’s your job. So get your head on straight and do it.
I give my head a quick shake to clear it. Then I shove my fear down deep and stomp it for good measure. “You need to hide,” I say. “And if you can, grab a weapon on the way.”
“A weapon?” Angel’s voice is achingly small.
“Yes. If they’re inside—are they inside? What can you hear?”
Her breath comes in quick, uneven bursts. “I’m not sure. I—” She stops. Everything goes quiet, like she’s holding her breath. Then she lets out a shaky exhale. “I heard… the door. It just shut.”
Angel whimpers. “Ronan…”
“You need to hide. Now.” I turn to Max, who’s hovering close by. “Call 911. Tell them there’s an intruder at Angel’s house. 84 Birchwood Ave. Pretty sure they came in through the back door.”
Max’s eyes widen. Then he lifts his chin. “On it.”
As he runs to grab his phone, I tell Angel, “The police will be on the way soon. But you need to—”
“Hang on,” Angel says. “I need—”
Then she goes silent.
My heart almost explodes from fear.
I bark at Max, “I’m going over there. I’m not waiting for the police.”
Max ends his call and shoves his phone into his pocket.
Then he jogs over to the bookcase on the opposite side of the room and presses a button on the side of it.
The side panel of the bookcase flips open, and he reaches inside to pull out what looks from here to be a Sig P320. “You need one?” he asks.
“I’ve got one in the car,” I tell him. And then, with the phone still tightly clasped in my hand, I sprint for the door.
Just as I burst through it, Angel says in a breathless whisper, “I’m in the cubby in Haley’s closet. It was the closest hiding place—” She stops for a second before adding, “I grabbed a lamp. For a weapon. I couldn’t think of anything else that was close.”
“That’s good.” I try to sound reassuring. “You’re doing great.”
I reach my car, yank the door open, and fling myself inside.
As I jab at the ignition, Max slides into the passenger seat.
He glances over at me, his expression steady but fierce.
“The police are on the way,” he says quietly.
“If they’re coming from the station, they might get there before us.
If they’re out on patrol, I’m not sure.”
“I’m not waiting,” I tell him. I shift the car into drive. “No fucking way.”
“Of course not.” In profile, Max’s features are carved stone. “I’ve got your back.”
“Ronan?” Angel whispers. “What’s going on?”
As soon as I pull out of Max’s driveway, I punch the gas, and the car jerks forward. “I’m on my way,” I reply. “I’ll be there in—” I do a quick calculation. “Three minutes. I’ll be there in three minutes. I just need you to hang tight until I get there.”
“But, Ronan.” The wobble in her voice nearly kills me. “You can’t. It’s not safe.”
“I can handle it. Trust me.” The tires squeal as I take the next left. Two minutes, I tell myself. Just two minutes. Angel’s got to be okay until then.
But I know that’s not true.
All it would take is the intruder going into Haley’s bedroom, opening the closet door, shining a flashlight inside and finding the entrance to the little cubby at the back. It would only take seconds. Seconds to find Angel, pull her out, crying and screaming, hurt her, assault her, even—
“We’ll get there in time,” Max says, his voice a low rumble. He sounds surprisingly calm, given the circumstances.
But then, what do I know of Max’s life before I met him? Yes, he owns a car repair shop now. But he hasn’t always. I never asked him what he did before moving back to Bliss. And he never offered to tell me.
“I think I hear…” Angel lets out a tiny meep of fear. “Oh. The stairs…”
Fuck. Fuck.
I shove my foot to the floor.
Two minutes isn’t soon enough. I need to get there now.
“Call Enzo,” I bark at Max. Shit. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it already. “We need backup.”
I don’t pay attention to Max’s conversation. All my focus is on Angel. On getting to her.
“I’m almost there,” I tell her as the car screeches around another corner. “Just two streets away.”
She doesn’t answer. All I can hear is her breathing.
Which is smart. I know it is. If the intruder is coming upstairs, Angel needs to be as quiet as possible. But fuck. I want to hear her voice. I want to know she’s really okay.
We’re only one street away when Max puts down his phone. “Enzo’s on the way. He’s calling the others, too. We’re going to have plenty of backup. And I’m sure the police will be here soon.”
In truth, I don’t give a shit about the police. The police have to follow rules. Procedures. Me, on the other hand… if I get my hands on the person who broke into Angel’s house, all bets are off.
“Just turning down your street,” I tell Angel. “Almost there.”
With a final punch of the gas, I turn onto Angel’s street. It’s dark, save for several porch lights still burning and the familiar TV-glow flickering through a couple of windows. And then there’s Angel’s, five houses down, with all the lights out as if she’d been in bed when I called her.
“Thirty seconds,” I promise. “Just pulling up to your house.”
I don’t bother shutting off the headlights. I don’t shut off the engine as I approach. Stealth doesn’t matter right now. The only important thing is getting to Angel before anyone hurts her.
I’m already reaching into my console to retrieve my gun before the car even stops moving. Thankful I use a fingerprint scanner for the lock—so I don’t have to screw around with a key or a code—I have my Sig out in seconds. I check the ammo, then look over at Max, who just did the same.
“You don’t have to come in,” I say. “I can go by myself.”
He scowls at me. “Fuck that. We’re both going in.”
As we jump out of the car, I listen for sirens. But so far, there’s nothing.
“Two entrances,” I tell Max. “One into the living room at the front, and one to the kitchen in the rear. The backyard is fenced in, but there’s a gate.”
Max nods. “I’ll take the front. You take the back, since you’re more familiar.”
I jerk my chin in agreement. “That works. Ready?”
His gaze is dark and solemn as it meets mine. “Ready.”
Lifting my hand, I hold it up for a moment. Before I put my phone away, I say into it, “I’m right outside, Angel. I’ll be right there.”
So soft it’s almost inaudible, she replies, “Be careful.”
Determination floods through me. My jaw sets. My muscles prime for an attack.
Then I glance over at Max and lower my hand.
We spring into action, racing across the lawn.
My heart is a thunderous drumbeat in my head.
All the years. All the ops. All the cases solved. But none have ever felt as important as this.
I have to reach her in time. I have to.