Page 92 of Mine to Protect

Sensing my stare, Chandler looked up from his phone.

“Can you call Benny?”

His brows shot up. “You want me to call a dog?”

I rolled my eyes. “Call the hospital. I need to know if there are any updates. Is he okay? Does he miss me? Maybe I should take him his favorite bed or blanket?”

Chandler barked a laugh. “Only you, woman. Yes, I’ll call to see how he’s doing, but I’m not taking him his favorite squeaky toy.”

“Your phone is ringing, Alta,” Cas said as Chandler held his against his ear. “It’s been going off like crazy for a while.”

Pushing off the couch, I snagged the vibrating phone from the counter and swiped it open.

Dad’s voice boomed through the line. I pulled the phone back a few inches to keep from having my eardrum disintegrated.

“Where in the heck are you? I’ve been calling you all night,” he shouted. Zero anger laced his tone, only desperation and worry.

“Sorry,” I said. Pulling a stool over, I sat and not so lightly tapped my forehead against the counter in utter frustration—with Dad or me, I wasn’t sure. “Things are a little crazy around here.”

“Why does your GPS chip show you a few miles from your house? And you didn’t go running like normal today. You haven’t moved, at all. Alta Lady Johnson, what the hell is going on up there? I’ll jump in the truck right now, just say the emergency word.”

I cringed as Chandler and Cas stared me down. No doubt they heard every word. “No emergency word needed, Dad. I’m staying at a friend’s house for a few days, just right up the road. Don’t worry, okay? I’ll send you a new schedule soon.” Outside, a truck rumbled up the drive. “Listen, Dad, I gotta run. I’ll call you later and explain everything, okay?”

Not waiting for a reply, I hung up and tossed the phone on the counter.

“Emergency word? GPS chip?” Cas asked, sliding a plate of buttered toast and scrambled eggs in front of me.

Taking the fork from his hand, I dug in. “Yeah,” I sighed before taking a bite from the warm toast. “I have GPS chips in all my shoes. The signal and data are transmitted back to my parents in Texas, you know, to make sure nothing’s wrong. I don’t tell anyone because it makes me sound….” I wiggled the fork in the air as I searched for the right word. “Like the paranoid freak I am. Same with my emergency word in case they call and I’m in danger. Fireflies, by the way. That’s the SOS word.”

“You’re not a freak,” he said through gritted teeth, making me smile. He was even defending me against me. So cute. “What schedule do you send them?” Cas leaned across the counter, shortening the distance between us while sliding a bottle of water to me.

After twisting the cap off, I gulped down the room temperature water, savoring the way it seemed to clear the remaining haze from the earlier long nap. “At the beginning of every month, I send them my work schedule and running schedule. Since I don’t keep a normal routine, I like for someone to have all the information of when and where I’ll be somewhere. That way if anything goes wrong….” I shrugged and went back to devouring the delicious eggs. “Thank you for the food. I was starving.”

The pounding against the front door halted our conversation, even though I could tell Cas had more questions regarding everything he’d just learned. Chandler yanked the door open wide, allowing John to stalk through. His blue eyes searched the room until they landed on me. A strange expression creased his forehead and pinched his lips. I didn’t understand what had him so concerned until she walked in two steps behind him.

What. The. Hell.

No one said a word—heck, we maybe didn’t even breathe. Only her heeled boots stomping against the hard floor and the crackle of the fire sounded in the small room.

Turning from the smiling Sadie, I stared at my empty plate. My mind was playing tricks on me. There was no way Sadie was that crazy.

A glance over my shoulder confirmed it. I wasn’t crazy. Sadie had taken her near-black hair to a color somewhat matching mine. A bit more orange than my strawberry blonde, but there was no question the color she’d attempted.

“You like it, Birdie?” Sadie asked as she crossed the room.

My fingers tightened around the fork. It wasn’t much of weapon, but if I could make it to her neck…

Strong fingers wrapped around mine, easing my death grip on the thin metal. Glancing up, I shot Cas a glare, but he merely smiled and shook his head while withdrawing the fork.

“It’s different,” Cas said carefully.

“Let’s get to the note,” John snapped from where he paced in the middle of the room. If I were him, I’d be nervous too, though more about Sadie than the man hunting us. “Sadie found it on her car this morning.”

“Outside my apartment building,” she added, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “As soon as I saw it, I ran back upstairs to show John.”

My hands tucked into tight fists beneath the counter. It seemed she was more interested in letting me know John had stayed the night at her place than being worried about the note.

“Where is it?” Chandler asked, his face still locked in shock. “The note you found.”

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