Page 29 of Elsie's Strong Shelter

“Us spending the night in the same bed.”

“Oh, that.” She wrinkled her nose and jumped to her feet. “Sorry. I was so tired and something about the wine and you making me feel safe just knocked me out. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

He stood and reached for her, but she busied herself by searching in her purse. “No. I didn’t mean?—”

She found her keys and flashed him a tight smile. “Seriously, there’s no need to make a big deal of it. Nothing happened. I understand you’re here because you’re being a good friend and you’re concerned about Mila. Besides, that’s where our focus should be.”

Her instant reaction to brush aside the intimacy that had meant so much for him was like a dagger to the heart, but she was right. Their attention should be solely on figuring out what happened to Mila. He swallowed the words that had sat on the tip of his tongue all day and waited for her to unlock the door.

Her hand stilled on the doorknob. Her body went rigid.

Alarms went off his head. “What’s wrong?”

She took a step back, bumping against him, and glanced over her shoulder. “The door’s not locked.”

“Okay.” The fear etched on her face told him he was missing something.

“I locked it before we left.”

“Are you sure? Things have been hectic. Is there a chance you forgot?”

“No way I forgot. Not with everything going on right now. What do we do?”

He grabbed the gun tucked in his waistband at his back. Adrenaline zipped through his body, and he swept Elsie behind him. “I need to clear the house. Stay close.”

She fisted the back of his shirt and held on tight.

He pushed open the door and stepped inside. The house was dark, shadows cloaking corners of the living room where anyone could be hiding. “Where are the lights?”

Elsie leaned to the side and flipped a switch. Warm light washed over the room and chased away the threatening darkness.

Inch by inch, he looked at every nook, every cranny in the living room and connected kitchen before heading down the hallway. His pulse beat against his temple, and he kept his breath steady even though anxiety knotted his gut. “You all right?”

“Yeah,” she said, although the quiver in her voice told a different story.

He ducked into the bathroom, checking inside the linen closet before moving across the hall to Jimmy’s room. Once he was certain no one was inside, he led the way to Mila’s room.

Nothing.

“Maybe I was wrong,” Elsie said.

“Maybe,” he echoed. “One more room to clear.”

He pushed open the door, flipped on the light, and his gaze landed on a butcher knife stabbed into Elsie’s pillow.

12

The comforting scent of freshly laundered sheets permeated the air in the guest room, enticing Elsie to drop her overnight bag and crawl under the down comforter. Her body craved sleep, but the rest of her wanted answers.

Answers Deputy Owen Wells had promised to find after he’d come to her house and taken her statement.

If she wasn’t convinced before that someone was trying to keep her quiet, now there was zero doubt she was on the right trail. And she needed to stay on that path until it led her straight to Mila. Her best friend had been missing for almost forty-eight hours, and each minute that passed lessened the chances of her being found alive.

The icy fingers of fear circled her neck. No. She couldn’t think like that. Couldn’t stare at the clock and wonder how much time was left for Mila. That wouldn’t do anyone any good. Especially Mila.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

She blinked at the sound of Dean’s voice from the doorway. “You wouldn’t have enough money to cover everything circling my brain right now.”

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