Page 9 of Daddy's Protection
While he waited, he walked into the other parlor. It was cold in there.
“She might need new windows,” he said aloud, walking to the front one and inspecting it.
Surely it wasn’t original, he thought, as old as the house was. But the window had been there a while. Could be the cause of the draft. Holding his hand out to it, he felt for a minute.
No air.
“Hmm.”
He turned around and scanned the ceiling to see if he could find an air vent. There was one. But the A/C didn’t seem to be running. Not that he could hear, at least.
But it sure was cold.
At the moment, though, he had a bigger problem to worry about.
It felt as if he was being watched. Was it just his imagination? He might not believe in ghosts, but after hearing the story Cami had told, well… maybe even a tough veteran cop could get a little spooked.
More than scared though, he felt on edge. Like he needed to fight.
Was someone in the house? Were they stalking Cami?
That thought made his blood boil. Heaven help anyone that mess with that sweet girl.
He took a few moments to look around, but couldn’t find anyone in the parlor or the attached dining room.
Once he was back in the parlor, he braced himself as he caught movement in the corner of his eye. But it was just Cami coming back.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. I was just?—”
His brain registered movement again, but only this time it was frombehindhim, in the dining room where he’d just come.
Spinning around, Isaiah charged in there but only found the large, antique-looking table and a hutch stacked with China.
On the same wall was another doorway that led into the kitchen. “Every room down here connected?” he called back.
“Yeah.” She was close, behind him now, clearly scared too, and probably wanting to be right with him just in case.
The kitchen was empty besides the appliances.
He walked the length of it, went to a different doorway, and stepped down into another room. He realized that was the parlor they’d been sitting in moments earlier.
There didn’t seem to be anyone else around.
But he could have sworn someone had darted from the shadows of the dining room. Perhaps they’d been under the large dining table. They weren’t anywhere to be seen now, though.
He walked back into the kitchen and to the back door. The deadbolt was locked. No one could have rushed out it and bolted it from the outside. Unless they had a key. But he would have heard them opening and closing it, as well as taking the time to lock it.
It was obvious no one had gone out that way.
“Is someone in my house, Mr. Colton?” Cami’s frantic voice asked.
He faced her and smiled. “No. I think it was just my imagination. Thought I caught movement.”
She nodded. “This old house can do that to you. Make your imagination run wild.”
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s get you back to my place. You need to sleep.”
