“Take your antibiotics, Mr. Cooper,” Hal said. “That should catch the infection in time to clear it. I’ll check back in a couple of days to see how you’re doing. If it gets worse, we’re going to have to take more drastic measures.”
Gideon didn’t reply. Maybe he was human enough to feel bad about hurting Mary’s feelings. Hal rested his arm on Sadie’s shoulders during the walk back to Abby’s house. He didn’t comment on Gideon, and for that she was thankful. She was embarrassed, both at Gideon’s rudeness to him and because of the scene with Mary.
He stopped when they reached the porch. “I should go. I’m about ten minutes from falling into a coma.”
“Thanks for checking on my dad.”
Thanks for not mentioning what a jerk he is.
He grasped her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Your dad is not your fault. You know that, don’t you? We can’t control our parents any more than they can control us.”
“I know. It’s nice to hear it sometimes, though.” She smiled up at him. Something flickered between them. He dropped his hand and took a step back.
“Tell the loser in the house I said goodnight.”
“Will do,” Sadie said.
“See you, Sadie girl.”
“See you, Hal boy.”
He chuckled. “Let’s not repeat those nicknames, sweets.”
“Agreed.”
He gave her a tired little wave and jogged to his car. She waited until he was out of sight before going inside. Luke was waiting for her. “How’s Gideon?”
“He’s Gideon,” she said.
“That bad?”
She shrugged. “Hal said goodnight. I’m going upstairs.”
“Wait, I wanted to talk to you,” he said, but it was already too late. She dashed up the stairs. He took off after her. “Sadie, wait.” He caught her arm and pulled her to a stop before she reached her room, leaning against the wall to catch his breath. “Why are you running away from me? That’s not you.”
“I’m tired. Gideon sucked all the energy I have for confrontation.”
“I don’t want confrontation. I want to apologize.”
“I’m listening,” she said.
“I’m sorry about what I said before. It came out wrong. What I meant to say was that you haven’t changed since we were kids. You were fun then, and you’re fun now. You know how great our childhood was, and it was because we had each other. Nothing will ever change that, nothing will revise those memories or take them away. But I’m not the same weak kid I was then, and it’s important to me that you understand that.”
“I do, Luke.”
“Do you? Because I feel like we’re falling back into old patterns.”
“Just because I drive the car doesn’t mean I think you’re less of a man. Believe me, I see and understand the difference.” She had probably caused the difference, and that made her sad. Her rejection and subsequent betrayal had hurt him, had caused him to grow up and become distrustful. Maybe she understood the change in him even better than he did because she was now reaping the effect of her bad decisions through him. If Sadie had her way, she would pick up where they left off in college. Luke was the holdout, and that was maddening. Part of her wished he were as malleable as he had once been; the other part of her realized she wouldn’t be as attracted to him if he was. Some of her fascination with him was his newfound strength.
The atmosphere was becoming bogged down. Sadie didn’t want to get into their issues tonight. “You’re a man, Lukey. A big, strong man.”
He laughed as he reached out to pick her up. He brought her eye level and rested her back against the wall. “How much do I hate to be called ‘Lukey’?”
Her arms looped around his neck. “A million billion.”
“What am I going to do about you, Sadie?”
Sadie had a few ideas.
Step one: lose the Amazon girlfriend.
Though it took maximum effort, she didn’t say it. This new Luke didn’t like to be pushed into things. She had to let him get there on his own, if he ever did. Instead, she aimed for lighthearted again. “Have you ever read
Gone with the Wind
? Rhett Butler had some interesting ideas on that.”
“You think you should be kissed often and by someone who knows how?” he said.
“His words, not mine. Though, for the record, you certainly know how.”
“To clarify and because you know I’m bad at reading between the lines, are you saying I’m a good kisser?”
“No, I’m saying you’re a phenomenal kisser. World class, really. But you had a good teacher, and that makes all the difference.”
“You didn’t teach me.”
“I did.”
“You didn’t.”
“You kissed someone before me that I’m not aware of?”
