Page 90 of Fortune's Control
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I shut the passenger door and hurried around to the driver’s side. “You ready to go?”
“Drive fast.”
I chuckled at her request. “It’s not far.”
Lilah grabbed my hand, pressing it against her pussy. “Drive fast.”
Damn, I low-key enjoyed her giving me orders. The quick drive was one of the many benefits of small-town life.
I turned onto the long driveway and slowed as the truck’s headlights flashed on the family sign.
“It’s a new moon out here. Nice and dark,” I said, turning off the ignition. “I forgot to turn on the outside lights.”
Nighttime changed from dark to pitch black.
“Shane.”
30-Lilah
I placed a hand on Shane’s thigh to prevent him from leaving. “Something is wrong.” I shut my eyes and took three slow breaths. This was Fortune’s Creek, and I wasn’t alone. Not this time.
“We didn’t turn on the porch lights this morning because we didn’t plan for dinner at the diner.” Shane placed a reassuring hand over mine. “There’s only us, and we’re in the country, Lilah. It gets dark here.”
The eerie silence and glowing white house didn’t mean an army waited inside to slaughter us. Wilson Skane lived in Atlanta, and an ankle monitor kept him there. Whoever attacked Sophie and me did so because he didn’t know where we lived.
“You’re right. It’d be helpful if my imagination learned to turn itself off a little more often.” I came to Fortune’s Creek for a fresh start and to learn about myself, not to quiver with fear.
Shane hopped out and opened my door before offering his hand. “There’s a lot of night left.”
“Is that a promise or a threat?”
He cupped my neck, massaging the tight muscles. “How about a little of both? You’re safe with me; don’t forget that.”
His hands fell as my stomach dropped. The oven light cast a dim glow for us to see through the kitchen’s open door.
“I remember closing that door this morning.” I was the last one out when he took me to Aiden’s store.
“Did you lock it?”
“I can’t remember.” It was a busy morning, with me talking to Emma on the phone while Shane spoke to the management company for his rental properties. I fed Pirate and gathered mywork supplies before heading outside to meet Shane. “I might have left the door open.”
“Mistakes happen. Do not feel guilty about it. If someone wants in, a simple lock won’t stop them.” Shane turned on his phone’s flashlight. “The windows aren’t broken. Stay here.”
His truck was a black rectangle, and I could fall into the pool without noticing. “I’m going with you.” I clutched the waistband of his shorts to prove it. “You might need backup.”
Shane flicked on the kitchen light rather than argue. “Stay behind me. We go one room at a time before moving upstairs. Dial 911 on your phone, and be ready to press the button.” He did the same.
“Who are you calling?”
“Jack. Let’s go.”
We moved through the entire bottom floor, starting with the family room and hall closet, turning on each light as we went. No sign of intruders or vandals appeared.
“One of us left the door open,” Shane decided once we arrived in the formal living room. “We do the upstairs next.”
My mind wandered. “What if the bad guy is there?”
