Page 90 of The Huntress and Her Hound

“Hey,” a female voice rings with excitement. “I was just calling to let you know that I’ve scheduled an Uber to pick you up and bring you to your new home!”

“Cool,” I say, thinking of Henry. He would try to surprise me. Which only serves to make me feel so much fucking worse about it all.

“He had it scheduled to pick you up outside of your apartment,” she continues. “I’m excited for you, and I’ll see you when you get here for the final tour.” She hangs up the phone, and half-heartedly I smile.

“What is it?” Lydia asks. “Sounded exciting!”

I eye her, because obviously, she appears to already know. “Yeah, as it turns out, it looks like I have an Uber waiting for me back at the apartment.”

“Ooh,” she grins. “How fun.”

“Are you coming?” I ask as we make a U-turn and head back the couple of blocks we’d made it.

“No,” she answers, laughing. “Let me know how it goes though.”

“Right. Do you think it’s okay if I take Cash?” I ask her, hung in the moment. Part of me wants to text Jude and see if he’s coming—but maybe Henry wants it to just be an us thing.

Ugh. Maybe I should tell him about Jude then.

“I think it’s fine for you to take Cash. I take Duke with me everywhere. He’ll get used to it the same way Henry did,” Lydia says, and I barely catch her words as I spot the Uber parked out front of the apartments.

“Okay, well then, he’ll come along.” I give Lydia a quick side embrace and then open the back passenger door of the car. “Is this for Cher?”

“From Desert Realty,” the driver says, already looking annoyed as he eyes my dog. “I don’t usually allow pets.”

“Then I’ll get another ride,” I quip, raising a brow.

“No, it’s fine,” he sighs. “I don’t need another bad review.”

“Thank you.” I gesture for Cash to jump in, and he does so, plopping down with his tongue lolling behind the driver’s seat. I climb in and shut the door, giving Lydia a small wave. The driver pulls away from the curb and I relax back.

I really could tell Henry about Jude today.

Since he got the house, he should be in a decent mood. I’ll just tell him that I like Jude, and then feel it out from there. I mentally start preparing as the car heads out of town, making its way to the house. I stroke Cash’s head the entire way, trying not to get psyched out about approaching my brother.

It’ll be fine. He won’t get that mad at me.

He’ll just be mad at Jude.

I frown at that. I don’t want him to get mad at Jude.

“Here,” the driver says, jarring my thoughts. I glance up at the house that we just looked at a few days ago. It seems like it could be home—especially if I can just convince Jude to stay...with me.

“Thank you,” I tell him, sliding out of the SUV. He pulls away as soon as I get the door shut, and I roll my eyes at the rush. My eyes spot the realtor’s vehicle, but I don’t see Henry’s rental.

He must’ve ridden with her.

I lead Cash across the yard, but as I make it to the concrete sidewalk leading to the front door, he freezes. “Come on,” I urge, tugging at him.

He lets out a huff—and then pisses on one of the rose bushes in the landscaped flower bed.

“Really?” I snap at him. “Could we not start killing the plants before we even move in?”

He eyes me as he drops his leg, and then continues forward with me. As we reach the front door, I consider knocking, but then I realize this is my house. I don’t have to fucking knock. So, I turn the knob, and then step inside. A blast of a/c hits me in the face, and I instantly relax.

But as I exit the entryway, and head into the living room area, everything changes. Cash growls. My stomach flips, and as my eyes land on a nearly unrecognizable body...

I realize I’ve walked right into a fucking nightmare.

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