Branna woke to sunshine again. Her sleep had been deep, and luckily, she couldn’t remember her dreams, as they were almost certainly about Jake. Climbing out of bed, she hurried through her shower.
Mikey and Belle were coming to help her in the garden, and she’d promised to cook them breakfast as payment. After she’d prepared the batter for the waffles and started the coffee, she wandered outside. This place was changing her; she could feel it. It was softening her edges, making her feel like she hadn’t for years, and Branna wasn’t sure how she felt about that. For so long, she’d managed not to care. But now she had a house, friends, and Jake, whatever that meant.
Walking around the side of the house, she came to a stop before the garden. Shock held her motionless as she looked at the destruction before her. Plants had been uprooted, others stomped on, and the ones she’d brought, that had sat waiting to be planted, had been ripped from their pots and destroyed. Dropping to her knees, she looked at the mess. Why would someone do this to her? Anger worked its way through the shock. What could she have possibly done to deserve this kind of attack?
The sound of a vehicle had her regaining her feet. She didn’t want Mikey or Belle to see the mess. She’d tell them she hadn’t managed to get the plants and take them to The Hoot for breakfast instead.
“We’re here!”
She was too late; they were both coming around the house toward her. Belle saw the garden first and grabbed Mikey, but it was too late, he’d seen it too.
“What’s happened, Branna?” He ran to the garden and looked at the mess, bending to pick up petals and broken plants.
“I didn’t hear them doing it, Belle. I just saw it before you drove up.” Branna battled the anger bubbling inside her.
“Bastards,” Belle hissed, bending to pick up one of the plants. “Lowlife fucking bastards,” she said, so the boy couldn’t hear. “This is not an animal; each leaf is torn away. Someone took a great deal of time and effort to do this.”
“Why would someone do this to, Branna?” Mikey’s little face was tight with worry as he looked from Belle to Branna.
“Some dickhead with shit for brains is who, Mikey. Now, don’t you worry about it. We’ll get to the bottom of it. Go and get my camera from the car for me now. I want to take some pictures of this.”
He hugged Branna before running to Belle’s car.
“Jesus, Branna, why would someone do this to you?” Branna let her friend wrap an arm around her neck and pull her close. Normally, she didn’t like being touched or hugged, but that too seemed to have changed since she’d come to Howling.
“We should tell Cubby.”
“Why? It’s a garden, Belle. Some kids probably got high and did it.”
“This is Howling, Branna, not Washington. Kids may get high here, but it’s behind closed doors where no one can see. People here know people. Kids wouldn’t risk doing this, not so close to the house. You could have woken anytime and seen them.”
“But who else would want to and why? I’ve made no enemies since coming here, and I don’t think even Macy hates me that much that she’d get dirt under her nails.”
They stood looking at the mess until Mikey came back and handed Belle the camera. She started snapping pictures as they watched.
“You should let Jake know, Branna,” he said.
“What is it with you and him?” Branna said, poking the boy in the stomach, which made him squirm. “He got a big S on his chest or something?”
“He’d make a fine Superman, though. You know it’s the truth,” Belle muttered from behind her camera.
“I’m going inside, and this conversation is at an end.” Branna made her way back into the house and sagged against the door when she was out of sight. Who had done this to her garden and why? It terrified her to think that someone was angry enough to destroy it while she slept. What if she’d woken? Come down to investigate a noise? Would whoever had done it, attack her? Making her way to the kitchen, she started cooking waffles and wondered how the hell she was going to get any sleep tonight.
The day was spent cleaning the garden up, and by the time Belle and Mikey had gone, she’d just about convinced herself that it was a random attack… just about. When she finally climbed into bed, exhausted, she closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep.
Chapter11
Something woke Branna. Lying still in the dark, she tried to identify what. The faint whisper of voices and then the sound of breaking glass drifted up from below her. Someone was inside, and anyone who entered a home uninvited in the middle of the night was not paying a social call. Fear momentarily rooted her to the bed as her heart thumped so hard it hurt.
Move!
Edging the covers aside, she forced herself to get up. Finding her shorts on the chair where she’d left them, Branna quickly pulled them up her legs under the large T-shirt she slept in. Moving silently toward the door, she eased it open, then listened. Something was ripping, and then there was more glass breaking, followed by a muffled curse. Shaking her head to clear it, she hurried to the window and opened it. Then, swinging a leg over the sill, Branna climbed out and rested on the small ledge. There was a ladder here somewhere. Georgie’s husband had it fitted to the side of the house in case of fire. She just needed to work out how to lower it.
Feeling along the boards, she found it and fumbled with the latches until she had them opened. Hoping it didn’t make too much noise, she slowly lowered it to the ground.
Branna turned and stepped onto the ladder before working her way down as fast as she could without falling. Fear made her clumsy; occasionally missing a step, she was reduced to clutching the sides of the ladder to stop herself from falling. She hoped whoever was inside the house stayed downstairs while she escaped, because if they came outside now, they’d find her before she had a chance to run. Branna didn’t want to think about what they would do to her then.
When she finally reached it, the ground was cold on her bare feet. Rushing to the garden, she found the old boots she’d left there earlier and pulled them on, then sprinted to the driveway. The moon was high and showed her the way, but it would also show anyone else who was looking. Running down the road, Branna searched for the entrance to the trail that would lead her to Jake. She needed to get off the road, just in case they came looking for her.
