[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
venting my spleen. I stared grimly into the hallway and Bella, that whale, growled low from a foot behind
me.
I almost dropped the bat on my foot. Sss-ss. I hissed at her to go away.
The intruder froze on the second, maybe third step. We all halted in our tracks. I was about to flip the
light and do something athletic with the bat, when Bella channeled a charging rhino and tore down the hall,
all thirty-five pounds of her. She spat and howled and scared the bejesus out of whoever was on the stairs.
I slapped at the wall to find the seldom-used light switch as the patter of running feet fled down the
kitchen hall. I flung myself after him and almost tripped over Bella s fat ass as she wailed on the landing. I
barely caught myself on the banister.
That cat nearly killed me.
The door swung as our intruder disappeared through the kitchen. Jesus. I finally let loose with a
robust, Get the fuck out of my house!
Caesar! Who s there? Oh my God! What s wrong? Are you all right? Nana arrived at the top of the
stairs, clutching her nightgown to her neck.
Go to your room. Lock the door and call the police.
In the kitchen, the curtain fluttered he was gone.
I wasn t about to hurl myself through the fucking window into a dark alley, alone, in my underwear,
so I bolted for the front door. Hitting the locks and flipping the chain, I raced outside, careening to a halt in
a pool of yellow street light. The sidewalk and street were empty.
It was hot as blazes. The neighbor s dog barked from the alley. Parked cars waited ghostlike for
morning. A delivery truck shifted gears two blocks away otherwise it was still and peaceful. Across the
river, the city lights made a rosy hue against the overcast sky.
Whoever had broken in was gone, leaving me gasping for air with a lung that wasn t too interested in
cooperating.
www.samhainpublishing.com 105
LB Gregg
Caesar. Nan was backlit in the doorway. She held my bathrobe. You re in the street in your
underwear. Come inside. She didn t mention the bat. She knew what it was for. I swung it onto my
shoulder, pretending that move didn t hurt and that it was manly to hyperventilate, and I went into the
house.
You were supposed to go upstairs.
What s wrong?
Nothing. I took nice easy breaths and slid into my robe. My phone vibrated. I ll lock up, Nan. Go
wait for the police. Please. I need to know you re safe.
Her face was pale with anxiety, and for the first time ever my nana Cooper looked old.
It s okay. I patted her arm and kissed her forehead. He s gone.
She nodded, still clutching her gown. Thank you, pumpkin.
I answered the phone on the way to the kitchen, flipping every light in the house as I walked. It was
Dan. I kept my voice even. Sorry to wake you.
What s going on? What the hell s wrong? His voice was thick. I got your message patrol car
should be first to arrive.
We had a break-in.
You re all right, then? Did you see anyone?
No, but I think Lester Finch just dove through the back window. In the kitchen where I d had
ravioli with my nan only hours earlier, the charming café curtain was askew and a chair was on the floor.
He somehow managed to jiggle the lock.
Which was odd, since at least one hand was splinted.
What? Are you sure ?
And before you ask me, yes. I m sure. Whoever it was stumbled through the house like an amateur,
tripping over the furniture and running away when the cat meowed. After yesterday? It just makes sense
that it s Finch.
I was going to ask you if you re positive he s gone. Did you secure the house?
Oh. Yes. He shot out of here and disappeared as soon as Bella attacked. You told me not to worry.
My forehead felt impossibly tight, and I pinched the flesh between my eyes with two fingers. Shit. He
could have hurt my grandmother. What if I hadn t been here?
Dan was firm. But you were there.
What if I wasn t? You said I was safe.
I had no reason to think otherwise. You re overwrought do you think I would put you at risk if I
thought you were in danger? You or Nan?
Of course not.
106 www.samhainpublishing.com
Trust Me If You Dare
You re staying with me until this is over. We fell into silence, and I sensed he was as overwrought
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]