AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I vote for the first one,” Lacey said decisively.
He quirked his mouth up in a half smile. “We’ll see” was all he said.
They didn't speak much on the short drive back to the station.
“Thanks, Lacey, I think we made good progress today.”
“I’m not sure we’re any closer to an answer, however,” she chided lightly, stepping out of the vehicle. “Are you coming upstairs?” she asked when he remained sitting in the car.
“In a minute. I just need to make some calls,” he lied.
“Fine, I’ll see you later.” She straightened her uniform and brushed imaginary lint from her breast pocket. He watched as she walked to the stairwell, enjoying the sway of her hips, blonde ponytail bobbing jauntily, and the way her blue shirt nipped in at the waist, and her trousers hugged her taut backside to show her hourglass figure to perfection. His heart did a double-tap as she disappeared through the door.
“This is killing me,” he whispered into the silence of the car. “I don’t want to lose you. I can’t lose you.” He put his head into his hands and wondered how on earth he was going to get through the next few days.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
LACEY STEPPED OUT of the Jeep with a groan. Maybe she shouldn’t have gone to judo training twice in a row. But the physical release felt good, helped her get on top of those emotions that threatened to overwhelm her every time she thought about Nico. After sliding the shed door shut, she moved slowly across the grass toward the back steps. Thank God for the security light Nico had installed on the side of the shed after she’d been attacked earlier this year. It was nice to have the whole area bathed in light to help her navigate her way through the backyard.
Smudge had been barking as she’d come up the driveway, and now he was pulling at his tether beside his kennel, straining to get to her, whining loudly.
“What’s up, mate?” she asked as she released him from his rope. He gave her hand a quick lick of welcome, but then ran to the back steps begging to be let in. Strange. Normally he liked to run off and lift his leg a few times on various trees around the property before he came in. The geese were also restless, honking and flapping from their roosting spot in the orchard, for them to be awake at night was again unusual.
She unlocked the back door, and Smudge rushed past her. Flicking on the kitchen light, she went back to the alcove to kick off her sneakers and hang up her duty belt, then went to the small gun safe in the kitchen cabinet and locked away her service weapon. It was a routine she followed every night when she came home from shift. She’d showered at the dojo and changed into comfy leggings and a T-shirt after her judo session, but she still needed to throw her uniform in the wash for tomorrow.
She could hear the tick-tack of Smudge’s claws on the wooden floorboards as he trotted through the house. Leaning her hip against the countertop, she wondered if she had the energy to bother cooking food tonight. It was already past ten. At least it was warm enough that she didn’t have to light the fire tonight, so that was one less thing to do. Maybe a couple of slices of toast and Vegemite might have to do for dinner; she was too exhausted for much else. But then what would Nico eat? She always made sure there was something for him whenever he was working late on a case. Just because she was mad at him, did that mean she stopped caring for him too? She groaned and went to open the refrigerator to see if there was anything she could whip into an easy dish.
What time would he even be home tonight? They’d made some great breakthroughs today, and he’d probably be following up on all the new information flooding in from the other officers as they reported in. While she was still peering aimlessly into the fridge, Smudge reentered the kitchen and looked up into her face, then gave an uncharacteristic whine.
“What’s the matter?” she asked, but suddenly, a prickle went down her spine. Smudge never acted like this. He was agitated, lifting his nose and scenting the air, pacing around the kitchen. Usually he was happy to settle on his rug in front of the fireplace or sit in the doorway and watch her cook.
Closing the refrigerator door quietly, she walked silently on socked feet into the hallway, flicking on every light switch as she went. She stuck her head into the living room. Everything seemed fine. It was all just as she’d left it. Then she followed Smudge down the hallway, opening the door to the spare bedroom. It was all fine in there too. The main bedroom door was always left open, and she fumbled around on the wall for a few seconds before she found the switch. The room was empty.
The dog was standing at the front door, almost as if he wanted to go out onto the front porch. That’s when Lacey noticed the door to the formal dining room was open, the room dark beyond. That door was always closed. Always. It was a habit of Nico’s that she couldn’t seem to break him out of. The prickling sensation got stronger. She halted in her tracks and glanced over her shoulder. Should she go back and retrieve her gun? But surely Smudge would’ve alerted her if there was someone hiding in that room waiting to pounce.