“No, but neither did you. We learned together. My talent was latent,” he said.
“So was your humility until I bestowed that compliment. Don’t get cocky.”
“I thought you like cockiness.”
“That was the old me. This one has a new list.”
“Yeah? What’s on it?” he asked.
“Good kisser, and that’s as far as I’ve gotten.”
“Sadie, you’re trying to tempt me.”
“Don’t be silly. ‘You want a bite of this apple, Adam?’ That’s temptation. This is two old friends talking. Don’t make more of this than it is.”
“You’d make a good Eve,” he said. He took a breath and let it out slowly. “I should walk away right now.”
“Definitely,” Sadie agreed. “Go away.”
“I’m impervious to reverse psychology,” he said.
“Then stay and kiss me,” she said.
“That won’t work, either,” he said.
“What works?” she asked.
Authenticity.
He wanted genuine emotion from her. He didn’t want to be a game or a notch or disposable or anything else but real to her. After the last time he jumped in with both feet, he had to be more careful. He needed to explain, to set her down and walk away with no more flirting. But she was looking up at him with something akin to vulnerability. Apparently a vulnerable Sadie was like kryptonite to him. “Sadie,” he whispered. “Don’t look at me that way.”
“What way? With both eyes? I don’t know any other way.”
She was being real. Her heart was in the balance, waiting on him to make up his mind, and sincerity was his undoing. He closed his eyes.
I give
, he thought.
She shoved him away, but before he could take offense, he heard it. Someone in Sadie’s room was screaming.
It was a something rather than a someone. On her bed lay a shrieking alarm clock. The noise was so shrill it sounded like a woman’s screams.
“How can you stand that thing?” Luke asked. He pressed his hands to his ears until she shut it off.
“It’s not mine,” she said, and that was when he noticed what else was on the bed. A sweater lay beside the alarm clock with a note attached.
“What does it say?” he asked.
“It says ‘Wear this one, Sadie. It’s my favorite.’” She handed the note to him. He recognized the same writing that had been on the note attached to the army patch.
“Someone was in your room,” he said, unnecessarily since the truth was so obvious. But he felt a need to say the words out loud, to make them real.
“Someone still might be,” Sadie said. She reached under her pillow and pulled out a baton, not the kind majorettes twirl. Instead this one looked like the kind police officers carry.
Luke looked around for his own weapon. Finding none, he unplugged the lamp and held it over his head like a bat. They searched the room together and found it empty except for each other. They sat on the bed and stared at the sweater and note.
“Sadie, he was in your room.”
She took the lamp from him and plugged it back in. Until then, he hadn’t realized he was still clutching it. “I know.”
Downstairs, a door clicked. Movement rustled. Sadie grabbed her nightstick. Luke grabbed the lamp and was hastily jerked backwards when the plug gave resistance. “Sadie, wait,” he called as he stopped to jerk the plug free off the wall. The cord trailed behind him as he sprinted to catch up to her. They ran down the stairs together, arms raised, weapons at the ready. At the base of the stairs, Abby yelped and pressed herself against the front door.
“I swan, you kids nearly gave me a heart attack. What are you doing?”
They stopped short in front of her, breathing heavily after their adrenaline surge stonewalled. “We’re sorry, Abby,” Sadie said.
“Someone was in Sadie’s room,” Luke blurted. Sadie shot him a look of annoyance. He wrinkled his nose at her. Did she think Abby shouldn’t be told? It was her house and her safety in the balance. Abby couldn’t be protected from everything.
“What do you mean someone was in your room?” Abby asked.
“Someone apparently sneaked into my room, set out a sweater, and left a note.”
“Someone picked out your clothes?” Abby said. “How odd.”
“Yes, and it was a sweater I haven’t worn since I moved here. That means he rifled through my drawers.” She shuddered.
“That really gets my goat,” Abby said. “What are we going to do about it?” They looked at each other. No one had a ready answer, not even Sadie who always had an answer for everything.
“There’s nothing we can do about it tonight,” Luke said. “But I think for safety’s sake, we should all stay together.”
