Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 113272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Kellan shook his head. “That sounds like something that Jake should be doing.”
“Fine! I’m clutching at straws because I want to see her. Okay?”
“Then you should go see her,” Kellan replied, ignoring his own urge to ensure that she was all right.
“Do you think so?” Eli asked. “Are you coming?”
“No. I saw her yesterday.”
Idiot.
Why would Kellan want to go see her? She wasn’t a victim or a suspect. She wasn’t a family member.
She wasn’t his responsibility so Kellan wasn’t going to expend his energy and time going to see if she was all right.
Even if you did escort her home yesterday morning.
“You did?”
“She was out running. I took her home.”
“So you know where she lives. Give me the address.”
Kellan sighed and gave it to him.
“Sure you don’t want to come?” Eli asked, giving him a knowing look.
“I’m certain.” He held himself back from saying anything more as Eli left.
This was a good thing, he needed distance from her. That would help him to stop thinking about her.
Eli pounded on her door for several minutes. Horse was barking inside and her rusty car was here. So surely she was home? Maybe he should just walk in?
What if she was hurt?
What if she needed help?
“Arabella? I’m coming in!”
Still nothing.
The rain was pounding down now. This storm wasn’t meant to be this bad. The Uber he’d taken had driven here so slowly that he’d thought it would have been quicker to walk.
Reaching for the door handle, he was concerned to find it unlocked.
What was she thinking? She should always lock her door. Haven might seem like a safe town, but nowhere was safe enough to leave your door unlocked.
Frowning, he stormed into the house. Boxes blocked his way and he had to dodge around them. What was all this? A desk. A TV and cabinet. There was even a frame for a bed and a mattress. Why did she need all of this? Had the house not come fully furnished? And why had the delivery people left everything here in the hallway? Why hadn’t they set it all up for her?
“Arabella? Where are you?” he demanded.
Horse bounded up to him with a growl.
“Hey, Horse, it’s me. Remember me?” he said, holding out his hand for the big dog to sniff.
After a couple of sniffs, Horse grew closer, pressing himself against his legs before running off.
Eli followed him, his concern growing. “Arabella?”
The sound of a door slamming led him to the back where he saw her shuffle inside with a rusty-looking tool box in her hand.
What was she doing? Where was her coat? And why was she all hunched over as if she was in pain?
“What’s going on? Are you hurt? Why were you out in the rain?” he asked.
She let out a small scream and dropped the toolbox, narrowly missing her foot. With a gasp, she placed her hand on her chest. “What the heck are you doing? Why are you in my house? How are you in my house?”
“Your door was unlocked,” he told her. “And we’ll be discussing that later.”
“Discussing what later?” she asked, sounding bewildered as he walked over and picked up the tool box.
“Your safety. Or lack thereof. What are you doing with this?” he asked, setting the tool box down on the table and taking a long look at her. “And why did you step outside without a jacket? There’s a storm outside!”
“I know there’s a s-storm outside!” Her teeth were chattering as she glared at him. “I was just out in it. And n-now I’m soaked. Why are you h-here?”
“Why are you all hunched over? Is something wrong?”
“I hurt my b-back. I went t-to get the t-tools from my neighbor b-because I don’t h-have any. I w-would have put my c-coat on but it wasn’t r-raining when I left and I took l-longer than I thought b-because he couldn’t f-find his tool box.”
“Okay, stop talking.” Every word she said upset him more. “You need to get into a shower. Now. Before you get sick.”
She looked a bit like a drowned rat with her soaking wet hair hanging around her face. She brushed it back with her hand and glared up at him.
“I k-know that. I was h-heading there. But then you b-broke into my house.”
“I didn’t break in, the door was unlocked,” he told her.
“That s-still doesn’t mean y-you can walk in. Would you like it if I d-did that t-to you?”
“My apartment is always locked. And if it wasn’t, then you would be welcome to walk in. Come on, I’ll run the shower for you.” She was alarmingly pale and her lips were starting to turn blue.
She didn’t argue as he placed his hand around hers and led her to the bathroom. But she wasn’t moving fast and she seemed to be in pain.
“What did you do to your back? Did you hurt yourself carrying the toolbox?” It hadn’t been heavy, though.