sp; “Yeah.” I took another breath and grabbed his bicep, as if I physically needed to feel his support. I couldn’t remember what I was dreaming of, but I knew I was scared.
A creak came from the front room.
“Shhh.” Cal put up his hand, and in a fast, silent action, got out of bed and put on his jeans.
Another creak sounded.
He leaned over onto to the bed, his face an inch from mine, and cupped my jaw. “There’s someone in the house.” My blood instantly flooded my brain, and fear shot through every vein, as I tensed to run. Cal gripped me. “Do you have a phone in here?” he whispered quietly.
“No.” My cell was out in the front room, and judging by the look on Cal’s face, he didn’t have his either.
He grabbed his shirt and pulled it over my head. “You’re going to hide in that corner,” he pointed to the one next to the window. “The second I leave this room, you go out that window and run to the firehouse. Do you understand?”
I shook my head wildly. “No, no you can’t—”
“I will take care of the person in the house, you run. I won’t let him come after you or hurt you.” With that, he left me, and quietly and shut the bedroom door behind him.
No! No, this wasn’t happening. I was terrified. Someone was in my home, and I had a pretty good idea who it was. Brock. He wouldn’t leave me alone. He never would.
I heard a crash of something breaking, and then the front door slammed.
“Cal!” I screamed, and ran into the front room. The vase was broken in the kitchen, and I looked around in the dark, but saw no one. Flipping on the light, I screamed for Cal again. Screeching tires from down the street sounded, and I ran to the front door and opened it. Cal was hustling back toward me, barefoot and shirtless.
“What the hell are you doing?” he barked. “I told you to run.”
I threw myself into his arms and hugged him tight. He caught me and hugged me back.
“Are you okay?” I whispered.
“Yeah, Kitten. Are you?” He set me back to look at me.
“Yeah, I’m fine. What happened? Who was it?”
He took my hand and brought me inside, locked my door, and sat me on the couch with a blanket. Picking up my cell, he called the police.
“I didn’t make out who the person was. It looks like they got in with no force. Does anyone have a key?”
“No, no one except Harper and me.”
Cal scrubbed a hand down his face. “He had someone waiting in the car. It was a silver 4x4. I couldn’t make out the plate, but he got away. He had help.”
“Was it Brock?”
“I can’t be sure.”
I closed my eyes, and the blue and red started flashing, followed by a knock at the door. The police.
“Why?” I asked.
Cal cupped my face. “I don’t know. But I’m going to keep you safe. Whether they were looking for you, or just house burglars, this won’t happen again.”
“This isn’t your fault,” I said.
“I disarmed the alarm.”
“But the doors were locked.”
“I should have known better.” He shook his head. “You’re not leaving my sight.”