Page 51 of An Unexpected Home

“You are not,” he said. “Please just stay still until we know for sure that you are okay.”

“Did you call 911?” he asked his brother.

“Yeah, after I called you.”

Standing, he removed his gun from the holster. “I’m going to check the house to make sure it’s empty.”

Moving quietly and steadily through the house, he checked each room and aside from the mess, there was no sign of anyone.

Descending the stairs he heard Mel and Logan arguing.

“Logan, I am fine. Will you just let me up?”

“Logan,” he said from the bottom of the stairs, “she knows herself. Let her up if that’s what she wants.”

Logan shot him a nasty look but gave in and let Melanie sit up.

“Can you tell me what you saw, Mel?” Brandon looked around the room. He was trying to stay calm and be the cop but inside he couldn’t stop thinking that this could have been Leah.

“Not much,” she said. “I came in and I was in such a daze that I just rushed to the corner here where I left the DVD. That’s when I finally noticed the room and turned. That’s all I remember before waking up to Logan shouting at me.”

“Logan,” Brandon said, all business now, “tell me what you saw?”

Logan huffed out a breath. “Do we really have to do this now?” he said, annoyed.

“Yes, we have to do this. The sooner people talk after an incident, the more they remember. In order for me to find whoever did this, I need the details.”

“When I got here,” Logan started, “the door was open, so I walked right in. The place looked as it does now,” he indicated the room “and I freaked when I called Mel’s name and she didn’t answer. I heard a moan and that's when I noticed her over here on the floor.”

“And you didn’t see anyone or hear anything?”

“No.” He shook his head. “There was nothing.”

“Fuck!” he swore. His normally quiet town had now had two break-ins in two weeks and he was sure that little prick, Will Huntington, was involved in both of them. But what was worse was that this time someone got hurt. Someone who was like family to him.

“Hey guys,” Mel said, still on the floor. “Carly keeps calling my phone.” She held it up so that they could see. “What should I do?”

Logan looked at him, his face saying that it was his call.

“Answer it.” As much as he would like to keep this from them for a few more hours so they could finish the open house, he knew they would be pissed off if he did.

“Hello,” Melanie said into the phone as he turned to go meet the incoming ambulance.

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