Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
“Shit,” she breathed, putting a hand to her galloping heart as the dogs leaped off her and charged for the front door.
She grabbed her phone to check the time. It was just before midnight. And she’d missed a call and three subsequent messages from Lachlan, the last one asking her to respond and let him know she was okay.
“Dammit.”
The dogs continued to go nuts at the door. What had Mae said?
“Quiet, you three.”
They ignored her.
Was this normal? Or was someone out there?
Phone in hand, she moved through the darkened living room, shrouded in shadows. The dogs were all lined up at the front door, ears perked, low growls filling the quiet room.
A crawling sensation started between her shoulder blades and spread up the back of her neck.
She peered through a sidelight at the front door. The dogs quieted at her presence but didn’t relax their vigilance.
A heavy fog had rolled in. It blanketed the ground in a thick layer several feet high, obscuring everything outside below the level of the top of the front garden gate.
There was no movement out there that she could see. But she didn’t like the way the dogs remained poised by the front door, ears and tails up. Still on high alert.
They knew something was up. That something was out there.
She moved to the adjoining living room and eased the edge of a curtain back to peer up the street. Through the gloom she could see the outline of Willow’s cottage. She stilled, watching for a minute.
The prickle at her nape intensified when a dark shape detached from the shadows at the far end of Willow’s place. Someone darted out of view near the road. Seconds later, the faint sound of a car engine drifted through the night.
Without thinking twice, she dialed Lachlan.
“Maddy, everything okay?” he answered, sounding more awake than she’d expected.
It wasn’t lost on her that her first instinct had been to call him, not Blaine.
“I’m fine. I just… I’m at Mae’s. I fell asleep, and the dogs woke me up going crazy a few minutes ago.
It’s really foggy up here, but I just saw someone casing Willow’s place.
They got into a car and drove away. I didn’t get a good look at them so I didn’t call the police in case I’m wrong. ”
“Are you safe?”
“Yes.” She hoped so.
“Stay where you are, and keep the doors locked. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
“Okay.” She already felt better knowing he was coming. “Thank you.” If she was making a big deal out of nothing, so be it. At least she would get to see him.
“You don’t need to thank me. I’m on my way.”
While she waited she turned on a few lights downstairs to make it look like someone was home and awake, then sat on the sofa to wait. Larry jumped up into her lap. Curly followed suit, and Moe held out another ten seconds before joining her siblings. They huddled against her, ears pricked.
Was someone still out there?
She knew Lachlan had arrived even before his truck headlights cut through the gloom out the window. The dogs leapt from her lap and charged for the door again, barking hysterically in that shrill yapping that set Maddy’s nerves on edge.
“Quiet,” she scolded and scooped up Larry. He froze in shock before ducking his head and letting out a yap of protest. “No. All of you, shh.” She picked up the others. Moe squeaked in alarm. Curly turned into a Chihuahua statue, his little legs sticking out rigidly from his potato-shaped body.
Maddy carried them to the door in her arms, the fear that had threatened to take over before receding as soon as Lachlan’s broad-shouldered silhouette appeared on the far side of the garden gate. The fog swirled around him as he strode for the house, hiding his steps.
She unlocked and opened the door, relief hitting her hard. “Hi,” she said over the new chorus of barking.
The front porch light showed the concern on his face as he reached the front steps and swept his gaze over her. “You okay?”
“Yes.” Much better now that he was here.
He stepped inside and reached for her before the door had swung shut behind him.
She leaned her head on his shoulder and exhaled, closed her eyes a moment and breathed in his scent to ground herself while she cradled the dogs awkwardly between them. They were making grumbling noises but not barking anymore.
She felt safe now. “I’m sorry I missed your call and messages.”
“It’s okay. Just tell me what happened.” He kissed her forehead and eased his hold enough to let her straighten up.
The dogs huddled against her chest, staring at him in alarm. Funny little things. Mae had been right though. These little guys were a living security system when something was going on outside.
She told Lachlan everything. “I didn’t see the car clearly enough to get the color, make or model, but I heard it take off. Whoever I saw running across the road definitely came from Willow’s yard. And last night…”
“Last night?” he prompted when she hesitated.
“I thought someone might have been following me. I didn’t notice anything when I left Willow’s,” she rushed on when his face darkened, “but by the time I got here I felt like something was off. I thought I saw someone heading behind Mae’s place, and then a car hanging around down the street without any lights on.
It passed Willow’s place right after I got inside, still no headlights on. ”
“Stay here. I’ll go up and take a look.”
“But—”
“I’ll be fine. Did you lock Willow’s place up before you left?”
“Yes, and I set the security system.”
“I’ll need the key and the code.”
She gave him both. “The alarm keypad’s just inside the front door to the left when you walk in. Just enter the digits, and it will disarm.”
“Got it. Lock up behind me. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He tipped her chin up and dropped a quick kiss on her lips before leaving.
She did as he said, trying to make sense of what she’d seen. Since Syria, she’d developed a hypervigilance and heightened awareness of her surroundings. Maybe even a bit of paranoia, which was why she didn’t trust her instincts.
She could be overreacting. Just because she was rattled didn’t mean any of this was a threat, let alone one aimed at her.
It could have been a simple case of thieves looking for a soft target to hit. Willow’s cottage had been empty for weeks before she’d moved in. Maybe someone had known that and come back tonight thinking it was still empty.
She jumped when the dogs suddenly went nuts again a few minutes later.
“No,” she scolded, squeezing them tighter. They were going to give her a damned heart attack. “Stop it. It’s just Lachlan.” She could see his silhouette cutting through the fog as he approached the front garden gate.
She let him in, her entire body sighing in relief when he stepped over the threshold. But then his expression registered. The deadly seriousness of it.
Her heart hitched.
“I think you’d better call Blaine. And I’ll call Rafe.”
Cold spread through her gut. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“Whatever this was, it wasn’t a random smash and grab attempt.”
“How do you know?”
“Because the door was unlocked, and there’s no sign of forced entry. Whoever it was picked the lock—and disabled the alarm system without setting it off.”
Oh, shit. Not good. Whoever had broken in was a pro. A pro who appeared to be looking for her.
Lachlan’s expression was grim as he continued. “These weren’t amateurs looking for an easy target.” He paused a moment. “And they did it while your car was parked right out front.”
The blood drained from her face as she stared up at him, his meaning hitting home. Someone skilled had specifically targeted the cottage…
While it looked like she would be there alone.