Page 10 of Code Trauma

While she fumbled for her phone, he pulled his gun and held it in front of him as he walked through her townhome.

“911. What’s your emergency?”

“Someone broke into my home.” She gave the address and clutched the phone to her ear. A surge of anger rose up hard and fast enough to nearly strangle her.

“Is the person still there?”

“I don’t know. I have a friend who’s a detective. He’s checking the rooms now.”

“Then stay still and wait for him to come back.”

Holly had no trouble following that order. She wasn’t sure her legs would work anyway. The ugly red words seemed to sear themselves onto her soul. Where was Andy? The townhome was small and wouldn’t take but a few seconds to clear. Just as she was ready to go looking for him, he returned from her bedroom, his weapon holstered, but his face white. “It’s clear.”

Holly let out a slow breath. “The police are on the way.”

He nodded.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “You found something else, didn’t you?”

“In your bedroom, someone hung one of your dolls from the shelf and painted your name across the dress.”

Holly darted from her spot by the door and headed to see for herself.

Andy caught her by the upper arm. “Don’t go look. There’s no reason to, and you’ll never be able to wipe the image from your brain once you see it.”

She hesitated. “Which doll?”

“Not the one your dad brought back from Israel.”

She almost wilted against him but pulled away at the last second and pressed a hand to her aching head. All the dolls in her collection were gifts from her father, but the one he’d brought her from Israel was special. “I’m scared,” she whispered.

“I know. You can’t stay here.”

“I can stay at base.” She’d never been so grateful for that home away from home. Her family when she needed them. And boy, did she need them now. “I can’t believe this. What have I done to deserve this?”

“Hey, there’s nothing you could have done to deserve this, so don’t even think along those lines. But something sure has triggered someone.”

“Yeah.”

“And we’re going to find out what.”

She studied him. His eyes were narrowed and fierce, his jaw tight.

Officers arrived and processed her townhome, asking her questions until her head spun. Even the eight hundred milligrams of Motrin didn’t completely stop the pain. Despite the nasty warning on the wall, she sat on the couch and simply just closed her eyes.

Andy finally escorted the last officer out of her home and shut the door. She opened her eyes as he turned to her. “You want me to pack a bag for you?” he asked.

“No, I’ll do it in a bit.” While he was here, she might as well see if he could answer all the questions she’d had bouncing around her head for the last two months. “Can you cover that up with a blanket then sit beside me?”

“Yeah, sure.” It didn’t take him long to hang a blanket over the spray-painted threat. “I’ll get rid of the doll, too, for now. Until you decide if you want to have someone try to clean her up.”

“Thanks.”

Once those two items were done, Holly was able to finally pull in a deep breath.

She patted the cushion next to her. “Sit.” He sank onto it and she took his hand. “Talk to me, Andy, please.”

He sighed. “I’ve really been messed up, Holly. After Chris was killed, it sent me into a very dark place, and I haven’t been able to come out of it.” He looked at her. “Until now. When I heard you were in danger, it knocked me off my feet—and some sense into my head, I think.”

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