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The house was quiet.
Dani’s heartbeat was a roar within her ears.
She reached out, just to reassure herself he was there.
“I’m here and you’re okay,” he said.
“Yes, I am now,” she said, and closed her eyes.
Aaron took her hand and held it. Was there enough love left in the world to heal women like Dani? Time would tell.
Minutes passed as he felt her grip loosening. When her breathing softened, he knew she’d fallen asleep. Instead of moving her back to her bedroom, he eased her down onto the pallet, stretched out beside her, and pulled the covers up over both of them, waiting and listening for sounds that didn’t belong.
Alex Bing was antsy. This was taking longer than he’d planned, and he was wishing he’d done her the same night he hit Jubilee, instead of getting a place to stay. He could have been in and out and already gone.
It was all her fault. Switching up from an apartment to a house. And then there were the damn late-night workers filing into her neighborhood on their way home.
He’d been hoping and praying to hear from Tony, but he didn’t know how all of that worked now. Sometimeshe had a chance to call, but the days and times were random. He was worried that something might be wrong. What if the inmates were hurting him? He was in a fucking wheelchair, for God’s sake. No cripple should be forced to be in prison. Even the monsters of the world deserved a little consideration.
When he finally left the campgrounds, it was after 1:00 a.m. He drove straight into the housing addition where Dani was living, relieved that most of the houses were dark, save for the streetlights.
When the neighborhood finally went quiet, Aaron relaxed. It was easier to discern what he was hearing when it wasn’t drowned out by voices and traffic.
It was well after 1:00 a.m. when he heard the sound of a car moving through the neighborhood. He thought nothing of it other than noting the distinct sound of a slight knock in the engine and that the owner needed to get that car to a mechanic. But when he heard the same car pass by the house again a few minutes later, he bolted for the office, grabbed his laptop, and checked the app.
It was Bing!
Aaron stood in the dark, watching the blip on the screen as the car made yet another turn around the block.
Aaron bolted across the hall, glanced down at Dani, and then grabbed his gun. It might be nothing, but he was goingto check it out. But as he moved through the house, he heard the same engine sound coming from behind the house.
Shit. The alley!
He hurried to the kitchen and parted the shades long enough to look out. The backyard was empty. Nothing was moving. And then he heard a faint squeak and focused directly on the gate. When he saw the silhouette of a man in a dark hoodie standing in the opening, he bolted for the hall, knelt down on the pallet and touched Dani’s arm.
“Dani. Wake up,” he whispered.
She sat up with a jerk. “What…?”
He put his finger over his lips, handed her his phone, then pointed to her office.
“In there. Close the door, get flat on the floor, and call 911. Tell them someone is breaking into your house,” he whispered. “Hurry.”
“Oh my God,” she whispered, then threw back the covers, crawled across the hall straight into the other room and shut the door. Her fingers were trembling as she made the call, then went belly down, buried her face in her arms and went still.
Listening.
Waiting.
Praying.
Alex had made enough passes through the neighborhood that he was satisfied with the silence. When hecame back down her street again, he was driving with his lights off. He circled the block and pulled into the alley behind her house, then killed the engine, patted the pocket of his hoodie to make sure he had his lockpicks and the poison-filled syringe.
Seconds later he was out of the car and moving to the access gate. He opened it without caution, then winced at the unexpected squeak in the hinges, holding his breath as he watched the house for lights to come on or a door to open. But nothing happened. Satisfied he was still undetected, he breathed a sigh of relief and slipped through the gate, leaving it slightly ajar for a quick escape as he headed for the house.
Adrenaline was surging.
His heart was pounding.
