“Alright, but I call the shots.”
Chapter 9
Jake
We drive around to the front of the Reed estate, and everything looks normal. As it should. The problem is, it’s not as easy to access the back. There are about thirty acres of forest.
We park on the road and slowly make our way to the stone fence surrounding the property.
“Hey!” Jeff shouts.
“Be quiet,” I snap.
“Look at this!” He points at a cluster of trees, to what looks like a dirt bike.
We take some pictures, and I have to eat my words and apologize.
“Look, man, I’m sorry. It’s just been a really rough week. I’d like to take you out for a beer after all this has settled if you’d care to join me.”
He gives me a quick nod, and I know we’re cool.
“Check this out!” Casey thrusts her phone in front of my face, and I see a picture of Andy on the exact dirt bike Jeff found. “He probably parked it here so it couldn’t be heard from the house.”
The thought of Andy intruding on Ashlyn’s property and leering at her brings out a protective drive in me.
We jog the rest of the way to the fence and scan the perimeter. After walking the line for a short distance, we spot a five-rung ladder propped against it and some packs with supplies at its base.
“Wow. He must have dropped this stuff off with his car and dragged it through the woods, then
shuttled back and forth on his bike,” Casey says. “He’s probably been camping out here for as long as Ashlyn’s been at home.”
My heart sinks to the pit of my stomach. “I can’t believe I played a part in this.”
“It’s not your fault,” Casey reassures.
“If we go over, it’s trespassing,” Jeff says. “Maybe we should just call the police.”
“That’s a good idea,” I say. “You call them and wait here.”
I begin climbing the ladder and pull myself to the top of the fence.
“Hey, wait!” Casey hisses. “Where are you going?”
“There is no way I’m standing out here knowing that asshole is sneaking around Ashlyn’s property.”
I clear the fence with ease, and move quietly across the lawn.
Just the thought of trespassing against Ashlyn makes me sick, but I have to protect her, and if I alert her to my presence, I’ll also be alerting Andy. He needs to be caught in the act in order to ensure he’ll be held accountable for his crimes.
I sneak around the exterior of the house before checking each of the doors and windows. To my consternation, the back patio door is unlocked and slightly ajar.
What I’m doing is wrong, and I could go to jail for it even, but for me, there’s no going back.
Not when the woman I adore is being preyed upon.
I slip inside undetected. Everything looks the same as the day I left. I sneak my way through the bottom floor to the bedrooms, and when I round the corner, I catch Andy squatting outside the bathroom door, looking in through the keyhole.
Without thinking, I launch into action, dashing towards the intruder and tackling him to the ground.
