Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 135300 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 541(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135300 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 541(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
The air was wrong.
Dan’s sneakers by the front door were nudged to one side.
The pantry door is open, when I distinctly remember closing it.
But the sight of that colorful shattered plate tells me beyond any doubt what my instinct whispered.
Someone paid us a visit.
And not for a friendly hello.
I don’t remember screaming, just the scratching in my throat.
My legs feel unstable, my hand trembling as I reach out to steady myself against the wall.
Holy shit, I should’ve known this day was too good to be true.
Too happy, too relaxed, too easy.
All the fear behind us, shrinking in the rearview mirror.
Idiot!
Whoever came lurking around the house before wasn’t done.
The danger isn’t over.
“What is it?” Kane pushes past, pressing his big, warm hand to the small of my back as he coldly assesses the scene.
I’m sure he feels it before he notices the plate, the wrongness that hit me from the second I opened that door.
It’s like watching a lion turn defensive.
His jaw tightens. His eyes narrow. All his features sharpen, stiffer and angrier and ready for a fight.
That makes me feel a bit safer, at least.
“Was it locked?” he growls.
There’s a feral edge in his voice that makes me shiver.
“Yes. I’m… I’m sure of it.” I stoop down to grab the keys I dropped on my way in. “I didn’t realize anything was wrong until—”
My voice chokes off, not quite a sob.
“You’re okay, duchess,” he whispers.
“Dad? What’s wrong?” Dan whispers cautiously from behind us.
Kane eyes me, and I suck in a breath. The keys are clenched between my fingers now like little blades, just like Ethan taught me years ago.
I guess it’s an old habit after years of doing that on late nights in New York City parking garages or outside at night when I’m at the curb, waiting for a lift.
I’m not helpless.
If push comes to shove, I can defend myself.
I can even protect his kids.
Kane must reach the same conclusion. He nods curtly.
“Stay with them,” he tells me, then looks behind him, ushering the kids into the house and shutting the front door behind us. “Dan, Soph, hang out with Margot while I check the house.”
“Daddy?” Sophie’s voice is high and unsure.
She’s seen the plate.
“We’ll be just fine, kidlet,” he says, casting a fierce look over his shoulder. “Margot has you guys covered. Stay put.”
I nod back at him, wishing I had his intense confidence.
For their sake, I’ll find it again.
For a second, I panicked, but these adorable children give me good reason to harden up.
I need to keep it together.
“We’re cool, guys,” I whisper, holding out my arm and pulling Sophie closer. “Kane, be careful… okay?”
“Don’t worry about me. Odds are we’re alone,” Kane says sharply, already stalking through the great room, scanning every corner.
Sophie wraps her thin arms around my waist, but Dan tries to follow his dad.
“I’ll come too. Backup,” he announces.
“No!” I catch his arm. “Dan, I know it sucks, dude. But your dad asked us to stay here. It’s better to have strength in numbers, right? Plus, we can use an extra strong man around while Kane checks things out up there.”
“Yeah,” he says with a determined look. “I guess you’re right.”
Thank God.
I’m glad it’s easy to flatter a little boy’s ego.
We huddle awkwardly in the kitchen, pressed up together near the island.
Dan doesn’t want to admit he’s worried, but his silence says everything.
Meanwhile, Kane prowls through the house, a wall of bristling muscle with the lightest footsteps.
What did he do overseas, anyway?
Wherever he learned to charge into danger, I’m grateful.
And I almost feel sorry for any reckless intruder he finds.
Almost. But they’ve invaded my privacy and that’s unforgivable.
It’s the second time this creep violated my safety, and worse, they’ve made these lovely children feel rattled in my home.
I breathe slowly, my nostrils burning as my blood simmers.
Fizzing anger replaces the fear.
Just who the hell do they think they are?
Breaking into my house, scaring my renters? My friends? My—
No, they’re not my kids. Even if they kinda feel like it.
I swallow thickly.
All this craziness must be going to my head.
When Kane reappears on our floor after checking upstairs after what feels like forever, it’s so sudden I jump.
“They’re gone,” he says tersely. I sigh with relief. “Let me have a look outside. If there’s a footprint, any evidence at all, that’ll only help us.”
“Be careful,” I whisper.
His eyes meet mine, and he gives me a nod as he heads out the back door.
For a second, we don’t break our huddle.
Not until Sophie raises her head and looks at me, her little brows knit together. “So… we’re safe?”
“Yes,” I say before I can question it. “We’re safe, Soph. It was probably just some idiot pulling a prank. Who knows. People do crazy things for attention these days, especially if they can show off on TikTok.” I wish I believed that as I walk through the rest of the kitchen, looking for anything else out of place.