“Nice.” My voice sounded unusually dreamy even to my own ears. “It feels good out here.”
That was the first time I’d said those words in months.
Our house was once again feeling like a home. Kip would come in at night, and we’d eat, then go to bed and fuck for a few hours to decompress. Then we’d shower and curl up in bed and sleep until morning. The only thing that tossed a wrench into the works was the fact John still had people patrolling around the house. Sure, they were discreet and I rarely saw them, but I still knew they were there.
That fact wasn’t as comforting as it should have been.
Mom called every couple of hours to check on me. Kip called when he wasn’t busy, usually around lunchtime. We’d talk while he ate, and his moans as he chowed down made me smile.
Wednesday was weed-plucking day. Not the most creative job, sure, but a necessary evil. The knee pad supported me as I pulled them up by the roots, cursing when the little bastard broke off.
A muffled cry broke through my concentration, and I stiffened.
What the fuck?
An overwhelming stench of fear and blood crawled toward me, and my skin erupted into goosebumps.
Move, dammit.
It took everything in me not to scream as I got up and hurried for the house, reaching for my phone. My hand shook as I called Mom’s number.
She answered on the first ring. “What’s wrong?” I could hear panic in her voice.
“I heard something.” I felt stupid because, well, itsoundedstupid. “Could you call Kip for me?”
“On it. Get inside and lock the doors.”
“Already on it.” I hung up, then stepped into the house and flicked the safety lock.
And then a body crashed through the window.
He fell in a tangle of limbs, blood oozing from his throat. Bile found its way upward, and I did my best not to puke. The body was one of the guards John had sent. I rushed to his side and knelt. He was alive, but barely. I applied pressure to his neck, hoping to stop the bleeding.
A shadow fell over me, and I dropped to the side, avoiding a baseball bat to the back of my head. I got up quickly, but didn’t see anyone. Besides the body and blood on the floor, I couldn’t smell a thing.
That makes no sense.
My phone rang, and it was Kip’s ringtone. I put it to my ear.
“Someone is in the house,” I croaked.
“I’ll be there in five.” I could hear the rage in his voice. “Get to the bedroom and lock the door, then do the same in the bathroom. We need to slow down whoever it is.”
“Yes, Kip.” I swallowed hard, trying to push down on the rising tide of panic and fear.
“Stay on the phone with me,” he implored.
I heard the whistle before I saw the figure. He just missed me, but shattered a lamp on one of the tables in the living room.
“Mase!” Kip screamed.
I rushed for the bedroom and slammed the door behind me. I did as Kip said and locked it, then shoved a nightstand in front.
Stay away!
I took a deep whiff. All I could smell was the body in the other room.
What the fuck is happening?
