She pushed herself up, every sense sharpening as she listened harder.
A soft creak whispered through the air.
That wasn’t the building settling or the pipes moaning.
This was something else.
Someoneelse. Or was she being paranoid?
Hadley grabbed her phone. She needed to call for help.
Before she could dial, the noise came again.
Thatdefinitelyhadn’t come from outside.
No, it had come from inside her apartment.
Her chest tightened as the realization hit.
She slid out of bed, her feet barely making a sound as they touched the floor. Her entire body was on edge as she strained to hear anything that would tell her where the person was.
Then she saw the faintest shift of light under her door.
A shadow.
Hadley’s heart slammed against her ribs.
CHAPTER 26
As soon asMax saw Hadley’s name on his screen, he answered. It didn’t matter that he and Caleb had been sitting at the kitchen table talking about tomorrow’s agenda.
He knew Caleb would understand, especially considering everything that had happened.
But his delight at the thought of talking to Hadley quickly turned to concern when he heard her whispered voice.
“Someone’s in my apartment.”
His spine went straight. “What? Where?”
“Just outside my room.”
He motioned for Caleb to call Sheriff Sutherland. Caleb grabbed his phone and stepped away to make the call.
“Hadley, stay with me.” Max kept his voice low but steady. “Lock your bedroom door. Grab something—anything you can use to defend yourself. Then go to your closet and hide.”
He heard movement on her end—soft footsteps, the faint rustle of fabric, the click of a door.
“I’m in my closet but . . . I think I just heard the door to my bedroom open. I think he’s in my room, Max!”
His chest tightened. “You’re doing fine. Don’t panic.”
A small sound came through the line. Not from Hadley.
From somewhere near her.
Had the intruder found her?
Max froze. “Hadley?”
