My gaze sweeps the room, and the air in my lungs turns to ice.
The cottage has been ransacked.
Papers are scattered across the floor, drawers yanked out and left hanging. The couch cushions are tossed aside, and the bookshelves topple over each other, their contents scattered. My mind struggles to make sense of it.
Then—A figure stands in the shadows near the open window. It’s a man, but I can’t make out any details of his face or body. I catch a faint glint of metal in his hand and hold my breath.
Moving slowly, he creeps closer to the window toward me.
I scream.
Chapter 13
Scott
A loud sound jolts me awake from a restless sleep. It takes a moment to clear the fog from my head and figure out the source of the noise. My cell phone. I reach for it on the nightstand and force my eyes open. Hannah’s name glows on the screen.
A tight knot of dread grips my stomach. I bolt upright.
“Hannah?” The clock flashes 2:30 a.m.
“You need to get over here right now. Someone broke into Maddie’s cottage and attacked her.”
The room spins as adrenaline surges through me. “What? Is she all right?” I’m already out of bed, grabbing last night’s clothes from the floor.
“She’s shaken up pretty bad, but she’s safe. She wants you.”
“I’m on my way.”
The phone falls onto the bed as I slip on my jeans and boots and grab my keys and jacket.
My truck’s engine roars to life, and I’m on the road before I even register if I’ve closed the door. The dark, empty streets of Maverick Key blur beneath the glare of my headlights. Whowould do this? And why?The thought of Maddie, alone and scared, makes me tighten my grip on the wheel until my knuckles ache.
I pull up to her cottage and jump out. Maddie sits on the steps, a blanket draped over her shoulders. She’s so small. Her pale face stares at the ground. Wes sits beside her, his arm resting across her shoulders, while Hannah paces nearby, talking into her phone, her movements restless. Ding is curled up beside Maddie, his head resting on her lap.
She lifts her head, meeting my eyes.
Wes gets up and steps aside, giving us room. I crouch in front of her, scanning her for signs of injury. “Are you hurt, sweetheart?”
She grips the edge of the blanket. “No, I’m okay. Just… scared.”
Wes and Hannah fill me in on what happened to Maddie. Thankfully, no one touched her.
Relief washes over me—overshadowed by the tightening tension in my stomach. “The important thing is that you’re safe,” I murmur, brushing my hand over her knee before withdrawing it. “We’ll figure this out.”
Inside the cottage, it’s a war zone.
“Whoever did this didn’t care who heard them. I’m surprised the noise didn’t wake up the whole inn,” Wes mutters, his jaw tight as he surveys the destruction.
I turn to Maddie, my stomach in knots at the thought of her walking into this chaos—of someone tailing her home.
“Do you know what they were looking for?”
Her fingers tighten around the blanket. When she speaks, her voice wavers.
“Nathan’s research. All his notes are gone.”
I step closer, my brow furrowing. “Are you sure they took everything?”
