“We were terrorized by some ice?” Elle laughs. “I should have realized. We have the same stupid fridge in our apartment.”
“It’s okay.” I pat her arm. “Even after this long, I still get a little anxious when Cole is gone. Even though I know Rylan’s here to keep an eye on things.”
“And we’re more than capable of protecting ourselves,” Elle adds. Her chin lifts. With Zane being a black belt in at least six different martial arts, he’s taught her plenty of self-defense techniques. And I know for a fact that he still practices with her every week.
“Yeah.” Georgia loops an arm over each of our shoulders. “I still get a little uneasy, too. Even though I know we’re perfectly safe.”
“We are,” I agree. Although my still-racing heart istaking a little longer to believe it. “So. Now that we’ve solved the mystery, how about getting back to wrapping and those goodies Elle brought?”
“Sounds good.” Georgia replies. With her arms still around us, she starts back towards the living room before adding definitively. “And no more getting scared over nothing.”
CHAPTER 2
GEORGIA
Anice maker.
I still can’t believe I was on the verge of panic over an ice maker.
As I make my way down the stairs, I shake my head at myself. A rueful chuckle bounces off the walls of the stairwell.
Of all the things to be frightened of.
In the aftermath of our brush with danger in the form of the big, bad ice maker, Elle reasoned why we were all so jumpy. “It’s partly because the guys are gone,” she explained. “It changes the dynamics of things. Even though Rylan’s still at HQ, it’s different from when everyone’s here.”
“But they go away on business at least once a month,” Maya protested. “And I don’t know about you two, but I’m usually not about to call for reinforcements over a home appliance.”
“I think it’s the weather, too,” Elle replied. “With a Nor’easter coming in, and the wind picking up… Plus, this time of year, with the days so short… It just makes things feel a little…”
“Creepier,” I finished. I headed over to the window and pulled the curtain aside to look at the view outside. A thick blanket of clouds gave the sky an almost claustrophobic feel. Gusts of wind caught the branches of the trees, casting eerie shadows and creaking softly. Whorls of leaves moved across the dead grass in a solemn remembrance of fall.
“I hope it snows,” I added. “I hate when it’s just all dead grass and bare branches. It’s kind of depressing.”
“It is,” Maya agreed. “The fall is nice with the leaves changing color. And I love it when we get a fresh snow. But this in-between time… it’s not my favorite.”
Elle grabbed her phone and tapped the screen a few times. “They’re predicting at least six inches of snow now. It’s supposed to start at midnight and end around noon.”
A flutter of anxiety hit my belly. “I hope it doesn’t keep the guys from coming home tomorrow. If the roads from Boston to here are bad…”
Maya came up beside me and put her hand on my shoulder. “Then they’ll just drive a little slower, that’s all.”
I knew she was right. Intellectually, at least. But Elle was right, too. On a dark and stormy night, the shadows get sneakier. Unexpected sounds shift from innocent to sinister. Everything feels colder. Lonelier. Long-tamped down nightmares threaten to resurface.
“They’ll be fine,” Elle assured me. Her expression turned empathetic. “If you’d rather not stay at your place tonight, you’re welcome to stay over at mine. We can put Lily in my bedroom, and we can camp out in the living room. Watch movies until we fall asleep.”
“Or you can stay here,” Maya offered. “Lily’s already sleeping. You could just crash in my room with her. I don’t mind taking the couch.”
Turning away from the window, I smiled in appreciation. “Thanks. But I’ll be fine. And you’re right. The guys will be back before we know it.”
Normally, Leo being gone doesn’t bother me this much. I miss him, of course, but I’m not scared to be without him. Especially not when I’m home at Blade and Arrow HQ, protected by a top-of-the-line security system my brilliant husband installed.
But there’s just something about tonight that’s making me uneasy. Maybe it’s the weather, like Elle said. Maybe it’s residual stress from the holidays.
Or.
Maybe it’s thatfeelingLeo’s talked about before. An inexplicable feeling that something’s about to go wrong, despite all evidence to the contrary.“I’d get this odd, prickling sensation on the back of my neck,”he explained.“Or this weird, unsettled feeling in my gut. When that happened, nine times out of ten, the op was about to go sideways. We just didn’t realize it yet.”
A chill catches me, making me shiver.
