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I clutched my clothes tighter, and more cold drops trickled down my body. Through the trees wound a walking trail that looked like it went around the neighborhood. What if there was someone out for a morning jog or walk? We needed to get inside.
I glanced around, searching for anything that looked like it might be holding a key. There was a rock that looked more plastic than real on the far end of the porch right next to a planter. I hurried to it and picked it up. On the back side was more black plastic. I pressed the lever, and it popped open, exposing a small silver key.
I held it up and turned back to Lincoln with a triumphant smile. “Found it.”
Lincoln’s eyes lit up, and he slid the key from my fingers. After unlocking the door, he drew in a deep breath but didn’t open it.
I fiddled with the strap on my tank top as I waited for him to open it. When he didn’t, I lifted my brow. “What are you waiting for?”
“I’m just praying that they don’t have an alarm system.”
“Oh.” Crap. I hadn’t thought about that.
I didn’t see any signs that there was one. Typically, those were out in front of houses, though, and I didn’t want to go prancing around out there.
Lincoln tapped his finger on the handle and counted to three under his breath before opening it.
I couldn’t breathe. I waited and listened. After a few seconds, I sighed heavily when no alarm sounded.
Lincoln took a step inside and flipped on some lights. “I think we’re in the clear.”
I followed him in and shut and locked the door behind us. We were in a living room. The tile beneath my feet was freezing. The whole house had a chill to it, making me shiver. Someone had turned down the furnace.
There was a sofa and a love seat in here. The open kitchen was to our left, and there were stairs and a hallway to our right.
I looked down at the floor. My drenched clothes were dripping all over the white tile. “Now what?”
Lincoln took my wet clothes for me. “Let’s see if we can’t find the dryer for these.”
He padded through the front room like he owned the place while I stood rooted in my spot, peering around, afraid someone might still jump out at us.
I cocked my head to the side and listened. I didn’t hear anything.
A door creaked, and then something slammed closed, followed by the singsong of the dryer starting up.
Lincoln popped his head out from down the hall. “I started our clothes. Let’s go upstairs and see if we can find one of the bedrooms so we can get something to wear. Or maybe even find a hot shower. Then I want you to call your pack.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and headed for the stairs, taking them one at a time. If someone was here and they heard us, they were probably hiding and staying quiet. I was so nervous about that. How was Lincoln so calm about all this? We were breaking and entering.
Lincoln came up behind me, catching up quickly. He inhaled deeply, and I thought maybe he was smelling me, until he spoke up. “I don’t think anyone’s been in this house for a while. It smells stale.”
I sniffed too. He was right. I smelled more mothballs and dust than anything else. I put my hand over my heart and closed my eyes, saying a silent thank you.
We walked down the upstairs hallway, searching for a bedroom. The first two were children’s rooms. One had bright-pink walls and a princess bedspread. The other had a Transformers one.
The master suite was at the end of the hall. Lincoln pushed the door open and went to the dresser while I went to the closet.
The closet had mostly men’s shirts. The women’s clothes that were in there looked like they belonged to a lady in her eighties. No thanks. I snagged a long-sleeve man’s shirt off a hanger and tugged it on. It hit just below my thighs, and the sleeves were a touch too long, but it would do.
Lincoln had pulled on some flannel pants that looked way too large for him. He was working on getting the string tied and had pulled it as tightly as it would go.
I rubbed my hands together. My fingers were still frozen and stiff. I’d phone the pack, and then I was taking a piping-hot shower.
“Do you think they have a landline here? I don’t see any phone jacks in the wall.”
Lincoln frowned. “That’s a good question. If not, maybe they have a computer or at least a tablet. Anything that we can get connected to the Internet will work.”
Lincoln looked on the dresser, and I took the end tables. I tried to put everything back the way I found it, but that proved more difficult than I thought it’d be. Neither of us came up with anything.
