Page 183 of Renard's Deliverance

She didn’t like looking there.

Fuck.

What was she thinking? She could have left this a bit longer. Lilac or Ryleigh would have come around to get some of her stuff for her. Renard was right. This didn’t need to be done right now.

Yet she was here.

She might as well keep moving forward.

So she stepped into her house with Renard hovering close to her as though he thought she might collapse at any moment. Everything felt the same, yet different at the same time.

Do something.

Keep your mind off what happened.

Right. She headed to the fridge. “I just need to clean this out.”

Opening the fridge door, she gaped to see it was mostly empty when Renard had a habit of filling it.

“Lilac,” he said.

“Oh. That was nice. I need to check the laundry.” She thought she’d left a load of laundry going when she’d been taken. When she checked, though, the washer was empty.

“Probably Ryleigh,” he said. “But could have been Mia or Lara or Clem. Actually, likely not Clem. Maybe we better check your booze.”

“I don’t care if Clem drank my booze,” she told him. “Although it does explain the chicken feathers.”

“That damn killer chicken,” Renard muttered.

She giggled. All right. She hadn’t expected to be giggling right now. But it was hard not to smile at Clem’s antics.

When she reached the door to her bedroom, she paused.

Right.

She might have reached her limit. On her bed was the missing laundry, folded neatly.

“Baby? Gem?”

“I still can’t believe he watched me. He came into the house, Renard. Why didn’t I see the broken latch on the window? I thought I was smarter than that. He would come into my room and stand there while I slept. How did I not know?”

It was a wonder she could sleep at all now.

“Fucking creep.” He carefully turned her to face him. “He had everyone fooled. Not just you. His own aunt had no idea what he was up to.”

“Poor Mrs. G,” she said. “Can we go see her after?”

“Yeah. I guess,” he grumbled.

“I might as well get my clothes and?—”

A knock on the door interrupted her and made her jump, then wince.

Shit.

Who the hell would that be?

“Stay here,” Renard said before he whirled around and headed to the front door.

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