“I think I’ll need a little more insight into that comment,” Juno hedged, looking over her shoulder with a shy smile.
“Or a demonstration?” I offered with a smirk.
Crimson bloomed on her cheeks and down her neck. “You’re the worst, Langston.”
“When it comes to fucking, I can guarantee he’s not.” West chuckled, the memories that had been dredged up earlier long gone.
“How did this conversation swing back around to sex already?” Juno groaned. “Let’s talk about the weather or birds or computers.”
West responded with something that made them both laugh, but I didn’t hear their words. They continued on, but I’d paused in the middle of the street, eyes locked on the woman standing in her small front yard, staring at her cabin with a worried expression. My feet were carrying me toward her before I even realized I was moving.
“Calista.” She jumped slightly and swung around, hand on her chest like I’d spooked her. “Everything okay?”
“Um, yeah, all good, Langston.” The fake smile she forced only solidified that she was absolutely not okay.
“Hudson home?” I paused beside her, gaze sweeping over the house for what was causing her obvious distress.
“No, he was in Anchorage for something regarding the case, then went to the trail with Oliver and Ethan. I think they found something belonging to the hiker who died.”
I scanned the yard. “Where’s Sam?” My heart rate spiked, blood thundering through my veins at not seeing the vibrant and demanding girl running around after her dog like she always did. “Is she okay?”
“What? Oh yeah, I just dropped her off at Amy’s for a bit. She offered to watch her for a little while so I could get some stuff done around the house.” This time Calista’s smile was genuine.“Cleaning with Sam in the house is nearly impossible. She pulls everything out that I’d just put away.”
Enough bullshitting. If I didn’t find out what was wrong, I’d jump out of my skin. “Why are you out here, staring at your cabin?”
Her slim shoulders rose and fell. “I don’t know exactly. Something just feels off.” She paused, but I didn’t say a word, knowing she had more to add. “And after everything back in LA, when something feels off, I’ve learned not to ignore it.”
“That’s smart, trusting your intuition. What exactly feels off about the house that’s making you not want to go inside?”
“I don’t know. When I walked up, everything was fine, but when I went to open the door, I froze. Like my muscles locked up. I don’t even know what caused it to happen.”
Motion behind me had me whirling around, hand going for my sidearm that I was only without when I was naked, only to pause when I recognized Juno and West. They watched me with curiosity, gazes bouncing between me and Calista.
“What’s going on?” West asked. “Everything okay?”
“I’m going to check out something inside for Calista. Why don’t you go on to Dave’s?” I reached into my pocket, palmed the keys, and tossed them to West, who caught them midair. “I’ll be right behind you.”
“Do you want me to stay with you, Calista?” Juno cut the distance between them and wrapped her up in a tight hug. “If you don’t want to be alone while he does whatever he needs to do, I’ll stay with you.”
“No,” I barked before taking a deep, calming inhale. There was no way in hell I wanted Juno anywhere around if Calista’s feeling was correct. I locked gazes with West and inclined my head toward the parking lot. “Get her to Dave’s. I’ll be right behind you.”
With a clipped nod, clearly understanding my concern, West wrapped an arm around Juno’s shoulders and dragged her away from Calista.
“Come on. Let’s go get you some of those amazing nachos while we wait for the two douchecanoes to show up and ruin our night.”
It took a few promises from Calista that she’d stay safe before Juno reluctantly backed out of the yard, calling over her shoulder to reach out if we needed anything before disappearing around a cabin. I waited until I was positive they were gone before sliding my sidearm free of the holster, palming the grip as I marched up the porch steps.
Not taking my eyes off the front door, I shouted over my shoulder, “Was Brandon or Carl home when you dropped off Sam?”
“Carl was. Brandon was out doing something in the toy shed.”
I nodded more to myself than her. “Good. Go back over there, have them call both Oliver and Hudson and tell them something is going on at your place.”
“But what if I’m wrong?” Calista whispered, wringing her hands. “It could be nothing.”
“What if you’re not?” I inclined my head toward Carl, Amy, and Brandon’s cabin. “Go. I’ll check out inside, make sure things are secure here. I’ll come find you when I’m done.”
I waited until she was halfway down the street, just a few cabins down from her destination, before stepping up to the front door. Inspecting the edges of the wooden frame, I scanned every inch for tool marks or signs of forced entry. The cool metal slipped in my hand as I turned the knob, slowly inching the door open to step inside.