Slowly, she inched forward until she could peer into the room. Nothing moved in the semidarkness. No one was in there. But had someone been in here earlier? How else would the door have been open? Nico had set it up as a formal living room when she’d first moved in with him. But she thought it was such a shame, because, apart from the bedroom, this room had the best view out over the ocean and the curve of beach spread out below. And so she’d moved in a few armchairs to create a cozy nook from which to appreciate the vista. With the curtains still open, the windows let in enough light so Lacey could be certain no one was hiding in there.
Smudge gave a low growl, his eyes still fixed on the front door, and the hairs on the back of Lacey’s neck stood up. Edging into the front room, she stayed close to the wall, then peered around the edge of the curtain, making sure she was hidden from sight. The front porch was dark and empty, as was the front garden. Her gaze roved over the lawn leading down to where the driveway met the main road. Nothing. What was Smudge growling at? The half-moon lent the scene an eerie glow, but it gave just enough light she could see no one was on the property. Unless they were hiding behind the shrubs at the base of the steps off the porch. She tried to see around the branches, but it was no use.
Lifting her gaze, she focussed on the road and the view farther down the hill.
Over there.
What was that?
A dark figure stood silhouetted at the edge of the road, halfway down to the beach. A man, by the size and shape of his figure. It was hard to tell in the dim light, but Lacey was certain the man was staring straight back at the house. Right at her. She jumped back behind the curtain, her breath catching in her throat, panic making adrenaline spike through her.
She only faltered for a second before she remembered who and what she was. A police officer, with specialized police training, as well as a black belt in judo. Trained to go after an intruder, not hide behind the curtains. Drawing in a deep, calming breath, she went back into the hallway and unlocked the door. Smudge lunged, wanting to get out, but she grabbed him by the collar. Smudge had known all along there’d been an intruder. He might well want to race after this burglar, but he might get hurt, so she couldn’t let him free.
Yanking the door open, she flicked on the outside light and stood on the porch, holding back a barking Smudge. There were no street lights in this little out-of-the-way hamlet, so the only light was from the moon. Let this guy see that he didn’t frighten her. She stood tall, staring back at him. What did he want? Who was he? And most importantly, had he actually been inside her house? The figure stared back at her, both of them facing off like statues in the night. She was about to push Smudge back inside and run down the steps to give chase, when the deep rumble of a familiar engine split the night.
A bouncing swath of light from Nico’s motorcycle headlamp lit up the road as he came around the corner, and Lacey turned her gaze gratefully toward the sound. His black motorcycle appeared on the road down below, and Lacey felt an absurd sense of relief. She ran down the stairs, Smudge still held tightly in one hand, pointing and waving at Nico, hoping to get his attention.
But when her gaze snapped back to the spot where the man had stood, no one was there. It was dark and empty; the man had disappeared. Melted into the coastal scrubland along the other side of the road. He’d disappeared so quickly, she could almost believe he’d been a figment of her imagination. But she knew that wasn’t the case.
Nico stopped his motorcycle at the edge of the driveway and lifted his visor. “What’s going on?” he queried. A thunderous look soon replaced his confused squint as Lacey quickly outlined what’d happened. “Stay here,” he demanded as he leaped off his motorcycle, leaving it idling. Removing his helmet, he dropped it on the ground and sprinted in the direction she’d pointed. Smudge went mad, barking and leaping, wanting to follow Nico, to protect him. It took all her strength to hang on and try and calm him down.
Nico had taken off into the dark without a second’s thought. But if that man had been in their house, been purposefully waiting for one of them to come home… She wasn’t sure what it all meant. Why would someone break into their house and not take anything? She’d need to go and double-check, but it seemed like nothing had been stolen. This wasn’t your everyday burglary. Were they being stalked? And if so, who was this guy after? Her? Or Nico? Now her fear had transferred from herself onto Nico. He was out there alone with some psycho on the loose.
