Chapter One
A gunshot echoed through my peaceful neighborhood. Not again . Two weeks without someone trying to kill me was apparently too long.
I dropped to my hands and knees before realizing the light was still on. My trembling hand slid up the smooth wall to the switch; tanned arm contrasting with the white paint. If the shooter looked up at the window right now he could make me an amputee before hunting me down. Shaky fingers closed around the switch and the room plunged into darkness.
I crawled towards the window. Though it was October, the day had been so warm I still had the window open to cool off my second-story room. My ears strained for any out of place sounds, but the chilly air revealed nothing. I peered down into the darkness, our feeble porch light losing the battle against the night.
The shooter didn’t make me wait long for his dramatic appearance. He lumbered towards the front door, steadying himself against the railing. The porch light cast his mammoth shadow against the ground.
Yikes! There was a giant on my front porch who had either just been shot or just shot someone else. My fingers dampened the windowsill with sweat. Nana was downstairs snoring without a worry. Could I get to her in time?
The man pulled a key from his pocket, turned it in the lock, and eased through the door. What the crap? Who was this beastly dude and how did he have the key to our house?
I dialed 9-1-1 on my cell phone and searched the floor for some kind of weapon. My hand closed around a twenty-pound dumbbell. Seriously. I was bringing a dumbbell to a gunfight. I tried to think of a better option, but the dumbbell was heavier and could cause more damage than anything else I owned.
Pushing to my feet, I felt my way through the darkness to the stairs. I kept telling myself I’d dealt with scarier situations than this, but my heart beating nutso-like assured me this was another real live nightmare. All I knew was I had to protect Nana from that dude.
“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”
Finally . “A guy just broke into my house,” I whispered. Sweat drenched my back. Here I was talking, giving away my position, and that guy was probably waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs.
“Your address?”
I rattled off our address.
“Tell me exactly what happened.”
I panted for air, terror constricting my throat. “Just come!” I shoved the phone in my bra; there were no pockets in my T-shirt or yoga pants. The dispatcher’s tinny voice squeaked through the cotton material. If she didn’t shut up that guy would find me. “Shh,” I whispered, more to myself than the lady.
I couldn’t see the guy when I reached the bottom of the stairs, hopefully I could spot him and whack him before he grabbed me. I wiped my palm on my pants, and then gripped the weight with both hands. The porch light shining through the gauzy curtains didn’t reveal his position when I reached the landing, but a quiet shuffling to my left prompted me to start swinging.
The weight connected with something solid. I heard a grunt of pain before the dumbbell was stripped from my hand. A strong arm wrapped around my waist and a large palm cut off my scream. I bit into the hand. I shouldn’t have. His fingers tasted like dirt and he didn’t even flinch when my teeth nipped him.
“Cassidy,” the man panted in my ear. “Don’t . . . Scream.” He took a couple of long, rattling breaths.
I didn’t stop to ask how he knew my name or why I should listen to his advice, I elbowed him in the gut. He grunted and doubled over, leaning against my side. A bear lying on top of me would’ve been less pressure. I pushed against his weight, but we slowly slid to the floor. The bottom step dug into my back as I tried to shimmy out from under him.
“They’re coming,” he gasped. “Run.”
The man loosened his grip and fell sideways onto the hardwood floor with a loud thunk. I crawled a few feet away, staring at his smooth brown
A gunshot echoed through my peaceful neighborhood. Not again . Two weeks without someone trying to kill me was apparently too long.
I dropped to my hands and knees before realizing the light was still on. My trembling hand slid up the smooth wall to the switch; tanned arm contrasting with the white paint. If the shooter looked up at the window right now he could make me an amputee before hunting me down. Shaky fingers closed around the switch and the room plunged into darkness.
I crawled towards the window. Though it was October, the day had been so warm I still had the window open to cool off my second-story room. My ears strained for any out of place sounds, but the chilly air revealed nothing. I peered down into the darkness, our feeble porch light losing the battle against the night.
The shooter didn’t make me wait long for his dramatic appearance. He lumbered towards the front door, steadying himself against the railing. The porch light cast his mammoth shadow against the ground.
Yikes! There was a giant on my front porch who had either just been shot or just shot someone else. My fingers dampened the windowsill with sweat. Nana was downstairs snoring without a worry. Could I get to her in time?
The man pulled a key from his pocket, turned it in the lock, and eased through the door. What the crap? Who was this beastly dude and how did he have the key to our house?
I dialed 9-1-1 on my cell phone and searched the floor for some kind of weapon. My hand closed around a twenty-pound dumbbell. Seriously. I was bringing a dumbbell to a gunfight. I tried to think of a better option, but the dumbbell was heavier and could cause more damage than anything else I owned.
Pushing to my feet, I felt my way through the darkness to the stairs. I kept telling myself I’d dealt with scarier situations than this, but my heart beating nutso-like assured me this was another real live nightmare. All I knew was I had to protect Nana from that dude.
“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”
Finally . “A guy just broke into my house,” I whispered. Sweat drenched my back. Here I was talking, giving away my position, and that guy was probably waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs.
“Your address?”
I rattled off our address.
“Tell me exactly what happened.”
I panted for air, terror constricting my throat. “Just come!” I shoved the phone in my bra; there were no pockets in my T-shirt or yoga pants. The dispatcher’s tinny voice squeaked through the cotton material. If she didn’t shut up that guy would find me. “Shh,” I whispered, more to myself than the lady.
I couldn’t see the guy when I reached the bottom of the stairs, hopefully I could spot him and whack him before he grabbed me. I wiped my palm on my pants, and then gripped the weight with both hands. The porch light shining through the gauzy curtains didn’t reveal his position when I reached the landing, but a quiet shuffling to my left prompted me to start swinging.
The weight connected with something solid. I heard a grunt of pain before the dumbbell was stripped from my hand. A strong arm wrapped around my waist and a large palm cut off my scream. I bit into the hand. I shouldn’t have. His fingers tasted like dirt and he didn’t even flinch when my teeth nipped him.
“Cassidy,” the man panted in my ear. “Don’t . . . Scream.” He took a couple of long, rattling breaths.
I didn’t stop to ask how he knew my name or why I should listen to his advice, I elbowed him in the gut. He grunted and doubled over, leaning against my side. A bear lying on top of me would’ve been less pressure. I pushed against his weight, but we slowly slid to the floor. The bottom step dug into my back as I tried to shimmy out from under him.
“They’re coming,” he gasped. “Run.”
The man loosened his grip and fell sideways onto the hardwood floor with a loud thunk. I crawled a few feet away, staring at his smooth brown
Similar Books
