Right now she only wanted to think about one man. She backed deeper into the room, a blue light on overheadthat must have been triggered by her unlocking the door. The space was big enough for a narrow bed and a chair pulled up to an electronics panel. A computer screen blinked to life with a security display that showed six different camera views of the Chance house, including an image of her intruder, hauling all the clothes out of the closet so he could study the door where Gabriella had disappeared.
Her heart rate slowed a little as she glanced down at her phone to see she’d missed a call from Clay—no doubt while she was running through the house to escape an intruder looking for Mia. Or maybe he’d phoned earlier and she’d been too caught up in her own memories of the past that she hadn’t noticed the cell buzzing.
Her finger shook as she dialed his number to return the call. If he didn’t answer right away, she’d phone 911 herself. But if she could just hear his voice…
His phone was ringing when she noticed two other young men on the screen. One in Zach’s bedroom. Another in the living room shoving all the small electronics into a bag.
They weren’t looking for Mia. They were robbing the house. Her knees shook so hard she needed to sit before she fell down.
“Gabriella?” Clay answered the phone in a rush, sounding every bit as afraid as she felt. “Where are you? Are you okay?”
One of the security cameras showed an image of a skinny teen in boots and a spiked leather collar throwing rocks at a small satellite dish. As one hit the dish, the video feed wavered.
The thieves might look young, but they seemed to know exactly what they were doing. Her mouth was dust-dry andshe had to swallow twice before she could answer Clay’s question.
“I’m in the safe room in Zach’s house. I’m fine.” The video display went dark along with a few of the blinking lights on the desktop machinery. Her phone remained on, as did the blue light overhead. “There are at least three people in the house. They’re robbing Zach. Can you alert Sam?”
She needed to remain calm. In control. She tried to imagine she was taking a call on the hotline for her victim support group, and was giving advice to someone in this situation. What would she say?
“He’s already on his way, Gabby, and I’m only minutes behind him.” Clay’s voice was steady, providing the answers her frantic brain couldn’t process right now. “Are you sure the door is locked?”
Her eyes went to the light on the code pad near the door. The digital readout said, “armed.” Seeing it gave her a little more peace. Or maybe that just came from hearing Clay’s voice when she was so scared she couldn’t think straight.
“Positive.” She lowered herself to sit on the narrow bed and tucked her knees up to her chest. “Should you warn Sam that there are at least three people? One of them was looking for Mia.”
She didn’t want to overlook anything. Couldn’t screw this up. She’d been so close to shutting the door on her past and moving forward. What if this break-in sent her free-falling back into her old nightmares and fears?
“Sam has backup meeting him there,” he assured her. “I’m staying on the phone with you so I know what’s going on. Keep talking. Let me know you’re okay.”
Clay was saying all the right things to ease some of the fear.
“Okay.” She breathed in his certainty. His faith in her strength. He gave her courage when someone was trying to break into the safe room.
She wished she could see what was happening on the other side of that door right now.
Clay sounded like he was on the headset in his motorcycle helmet, the rush of wind and roar of the engine making him raise his voice as he spoke. “A boy from the first foster home has been stalking Mia. She never mentioned him to you?”
“Connor? The foster brother she didn’t like?” She put the pieces together from long-ago conversations, remembering how desperate Mia was to get out of that house. “I knew she disliked him when she lived in that house, but I had no idea he was still looking for her. She never said one word about that.”
Why hadn’t Mia confided in her? She lowered her forehead to her knees. What if the boy had found Mia at home alone?
The need to protect the girl surged into anger. A warrior fury. She could not allow anyone to hurt Mia the way she’d been hurt as a teen. More important, she needed to tell Mia that she would help and protect her.
That she wasn’t alone.
It was that feeling of being on her own in the world that had sent Gabriella running to the pill bottle that day. She had to make sure Mia never felt that way.
Clay’s voice rumbled in her ear, low and steady. “Mia has kept too many things to herself and shouldered too many burdens for someone her age. You were right about that, and I was too caught up in my feud with my father to pay attention.”
“You didn’t even know about her until two weeks ago,”she reminded him, unwilling to let him take on any more blame.
“Because I purposely avoided my father and I should have thought through things. I should have realized given his history there could be a Mia…or more. I can’t fix the past, but I’m here now.” His voice anchored her in the moment, helping her know she wasn’t alone in this tiny safe room even as the noise outside the door grew louder.
There was thumping and bumping. Someone shouting?
“Clay.” She held her breath, listening. “I think Sam might be outside, or someone else. There’s a lot of noise out there.”
“Don’t open the door for anyone but me.”
