“Wait here while I check the house.” He took his gun out of the glove compartment and opened the door. “Lock the doors. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Hannah scrambled out of the truck. “I’m coming, too.”
“You’re safer here.”
“If Claire’s hurt, she’ll need two of us to help her,” she whispered. Without waiting for him, she started walking toward her front door.
“For Pete’s sake,” he hissed. He lengthened his stride to catch up with her. “Wait.” He grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her against the garage wall. “You don’t just walk into a dark house. I’ll go first.”
Hannah opened her mouth to argue.
He held his gun in the air and her mouth clamped shut. At least the cold hadn’t frozen her common sense. He moved around her, slowly making his way along the front porch.
Hannah’s hand tightened on the back of his jacket. She matched each step he took, stride for stride.
“Down,” he whispered.
Hannah dropped to her knees beside him.
He peered in the living room window, trying to see past the shadows. “Are you ready to go inside?”
“Yes,” Hannah whispered.
He crawled to the front door, crouching beside the handle.
“Wait!”
Brett looked over his shoulder.
Hannah handed him a key. “You’ll need this.”
“Thanks.” He inserted the key. With one click, the door swung open. He lifted his gun and walked inside, keeping his back to the wall.
As they made their way through the house, Hannah stayed behind him, barely making a sound. The last room they checked was the laundry. When that was empty, he walked into each room, turning on the lights. An intruder would be less likely to enter the house if they thought more than one person was at home.
“I’ll try Claire again,” Hannah said as she locked the front door.
While she called her sister, Brett made sure the windows and back door were secure. By the time he returned to the hallway, Hannah was pacing backward and forward.
“Where do you think she’s gone?” Hannah asked. “It’s not like Claire to go somewhere else, especially after what’s been happening.”
“Which way would she have driven home?”
“She would have gone past Nick’s gallery and taken the same roads we did. It should have only taken her fifteen minutes to get home.”
Brett tried to ignore all the things that could have happened to Claire since he’d last seen her. “I’ll call Fletcher Security and ask them to send someone here while I retrace Claire’s route. If anyone tries to break into the house, call the police.”
“Why can’t I come with you? It won’t be easy checking the streets while you’re driving.”
“Someone needs to stay here in case Claire comes home.”
Hannah bit her bottom lip. “Okay.”
Brett stopped himself from stepping forward and giving her a hug. He couldn’t go there, not yet. “Remember, keep the doors locked.”
“I will.” Hannah followed him to the front door. “Let me know if you find her.”
He nodded and walked quickly to his truck. With his gun safely stored away, he backed down the driveway and called Fletcher Security. Claire couldn’t have disappeared. She had to be somewhere in Bozeman. The only question was where.
