Shirlee McCoy - Stranger in the Shadows

“Reed here. Right. Give me the address.” He jotted something down on a piece of paper. “Davidson?”

At the name, Ben straightened, an image of straight black hair and emerald eyes flashing through his mind.

“Okay. Keep her on the phone. I’ll be there in ten.” Jake hung up, grabbed a jacket from the closet.

“You said Davidson?”

“Yeah. Lady living out on the lake in the Richard’s place is reporting an intruder in the house. My men are tied up at an accident outside of town, so I’m going to take the call.”

“Did you get a first name?”

“Chloe.”

“I’m coming with you.”

Jake raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, that’s not the way it works.”

“It is this time. I’ll stay in the squad car until you clear things, but I’m coming.”

“Since I don’t have time to argue or ask questions, we’ll do it your way.”

It took only seconds for Jake to say goodbye to his family, but those seconds seemed like a lifetime to Ben, every one of them another opportunity for whoever was in the house with Chloe to harm her. As they climbed into the cruiser and sped toward the lake, Ben could only pray that she’d be safe until he and Jake arrived.

Sirens sounded in the distance and Chloe backed toward the window that overlooked the front door, her gaze still fixed on the glass knob. It hadn’t turned again, but she was expecting it to and wondering what she’d do if or when the door crashed open.

“Chloe? Are you still there?” The woman on the other end of the line sounded as scared as Chloe felt.

“Yes.” She glanced out the window, saw a police cruiser pull up to the house, lights flashing, sirens blaring. “The police are here. I’m going to hang up.”

“Don’t—”

But Chloe was already disconnecting, tossing the phone and knife onto the couch and hurrying toward the door. The stairs creaked, footsteps pounded on wooden steps and a fist slammed against the door. “Ms. Davidson? Sheriff Jake Reed. Are you okay?”

“Fine.” She pulled the door open, stepping back as a tall, hard-faced man strode in, a gun in his hand.

“Good. I’m going to escort you to my car. I want you to stay there until I’m finished in here.”

“Finished?”

“Making sure whoever was here isn’t still hanging around.”

Still hanging around?

Chloe didn’t like the sound of that and hurried down the stairs and outside, the crisp fall air making her shiver. Or maybe it was fear that had her shaking.

“I won’t be long. Stay in the car until I come back out. I don’t want to mistake you for the intruder.”

“And I don’t want to be out here alone.” She might not like the idea of someone being in the house, but she liked the idea of staying outside by herself even less.

“Then it’s good you don’t have to be.” As he spoke a figure stepped out of the cruiser. Tall, broad-shouldered and moving with lithe and silent grace.

Chloe knew who it was immediately, her visceral response announcing his name, her betraying heart leaping in acknowledgement. “Ben, what are you doing here?”

“How about we discuss it in the cruiser?” He wrapped an arm around her waist and hurried her down the steps. Strong, solid, dependable in a way Adam had never been. The comparison didn’t sit well with Chloe. Noticing how different Ben was from the man she’d once loved was something she shouldn’t be doing.

“Climb in.” He held the cruiser door open for her, then slid in himself, his knee nudging her leg, his arm brushing hers.

She scooted back against the door, doing her best to ignore the scent of pine needles and soap that drifted on the air, but he leaned in close, his jaw tight, his face much harder than it had seemed earlier. “Are you okay?”

“Just scared.”

“Jake said someone was inside the house with you. Did he make it into your apartment?”

“No, but it looked like he was trying to get in.” She shuddered, watching as the lights in the attic area of the Victorian flicked on.

“Did you see the person?”

“I saw something before I went in the house, but if it was a person, I couldn’t tell. There was no way I was going to open the apartment door to take a look.”

“I’m glad you didn’t. That would have been a bad idea.” The porch light flicked off, then on again, and Ben pushed open the car door. “That’s Jake’s all clear. Ready to go back inside?”

“Of course.” But she wasn’t really. Sitting in the car with Ben seemed a lot safer than stepping back into the darkness.

He rounded the car, pulled open her door and offered a hand. “It’ll be okay, Chloe. Whoever it was is long gone.”

Chloe nodded, not trusting herself to speak, afraid anything she said would be filled with the panic and paranoia that had chased her from D.C. Nightmares. Terror. The feeling of being watched, of being stalked. She’d been plagued with all of them since being released from the hospital nine months ago. Post-traumatic stress. That’s what the doctors said. That’s what the police said. Given enough time, Ben and Jake would probably say the same.

She braced herself as she stepped back into the house, sure that Jake would tell her he’d found nothing, that her mind had been playing tricks on her, that nothing had happened. She was only partially right.

Jake seemed convinced that something had happened, but his list of evidence was slim—an unlocked back door, a smudge of dirt on the back deck that might have been a footprint, fingerprints that might have belonged to the intruder, but more likely belonged to someone who lived in the house.

“We’ll get prints of the other tenants. See if I’ve picked up anything that doesn’t belong to one of you. Can you come to the station Monday?”

“I’ve got to work, but I’m sure Opal will give me the time off.”

“Good. In the meantime, keep the doors locked and don’t take unnecessary risks. I’m thinking this is probably a kid playing a prank or hoping to find some quick cash, but you never know.”

“No, you don’t.” Chloe shifted her weight, trying to ease the ache in her leg, trying to convince herself that the sheriff was right and that what had just happened had nothing to do with her former life.

Tried, but wasn’t successful.

He must have sensed her misgivings. His gaze sharpened, going from warm blue to ice. “Is there something you’re not telling me? If so it’s best to get it out in the open now.”

“I’m just not sure what happened tonight was random.” There. It was out. For better or worse. If it made her look crazy, so be it.

“And you have a reason for thinking that?” His tone was calm, but there was an edge to his words, a hardness to his face that hadn’t been there before.

“This isn’t the first time I’ve been followed into a building. It’s not the first time I’ve felt like I was in danger.”

“It sounds like there’s a lot more to the story than what happened tonight. Maybe we should finish this discussion in your apartment.” He started up the stairs, giving Chloe no choice but to follow.

Which was fine.

It was better to get everything out on the table now rather than later. And Chloe was pretty sure there would be a later. As much as she’d hoped things would be different here, she hadn’t been convinced she could leave all her troubles behind. Apparently, she’d been right.

“Do you want me to wait outside?” Ben spoke quietly as he followed her up the stairs and Chloe knew what her answer should be. Yes, wait outside. Yes, keep your distance.

Unfortunately, knowing what she should say didn’t make her say it. “No. You’re fine. I’m going to get some coffee started. Then we’ll talk.”