Harper: Hey. I just need to check that you’re okay after last night. I’m so sorry about what happened. Harry was a jerk.
Tilly: He was a jerk, but nothing I can’t handle. Although, I was glad Kayden was there to help.
Harper: Yeah, he’s a good guy. But if he hadn’t stepped in, you know Cody or Eastern would have. Still, I’m sorry.
Tilly: You shouldn’t be apologizing, I should. I hope I didn’t ruin Cody’s birthday.
Harper: You definitely didn’t. And I have a piece of cake saved for you. I had to hide it from Avery so she didn’t devour it.
She chuckled.
Tilly: You’re amazing. I was looking forward to trying that chocolate cake we made. I’ll drop by later today.
Harper: Sounds great.
She was still smiling as she slotted her key into the door…only to frown when she discovered it was already unlocked. Strange. Had one of the SAR guys gone through the visitors center when they arrived?
It was dark inside the foyer, so…empty? Maybe whoever had come in just hadn’t turned the lights on.
Before she could talk herself out of it, she lifted her phone and texted Kayden.
Tilly: Hey. Did you unlock the front door to the visitors center?
The three dots immediately appeared.
Kayden: Yeah, I did. I’m on the trail. Why? Is everything okay?
She blew out a breath. It was just Kayden.
Way to overreact, Tilly.
Was it because of her father’s voice message? Had he made her paranoid? Probably.
She walked toward her office, head down, typing out a response to Kayden. She was halfway through the text when she pushed open the door to her office. The room was almost pitch black, thanks to closed blinds and the lights off. It was only the sound of movement that had her looking up.
The person was a flash of black, racing toward her and shoving her hard as they ran past.
She cried out and fell sideways, her temple hitting the wooden doorframe as she fell to the floor.
Kayden frowned at his phone.The three dots had appeared from Tilly a few moments ago, but so far she hadn’t responded.
He quickened his steps as he turned back toward the visitors center. He’d been completing a run and checking that the paths were clear as he went. As he jogged, he lifted his phone to his ear and called Tilly.
It went to voice mail. What the hell? What was she doing?
He needed her to answer. He didn’t like her being inside the building alone, not when there was still a shooter on the loose. Fuck, he wanted to curse his brother for telling staff they could return to work this week. No one should be returning until the damn perpetrator had been found.
He knew that wasn’t the most reasonable request; it might take months. Hell, they might never find them, but closing the center felt safest.
When he reached the deck, his feet pounded against the wood. He’d just stepped inside when he stopped. The lights were off.
“Tilly?”
A soft sound reached his ears. A small moan near her office.
He shot across the room, only to stop dead at the sight of Tilly on the floor, groaning as she pushed up to a sitting position, hand to her head.
“Tilly!” He dropped beside her, helping her sit with hands at her elbows. He cursed at the sight of blood seeping from a wound on her forehead. “What happened?” The question came out as more of a growl, but he couldn’t fucking soften his voice.
