When I text the images to Buck and Weston with a brief explanation, Buck answers first, then Weston a minute later, both of them telling me they’re on their way.
I get back in my truck and circle by Mae’s house again, where the street is clear, and the snow around the property is undisturbed.
It’s a relief, except for the part of me that wants to march up to Mae’s door, bring Elena and T.J. out, then take them to my house and lock them away until there’s no such thing as danger.
I won’t do that, but there’s also no way I’m going to make myself keep my distance.
CHAPTER 16
ELENA
Four days after T.J. and I are able to move back into our home, I wake to the sound of my phone vibrating in the early morning hours, just after five.
My pulse pounds instantly because no one calls that early with anything good. I snatch the phone off my nightstand and answer in a voice still thick from sleep. “Hello?”
“Elena.” It’s Buck, and his voice is low and controlled, fully awake. “I need you to stay calm.”
My body goes cold, and the blankets tangle at my waist as I quickly sit up. “What’s wrong?”
“There was a fire at the school overnight. The maintenance shed. No one’s hurt.”
That much is a relief, but it does little for my pounding heart.
“The fire didn’t extend to the main building, but the shed is a total loss. Fuel cans inside made it burn quick, before the crew could put it out.”
I’m already on my feet, heading for the closet.
“I’m at the scene now,” he says. “I wanted you to hear about it from me first. And Elena—” His tone lowers, and another wave of dread floods through me. “There’s something else.”
I’m flipping through my shirts, but I freeze, one hand with a death grip on my phone. “What?”
“There’s a message.”
“What kind of message?” My throat is so tight, it’s hard to get the words out.
“Spray paint on the school’s exterior wall beside the shed.”
I squeeze the phone tighter. “What does it say?”
He pauses, then tells me in a plain tone. “‘You can’t hide from the past.’”
It knocks the breath out of me. The words don’t exactly make sense, but a cold certainty moves through me anyway. This began in San Diego, but it didn’t stay there. “I’m not hiding from anything,” I tell Buck. “NothingIknow about anyway.”
I abandon my closet and go back into the bedroom to sit on the bed. “Buck?—“
“I know.” His voice turns rougher. “I know.”
The house is quiet, and when a vent clicks in the hall, I flinch.
“Listen to me, Elena. You’re not alone in this. I’ve already got more eyes on your house and the school. Motion-activated lights, added cameras, SentinelSecurity patrols overnight. Weston and Calder will coordinate with me and the sheriff’s office this morning. I need you to stay home until I come get you.”
“I have to go in.”
“I know you do, but not yet.”
“Buck, I’m the principal.”
“There’s an active scene. Whoever did this just escalated, and you don’t need to walk into it blind.” His commanding voice softens just a little when he adds, “I want to make sure you’re safe.”
