That broke the dam, and I let one sob out before I regained control. “Yes, yes, I’m okay. I’m just… they just…”
“I know, Lex. I know. What happened?”
“I was on the couch reading an email when I heard the creak. Then I saw someone outside. I called Hayden. Got a gun, loaded it, and waited.”
I gave more details, recounting what I could remember as Hayden and Drake asked more questions. Everything was beginning to blur. We put Drake on speakerphone while Hayden kept watch and we went back to the living room.
“Lex, will you please stay with my parents tonight? Hayden and Kane are going to stay there, too. Just for tonight until I can get home to you. I’m working on that now.”
The last thing I wanted was to stay in the cabin by myself. “Yes. No problem. I’ll go.”
“Thank you.”
“I love you, Drake.”
“I love you, too.”
I felt calmer. Drake was working on coming home to me.
“Can I talk to Hayden again?” Drake asked.
“Sure.”
I handed the phone back. Hayden took the phone off speaker but continued to scan for anything out of the ordinary. “Yes. No problem. Yeah, I’ll sleep in my old room. No, he’s not back yet. Yeah, when we stopped, Kane ran along the porch, telling Mariah to get the scent, and off they went. I will. Yes. Let me get Alexa to Mom and Dad’s first. Yes.”
He ended the call. “Where are the keys to your truck?”
I dug through my purse where it sat on the kitchen counter. I’d forgotten to bring it with me earlier when I’d gotten the gun. That was an error, and my heart sank. I should have known better. If someone had broken in, how would I have gotten out of here?
“Here they are.” I could hear more of a waver in my voice, but I focused on holding it together.
Hayden walked into the kitchen and hid them in the drawer with the silverware. “In case someone comes back, I don’t want your keys out in the open. I’ll let Kane know where they are. You ready to go to Mom and Dad’s?”
“Yes.”
I picked up my purse, and Hayden handed me the gun I’d had before. “Stay close. This is just precautionary.”
The white box from earlier caught my attention. “I need to take that box. It’s my dad’s stuff.”
If someone came back and they took something from that box, it would be more than I could bear right now. “Engage the safety on your gun and put it in your purse. Put the strap over your shoulder.” I swung my head around with a confused look. “This is just precautionary.”
That made sense. If someone was out there and we had to run, Hayden wanted me armed. I did as he asked, then grabbed the box. I hoped when I returned, the place wouldn’t be tainted. Will I be scared to be out here alone? Probably. Which meant I would have to make sure to stay here alone at some point in the future once we figured out what was going on.
The crisp night air hit my face as we walked to Hayden’s truck, which was parked not two feet from the porch. Hayden locked the door. “Kane has a key to get in.”
The truck ride was quiet as I tried to come to grips with what had happened. Why did someone try to break in?
And worse yet… had they known I’d be there alone tonight?
Chapter Thirty-Three
Drake
It was a little after four in the morning when I walked into my parents’ house. It felt good to be home. Just being in the same place as Lex calmed me.
Mariah gave a warning growl, signaling to Kane that someone was here.
“It’s me, girl,” I said.