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I pulled into my driveway a few minutes later, and with my fast food bag in hand and my purse strap draped over my shoulder, I climbed out and started up the walkway of my cute little rental. It would have been nice to own my own home, but doing all that traveling before I settled in Redemption had eaten through a good chunk of my savings, so I needed to rebuild my nest egg before I made a purchase that big. But I didn’t regret a single moment of that trip. It had been worth it.
I climbed the front steps, my eyes on the keys in my hand as I fished through them to find the one for the front door, and didn’t notice it was already opened, a gap at least six inches wide leading into my pitch-dark house.
Had I done that?
No. It wasn’t possible. I could see myself forgetting to lock the door in my race to get to work that morning, but there was no chance I’d have left it sitting open all day long.
My heartrate ramped up as I slowly backed away, the voice inside my head telling me to get the hell back. I’d seen enough scary movies and true crime shows to know it was totally possible someone dangerous was inside the house at that very moment.
Whipping around on my heel, I ran down the steps, across the walkway, and back to my car, jabbing the lock button over and over to make absolutely sure nothing or no one could get in.
With shaky hands, I pulled my cellphone out of my purse and pressed the numbers on the screen.
The call connected in less than a second.
“911. What’s your emergency?”
“I think someone’s inside my house.”
ChapterFourteen
HOLTON
The call came through justas my shift was ending. I’d closed everything out and had just gathered up Churro’s stuff, ready to exit the bullpen, when Sheffield and another deputy sheriff, Luis Hernandez, came charging through, heading for their cruiser.
“Where’s the fire?” I called after them.
Sheffield turned and answered while walking backward. “Call just came through dispatch. Suspected break-in, intruder possibly still in residence at 1050 Lovell Court.”
My blood turned to ice as soon as I heard the address. Without missing a beat, I bent forward and scooped Churro off the ground so I could move faster. In no time, I’d caught up with Sheffield and Hernandez.
Hernandez looked at me, his brow wrinkled with concern. “Everything good, Clarke?”
“I’ll follow behind you. I know the woman who lives there.”
They made a beeline for their cruiser while I flung the door open to my truck. I made quick work of the safety harness I’d gotten for Churro so she wouldn’t get hurt, climbed behind the wheel, and gunned it out of the parking lot behind the station. I kept close to the cruiser, blowing through the stoplight and stop signs with them. Churro let out a whine from the back seat, like she knew what was happening. I shot her a brief glance in the rearview mirror. “It’s okay,” I said gently. “It’ll all be okay. I know you like her too. Lyric will be fine.”
Dear God, please let her be fine.
She had to be. This couldn’t be another Carla Sanford situation. Not with Lyric.
In reality, the drive only took a handful of minutes, but it still didn’t feel fast enough. My heart remained lodged in my throat the whole way there. It was like someone had clamped a vise around my chest and was twisting it tighter and tighter.
I didn’t take a full breath until I slammed on the brakes at the curb in front of Lyric’s house and saw her emerge from the sedan parked in the driveway, safe and sound.
“Oh, thank Christ,” I muttered to myself as I threw my door open and climbed out. I stopped just long enough to look back at Churro and command, “Stay,” then I was on the move, a desperation to get to Lyric clawing at my insides like a living, breathing thing. It was something I’d never felt before, and I knew I wouldn’t rest easy, or at all, until I had that woman in my arms.
Protect, protect, protect,my brain screamed at the sight of her, some primal instinct inside me viewing her as mine. Mine to keep safe. Mine to touch. Mine in every way that mattered.
Her complexion was ghostly white, her eyes wide and filled to the brim with panic. I jogged the distance between us, reaching her first, with Sheffield and Hernandez right behind me.
The instant I was close enough, I cupped her cheeks in my hands and pulled her flush against me. “Baby, are you okay?”
Her whole body was shaking like a leaf. She looked up at me, but I got the impression she wasn’t reallyseeingme. “The door was already open. I didn’t go in,” she said on a soft whisper. “All the true crime shows always say not to go in, so I locked myself in my car. I don’t know if there’s someone in there.”
I turned to look at Hernandez and Sheffield to make sure they’d heard everything she said. Hernandez jerked his chin up in silent acknowledgment, then the two of them made their way to the front door carefully.
I looped my arms around Lyric’s trembling body, holding her tightly and turning her away so she couldn’t see as the deputies approached.
