But no, the house being empty didn’t bother me one bit. Except for one thing:
The door had been open.
That’s not right.
Unlocked I could maybe understand. An oversight by Cole or Jacob. But open… that just didn’t make any sense.
“Hello?”
I called out cautiously as I stepped inside, then realized silence might be a better approach. There wasn’t much in the way of weapons as I pushed through the foyer. An umbrella from the umbrella stand, maybe. Or one of the bottles of wine I was holding.
Relax. You’re probably just being paranoid.
My shoulders went a little less tense as I made my way through the living room and kitchen — both empty. Nothing looked missing. Nothing disturbed.
“Okay,” I sighed quietly. “Fine.”
I set the bottles down on the table and slung the dress over one of the chairs. I planned to hit the head and freshen up. Get ready for—
I stopped mid-thought as I heard a noise coming from Cole’s room. Something had definitely moved.
What the fuck?
I froze in the middle of the hallway, listening intently. I could hear a sigh, or a snort. The sound was low, but the source of it was unmistakable. It definitely came from a man.
Rather than peek around the corner, I balled my hands into fists and went charging into the bedroom. The guy I tackled didn’t even have a chance.
“OOFFFF!”
He was tall and broad, if not a little out of shape. I caught him just above the waist and sent him flying into the opposite wall, his body bending awkwardly as we crashed into it together. The sheetrock gave way instantly. Pieces of gypsum went flying, raining down all over us as we struggled together.
“Who the hell are you?” the man demanded. “What are you—”
I punched him in the ribs, and his face grimaced with pain. He responded by grabbing me by the hair and yanking my head back. The guy was looking into my face now. His expression was fear mixed with confusion, but there was fight in his eyes too. Before I could do anything he head-butted me square in the nose.
FUCK!
I felt the crack, followed by the warm stream of blood. I should’ve seen it coming. I should never have let him get that close to my—
“Stop!”
The word was loud, shrill, high-pitched. I didn’t recognize it at first. Probably because I was already throwing an elbow into the guy’s face.
CRACK!
The stranger spun away, clutching his own nose. It created distance between us. Before I could advance on him again, that distance was filled with a familiar figure: Serena.
“Guys, stop!” she shouted. “STOP FIGHTING!”
She extended her arms to keep us apart, but it wouldn’t have mattered. Cole already had the other guy in a headlock, and was dropping him to the bed. Jacob was standing there confused, between the stranger and Serena.
“Leave him alone,” she cried again, her eyes pleading. “It’s just my ex!”
It took a few moments for the realization to sink in. When it finally did, Cole relaxed his grip. The guy sank to the bed, his expression scornful as a silence settled over the room. A silence punctuated by our heavy breathing.
“It’s only Eric,” Serena spat, staring daggers at him.
Forty-Four