“I agree,” Abby said. “We can sleep in the den. In the morning, I’ll work on security measures.”
“Abby, we don’t have the money for that,” Sadie said.
“We have the money for reinforced window locks and some motion-detection lights,” Abby argued. “I’ve been meaning to add some new lights for a few years. We’ll put new lights at each of the corners of the house and near all the entrances. We’ll shore up this house and make it a fortress.”
Abby looked defiant and Luke seemed reassured. Only Sadie remained uncertain. When had the intruder come? Had it been while they were away and the house was empty? That thought was bad enough, but a worse one kept trying to intrude. What if he had been there while everyone was downstairs? He could have entered through the kitchen, slipped up the back stairs, and been in the house the whole time she, Luke, and Hal sat talking in the den. For some reason, she thought this was what happened. Maybe because, in hindsight, she had a prickling sensation that something had been off. Maybe because it seemed more nefarious and threatening and therefore more likely. Or maybe it was because if the intruder was an army ranger, he would be able to ghost anywhere undetected. It was what they were trained for, and no amount of window locks or security lights would stop him.
“Let’s get the cot,” Abby said. “Luke, you can sleep on it. Sadie will take the couch, and I’ll take the recliner.”
Sadie wanted to argue that it didn’t matter. If whoever it was wanted to get to them, then he would. He could attack them while they all slept in the den together as well as separately in their rooms. But she didn’t want to dispel the illusion of peace and security that Abby and Luke had captured. She remained silent as she helped Luke lug the cot to the den and set it up. She curled up on the couch and tried not to think about the violation of privacy that had taken place in her room. Someone had touched her things. Someone had invaded her space.
“You’re quiet,” Luke whispered. He waited until Abby began to snore before he spoke. He had positioned the cot beside the couch. Sadie thought it was a sweet attempt to offer protection.
“Just thinking, trying to puzzle things together.”
“It’s okay to admit you’re afraid. Everyone is sometimes.”
“I’m more angry than afraid,” she said.
“Ah, Sadie,” he said, exasperated because he thought she was putting up a front. She wasn’t, though. She was genuinely irate. Tomorrow she vowed to find answers and put an end to the odd events. “Don’t do anything crazy.”
“If figuring out the truth is crazy, then I plan to do something crazy,” she said.
“Don’t do anything without thinking it through. Don’t do something because you’re angry. Be cautious.”
“I’ll be careful.”
“Promise.”
“I promise.”
“Pinky swear.”
“Luke.”
“You’re the one who said a pinky swear is an unbreakable bond with dire consequences.” His hand sought hers and twined their pinkies together.
Sadie sighed, but he obviously wouldn’t let it go until she gave in. “I pinky swear that I will be careful.”
“Good,” he said. He sounded sleepy. Their conjoined hands were still resting on her stomach.
“You want your hand back?”
“You can keep it.”
“Good.” She rolled over, tucked his hand beneath her chin, and fell asleep.
In the morning, she refused to be skittish when she went to her room to get ready. This was her home, and she wouldn’t let anyone rob her of her peace or security. Downstairs Abby seemed to be feeling the same as she angrily slammed around, making a list of security upgrades. Luke ate his breakfast in silence and watched the two women with a thoughtful expression. They were so alike, Abby and Sadie. Each determined not to be afraid. He was afraid; did that make him less of a man? Whoever was purposely trying to scare Sadie was scaring him instead.
Someone had slipped into their house, had invaded her bedroom, and touched her clothes. How many other times had he been there? Had he watched her sleep? Luke pictured the anonymous someone stalking Sadie while she slept and felt nauseated. What was he to do about it? He could shoot; Gideon had taught him well. But keeping a loaded gun at the ready seemed like a recipe for disaster. He wasn’t much good in a fight, especially not with a trained soldier, if that was who it was. He felt helpless, and that helplessness made him depressed and cranky. For all intents and purposes, he was the man of the house. That meant something to him even if Sadie and Abby didn’t consider it. What was he to do? How was he supposed to protect his friends against an unseen enemy? And how was he supposed to protect them from themselves when each of them seemed determined to rush headlong into danger?
