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I made my way out of my bedroom and down the hall toward Sadie’s. I didn’t want to worry her, but I did want to ensure her safety. I quietly opened her door and locked it from the inside with a code. She could get out, but there was no way anyone was getting in once this door was shut.
The unsettling feeling only got stronger as I made my way down the stairs to the kitchen. Only a soft, ambient glow came from the undercabinet lighting left on earlier. The blinds and curtains had all been shut. I went to my office and opened a cabinet to reveal the property’s cameras. Everything looked fine.
But I knew it wasn’t.
I grabbed my Glock 19 out of the safe and made my way toward the garage, where I exited through a side door before rearming the security system.
The moon cast an ashen, eerie light over the ground as I snaked out of sight. It no longer felt like the only thing I’d meet tonight was a black bear.
With each step toward the woods, the forest felt less welcoming. I hesitated and glanced back at the house.
Sadie would be okay.
Yet apprehension clawed at me, becoming more pronounced with each second. Even with years of training, I knew someone who didn’t belong on this property was out here.
But why?
It could be some random teenagers looking to make a night out of it, but that rarely happened in this town. All the kids were pretty good.
Each step was done with deliberate care as I made sure to walk on grass until I could get to the quiet mud of the woods, careful to miss any rogue pinecones as I directed myself into the shadows of my surroundings.
Echoing silence surrounded me as I worked through the maze of darkness until an abrupt snap cracked the stillness in front of me.
Someone or something had stepped on a twig, fracturing the silence surrounding me. My gaze darted all around me as my pulse quickened. It was still pretty far ahead.
I stayed frozen for a few minutes as my ears strained to capture any whisper of movement.
And then the shuffling of gravel carried toward me through the night air, and I knew I wasn’t alone out here.
My pulse steadied now that I had a location and a plan. The only graveled area was near the tiny house. No animal would make that much noise and give away their location.
I slowly snuck toward the vacant house, darting between trees, moving with a predatory covertness.
Years of training and endless missions with complicated clients had gifted me with the skills of patience and persistence. Slow and steady in my line of work always won the race.
The sound of another twig snapping gave way as I ensured each of my steps didn’t become an alarm bell to the intruder, whoever they were.
I’d delved deeper into the woods, careful not to rustle any autumn leaves still clinging to the surrounding maples, when I spotted the small house in the distance. I scanned the long gravel drive and realized how ghostly the vacant house suddenly looked.
Standing against a massive Douglas fir, I pressed myself along the wide trunk as I glanced toward the driveway.
A willowy figure stood on the front porch, faintly illuminated by the moon’s glow from the clearing in the woods surrounding the house. I narrowed my eyes as their posture suggested an assuredness that made no sense. I slowly approached the building, crouching as I ducked to stay out of view.
The closer I got, the more assured I was that I was looking at a woman. The figure’s curves didn’t match any male I knew, and the persistent tapping of her foot seemed to convey some annoyance as if they were waiting for someone inside to answer the door.
So, she wasn’t alone.
I edged closer before slinking along the side of the house. I only had one shot at this, and if Carmella made the wrong move, she wouldn’t have to worry about her next trial date.
But I also needed to worry about whoever was inside the house.
My mind raced with certainty and conviction that whoever was here was here for Sadie. This person was no casual trespasser, no teenagers looking for a good time.
As I turned the corner of the house and snaked along the front, I saw a beam of light in the person’s hand and recognized their cell phone lighting up. I froze so my movement wouldn’t give me away with the new reckoning of shadows.
The woman sighed and muttered something under her breath, and I suddenly realized it wasn’t Carmella.
She turned to look back down the drive, where I spotted a car tucked under a tree. Her posture stiffened, and dread ran through me as she scanned the property.
