The screech of the alarm blasted through house and sent a spike of fear straight to her heart. Sweat dotted her palms, and she held Parker tight as she ran to his room and shut the door. With trembling hands, she found her phone in her pocket and popped up the cameras.
A masked man fled from her back stoop, disappearing into the darkness.
Panic stole all logic, leaving only one thought circling her brain. She needed Lane, and she needed him now.
11
Lane’s brain buzzed from overload and a sharp pain pounded against his temples. The numbers on his computer screen blurred together. He squeezed his eyes shut, rubbing the tips of his fingers against the lids.
Duke’s amused chuckle snapped his eyes back open.
“What’s so funny?”
Duke shrugged. “You look like you’re about to explode. You better figure out how to get more stamina. If you’re serious about getting this business off the ground and making it a success, we’ve got a lot of late nights ahead of us. And as of now we’ve only been working for…” he flicked his wrist over to glance at his watch. “Three hours.”
He bit back a retort about his stamina never being an issue. Duke wanted to bait him. Sonofabitch got off on it. Lane would keep his mouth shut if it killed him. “I need a break.” He tossed his pen on the desk and leaned back in his seat. “Hungry?”
Duke lifted a shoulder. “I could eat.”
“Not sure what I have,” he said. “Might need to order a pizza or something.”
Once the idea hit, he could almost taste the tangy marinara and gallon of melted cheese on the local pizza he’d loved since childhood. His last trip to town the year before confirmed Mario’s hadn’t changed their family recipe.
“On second thought. I’m definitely ordering pizza. Any requests?”
“Nah, I’m good with anything.”
Lane scooped up his phone just as the loud ring blasted into the room. Celine’s name popped up on the screen and he couldn’t stop his smile.
“Is it your woman?” Duke asked, smirking.
He ignored his new business partner and answered the call. “Hey. What’s up?”
The sound of a screeching alarm and crying baby reached his ears first, and he shot to his feet.
“Someone was here but it looks like they ran away when the alarm went off,” Celine said, fear clear in each word.
Parker’s frantic wails in the background tore at his heart.
“Are the police on their way? Are you sure the guy left?” Without a glance at Duke, he patted his pockets to confirm his keys were inside and ran for the door.
“A deputy should be here soon. And I think so. I saw him run away on the camera. But Lane…I’m scared.”
“I’m coming.” He didn’t have to look behind him to know Duke was at his heels. For the first time since his rodeo rival had shown up, he was grateful for his presence. “Do you want me to stay on the line until a deputy gets there?”
“No,” she said, although the shiver in her voice didn’t convince him she meant it. “Just knowing you’re on the way helps.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.” He hated disconnecting the call, but he didn’t have a choice when she thanked him and hung up.
He jumped into his truck and turned over the engine, pulling out of the long driveway while Duke fastened his seatbelt.
“What happened?” Duke asked.
“Sounds like someone tried to get in the house again. Alarm scared him off.” He tightened his hands on the steering wheel, hating that Celine found herself in this situation.
Hated his son being stuck in the crosshairs even more.
The familiar scenery of his youth rolled by, bathed in the shadows of the moon. He didn’t need the bright light of day to tell him vast meadows sprawled along both sides of the road or that the rugged mountains loomed in the distance. He’d made this drive countless times, but time had never crawled this slow as he sped toward Celine.
