When he hung up, Cara asked, “What about the third one? Jessica?”
“It’s too late to interview her this evening. I’ll keep watch on her place tonight.” He hadn’t confessed his dreams to Cara. Was having a hard enough time believing them himself. He met her gaze in the shadows of the car. “Good thing they only took three. We’ll be stretched pretty damned thin.”
“Kitani can help.”
Kade shook his head. “She’s too far along. Don’t want her tangling with a Dire. And neither Cody nor Ryan would go for it.”
“She’s still got at least two weeks,” Cara said. “And I’d like to see them try to stop her.”
“Yeah.” His sister was one determined Sabre. And a fierce fighter. But his Isa had been like that too. And it hadn’t saved her...
He deliberately shoved that thought aside. But Cara didn’t miss much.
“She’ll be okay. I’m here for her.”
Cara had tried with Isa too. Powerful as she was, she hadn’t been able to help.
“I hope so,” he grated, starting the car. “I’ll take you home.”
“Just drop me downtown. My Jeep’s parked at the library. I’ll be fine.”
Kade snorted. Only Cara would consider walking downtown after dark to be safe. But he knew her.
And she would be.
* * *
Dressed for bed in sweatpants and a loose shirt, Jessie checked the casement windows in the living room for at least the sixth time.
I’m getting paranoid.She moved into the kitchen and clutched her can of bear spray as she approached the back door. It was still locked. Which made sense as she’d locked it, and she was the only one here.
Her alarm system was very basic and only involved exterior access. She hadn’t invested in motion detectors throughout the house. Her tendency to go in search of midnight treats with sleep-fogged mental faculties would have put her on a first name basis with the attendant at the alarm company. And she’d figured her little house wouldn’t be a prime target for thieves.
Werewolves, on the other hand...
Jessie poured the boiling water into her teapot. She usually set the alarm to night mode before going upstairs. The aroma of her chamomile tea soon filled the kitchen. She put down her bear spray to pour it into her favorite cup.
Something rang. It was curiously muffled. Not the new phone in her pocket—the landline. It was still plugged in upstairs. She’d forgotten to move it back.
Zach. She’d given Zach that number.
Her heart accelerated. Were the police right about him? Then she remembered that the police also had the landline number. Had they found the guys that grabbed her?
It would give her four rings before going to voicemail. Three left to go. Tea sloshed everywhere as she slapped the cup down on the table and bolted for the stairs.Two.She climbed them two at a time.One.Jessie burst into the bedroom to throw herself across the bed in an untidy sprawl of limbs, reaching for the bedside table. Her fingers scrabbled at the handset. They almost had it, but then they slipped. The handset was knocked off the unit and onto the floor, taking her second can of bear spray along with it.
She lunged for it, but when she lifted it to her ear, got only a dial tone in response. It had forwarded to voicemail.
There was a reason she hated landlines. She slammed it back on the receiver, almost jarring her tablet loose from its stand near the phone. Beside it sat the knife she’d bought—the fixed blade in its sheath. She’d given up on the fastener, leaving it permanently open. Otherwise, she’d never get the damned thing out.
Rambo she was not.
Jessie had the tablet plugged in so that she could leave the screen on full time. The camera app showed her three views of the backyard. The house and garage blocked both the lights along the street and the alley, casting most of the yard into shadow.
As she repositioned on the bed to pick up the phone, her eye caught movement in the darkness on the screen. Her heart froze. Had she imagined it? She shoved herself to a sitting position. Picked up the tablet, squinted at the screen.
And from the depths of the house, the alarm beeped. One, two—four times.
Someone, or something, had come in the door. Front or back, it didn’t matter. They were in the house.