“Maybe we should put barbed wire around the hedges,” Abby muttered as she made another pass through the house.
“Where’s my pepper spray?” Sadie asked as she rifled the kitchen drawers. While he didn’t disagree that she should keep the pepper spray handy, Luke had a feeling she intended to use it proactively instead of as a defense mechanism.
“What exactly are you going to do today?” he asked.
“Ben and I are going to track down Roy Mueller and Vic Hutchens. And before you say anything, I printed out pictures of both of them for Ben to make sure they’re the same people we’re looking for before we find them. And, yes, I will find out which of them was in my room before I beat the living daylights out of him. And, yes, I’m being hyperbolic about the beating. I’ll only pummel him a little. And, yes, I will make sure Ben is with me at all times. And, yes, I do have my phone and it’s charged.”
“I’m glad we could have this little talk,” Luke said. “How long do we have to know each other before I become obsolete in every discussion?”
She checked her watch. “You have a few more years by my calculations. I still enjoy hearing your opinions on popular culture and literature.”
“Thank goodness for books and movies,” he said. “Can I say once more and for the record that I don’t approve of anything you’re about to do today?”
“Duly noted.”
“What would it take for me to be able to influence your actions?”
“A miracle?” she tried.
“That’s what I thought.” He caught her arm and pulled her close for a crushing hug. “Be careful. I hate this.”
“I’ll be fine,” she assured him, but she returned his hug with interest, squeezing so tight she pushed the air from his lungs.
“I’ll have my phone on even when I’m in class. Update me.”
She pressed his face between her palms. “You worry too much.”
“I have a bad feeling.”
“You always do.”
“It’s different this time.”
It wasn’t different this time, Sadie knew, because he thought every bad feeling spelled doom. He really was a worrier, but he wouldn’t be Luke if he optimistically headed into danger with good cheer and a smile. She patted his cheek and he gave her a little shove away. A condescending gesture was a sure way to chase away his gloom. “Have a good day,” she said.
“Don’t die,” he replied so that she was laughing when she got into her car. Her laughter soon faded. Ben White was a gloomy as Luke.
“Sadie, are you okay?” He pulled her close and crushed her in a hug. The close contact felt odd after her earlier hug with Luke and she eased away as soon as she could without offending him.
“I’m fine,” she said. She smiled to show him she meant it.
“I don’t know you well enough to judge if you’re lying or crazy brave,” he said.
“Maybe I’m both,” she teased. “Seriously though, Ben, I’m fine. I decided a long time ago not to let other people’s actions upset me. Nothing really happened beyond another silly note. Let’s not make more of it than it is. In fact, let’s focus on business.” She handed him the pictures she had printed of Roy Mueller and Vic Hutchins.
He studied them intently before answering. “It’s been ten years, but I would say with a large amount of certainty that this is them.”
Sadie’s stomach flipped. They were on to something big; she knew it. “Ready to get some answers?”
“More than I thought humanly possible,” Ben said. He smiled at her and held the door. Unlike Luke, he didn’t mind that she drove. He sat in the passenger seat and peppered her with questions. Had she seen anything unusual the night before in her house? What had she heard? Did any cars drive by? When she answered no to all of the questions, she felt like a fool. Why wasn’t she more aware of her surroundings? Why wasn’t she more observant? She was a professional investigator now and yet someone had slipped through her defenses. Unbelievable, and also incredibly frustrating.
“You’re scowling,” Ben said.
Not only was she scowling, but she was hunched defensively over the steering wheel. She straightened and smoothed her expression. “I’m a little irritated.”
“A little irritated,” Ben repeated. “Sadie, someone broke into your bedroom. You have to right to be irate and afraid.”
“I’m not afraid,” she stubbornly insisted. What was it with the men of the world who needed her to be afraid? Just because she looked like a delicate flower didn’t mean she was one.