Everything in me went wired at Lawson’s words. I moved in closer, trying to make out the other end of the conversation, but he shoved me away.
“What makes you think that?” He was silent for a moment but nodded. “Get back inside. Lock the doors and windows. I’ll be over in ten.”
That was how long it would take to make the journey from here to Wren’s cabin.
“What happened?” I barked the second he got off the phone.
Lawson held up a hand. “She’s fine, but she thinks someone’s been nosing around her place.”
Everything in me tightened at his words. “Press?”
The tenth anniversary of the shooting was this year. My office had fielded so many inquiries for interviews I’d lost track. The media had a sick fascination with what had happened in Cedar Ridge, and thanks to some since-fired deputy, the fact that I had been the one to find Wren had gone public.
Everyone wanted a piece of that story—teenage love ripped apart by hate.
But they didn’t get a piece of us. Never.
Lawson’s jaw worked back and forth as he pulled his keys from his pocket. “Maybe. Kinda late for a reporter to be sniffing around. She thought she heard someone outside. Went to check it out and found a shoe print.”
“She went to check it out? Why the hell didn’t she call nine-one-one?”
“She probably thought it was an animal, and it might’ve been.”
I didn’t give a damn about might’ve beens. I cared about making sure that Wren was safe. My feet were already moving, taking me toward my SUV parked at the end of the row of vehicles.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Lawson clipped.
“To make sure she’s okay.”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
But I was already behind the wheel and sliding my keys into the ignition.
Lawson cursed and jogged toward his SUV.
I didn’t waste any time tearing down the drive. My fingers tapped the wheel as I waited for the gate to open—too damn slowly.
The second they opened wide enough, I floored it. The lights on Lawson’s police SUV flashed, but I ignored him. When we reached the two-lane road that led to town, he swerved around me, forcing me to dial back my speed.
A litany of curses streamed from my lips as Lawson slowed even further on the stretch through town. The moment the buildings died away, he picked up speed again, swinging down a side road that took us toward the lake.
My gaze shifted to the clock on my dashboard. How many minutes had it been since Wren called? Lawson had promised her that he’d be there in ten. We were at eight now.
Lawson slowed as the road made a Y. The ground was rutted and needed some serious maintenance. I hated the thought of Wren driving it in the winter.
I pulled in next to my brother as he cut his lights and was out of my SUV in a flash. He cut me off on the way to the door, giving me a hard shove. “Back off. You go up there amped up and ready to take someone’s head off, and Wren is just going to get more freaked out.”
My back molars ground together. “If someone’s been creeping around her property, she should be freaked out.”
“No. She should be cautious. There’s a difference. Her being scared won’t help anything.”
My gut twisted at that. I hated the idea of Wren trembling, jumping at every noise. I wanted her safe, but she shouldn’t have to be terrified to get there. Slowly, I let out the air my lungs had been holding prisoner and took a step back.
The tension eased from Lawson’s shoulders. “Thank you.” He started up the walkway. “You shouldn’t even be here, you know. Unless you became law enforcement without telling me.”
“I consult with law enforcement all the time.”
“Not the same thing.”
“So, make me a consultant.”
He shook his head and rapped on the door. “It’s me, Wren.”
A low growl came from the other side of the door.
I arched a brow. “She got a dog?”
Wren had begged her parents her whole childhood for a pet. She’d asked for everything from a puppy to a gerbil. The most she’d ever been allowed was a goldfish. Her parents probably didn’t want anything else they were supposed to take care of. Supposed to being the operative part of that sentence.
“Heel, Shadow. It’s just Lawson.”
Wren opened the door to reveal a massive Husky with the most piercing blue eyes standing guard in front of her. The dog’s gaze went from Lawson to me and back again.
Wren’s head jerked in my direction. “What are you doing here?”
Lawson winced. “Sorry. He overheard the call. There was no stopping him.”
My eyes traced the trails that tears had left on Wren’s cheeks. Some ended on her chin, while others streaked down her neck. Marks that I had put there.
“I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Wren stared at me for the count of three. “I’m fine. Really.”
Lawson cleared his throat. “Can you show me where you found the shoe print?”
She nodded, motioning around the house. “I was in the hall with Shadow. I had just hung up with Grae and heard what I thought was a twig snap. Shadow growled, which she doesn’t usually do unless she’s warning me that she heard something.”
“Did you hear anything other than the twig snapping? Voices? Footsteps?” Lawson asked.
Wren shook her head. “Nothing…”
Her voice trailed off in a way that had me picking up my pace. “What is it?”
“Last night. Shadow growled then, too. And I thought I saw a light in the woods.”
My gaze instantly went to the trees that engulfed the hillside. “Who lives up there?”
Lawson had his eyes trained there, too. “No one. The property hasn’t been built on.”
I turned toward Wren. “Why didn’t you call Lawson then?”
Those flecks of green in her hazel eyes sparked, even in the darkness surrounding us. “I wasn’t aware that I was required to call Lawson every time something went bump in the night.”
A muscle in my jaw ticked. “It’s reasonable to call the police if there’s an intruder on your property in the middle of the night.”
“It was probably teenagers looking for a place to party.”
“Guys. Enough,” Lawson snapped. He pulled a flashlight from his pocket and shined it along the side of the cabin.
“It was under that window,” Wren said.
His beam of light stilled on a smudged footprint. Everything in me went rigid. I forced myself to step closer. “There’s another one.” I pointed to another less-than-perfect print. One that said whoever this was had been in a hurry to get away.
“I’m gonna grab my kit from the SUV. I’ll take some photos, impressions, and measurements.” Lawson looked at Wren. “You should think about staying with Grae for a few days.”
“I’m not sleeping on G’s couch because some nosy jerk is coming around my place. If someone wanted to hurt me, they would’ve done it when I pulled in tonight.”
The thought had my stomach roiling. I swept the area with my gaze. The cabin. The forest. The lake—and instantly started making plans for security. She was too damn exposed in her cabin out in the open like this.
“You could stay at the guest cabin at our parents’. You know they’d love to have you,” Lawson offered.
“Kerry and Nathan don’t need me in their space. They have enough going on right now. I’m not letting someone scare me out of my home.”
I turned back to my brother and Wren. “And you shouldn’t have to.”
Shock flared in her eyes. “Thanks.”
“I’ll stay with you.”
