And shecouldcall him now. He wasn’t deployed somewhere dangerous with his Marine unit. He was here, in Amber Ridge.
But could she take the risk? Sure, he was out of the military, but his mother was still right where she’d always been. And what if Indie needed him, like she had that last time, and he chose Sylvia over her again?
She shook her head, about to close her bedroom door and spend the evening watching reruns ofThe Rookie, when something sounded from the kitchen.
Her heart jumped. What was that? The scrunch of plastic?
Slowly, she stepped out of her bedroom and listened.
Nothing.
She shook her head. Ofcourseit was nothing. Because there was nothing wrong. All the doors were locked.
She turned to step back into the bedroom, when she heard the same crinkling sound again, but this time louder.
Her heart sped up and she clicked the name that was still up on her phone. The name that had always signified safety. The name of the person she absolutely shouldnotbe calling.
“Indie?”
“Colt…someone’s in my house.”
CHAPTER 5
Colt pressed his foot to the floor as he sped to Indie’s. Thank God he wasn’t far.
Someone was in her house. Who? Why?
When he got his hands on the asshole, they were a dead man.
He turned right onto her street and parked behind her car in the driveway. Before getting out, he opened the glove box and took out his Glock. Then he was running. Sprinting to her front door.
He grabbed the handle. Locked. Dammit. Quickly, he found his key.
The second he stepped inside, quiet fell over him. Quiet and darkness.
First he checked the living, dining, and kitchen areas to the right. Nothing immediately drew his attention. Didn’t mean no one was here though. He tried the bedroom door, but it was locked.
“Cricket? It’s me.”
For a second there was silence. Then the soft pad of footsteps before the lock clicked. He stepped inside to see Indie wearing an old T-shirt of his, face pale.
Relief hit him so hard in the midsection, air whooshed out of him.
She was okay.
He scanned her body, searching for injuries. There were none. None that he could see, anyway.
He cupped her cheek. “Are you okay?”
She nodded quickly, even though she looked far from okay. “The noises are coming from the kitchen.”
“Are coming? You’ve heard more?”
She nodded, the move jerky.
“Stay here. I’m going to find them.”
“Okay.” He went to step away but stopped when she touched his arm. “Colt…be careful.”
