Page 49 of Crossing Lines

Three a.m.

What the hell?

I glance around the room and notice my curtains aren’t fully closed. Huh, I must’ve been too discombobulated from Evren walking me back to the pool house to close them fully.

A flash of light spills across my room again. I jump out of bed, a layer of sweat breaking out on my forehead, as if my body knows something is wrong before my brain does.

Phone clutched in my hand, I creep to the curtains and peer into the house. The main house is dark,save for a single beam of light that darts andflickers.

Oh shit.

I pull up Evren’s number and text him.

Me: Are you walking around the house with a flashlight?

I shake my phone, willing it to send faster and for him to write me back. What if he’s asleep? What if he’s about to be murdered? No, no, no. Not on my watch. If he doesn’t respond after ten more seconds, I’m going to go get him. Somehow. My phone buzzes in my hand.

Evren: No. What’s going on?

Me: Someone is in the house! First floor, near the kitchen. GET OUT!

My heart pounds in a frantic rhythm as I peer through the gap in the thick curtains. Dread settles into my stomach as I watch the intruder move through the downstairs. Where’s Evren? What’s he doing?

A shadow moves across the second-story window.My gaze bounces back to the downstairs light and then up again. It’s Evren, it has to be.His silhouette climbs out ofthe window and jumps onto the sauna roof. What the hell? Is he part ninja, too?

He disappears from view as the flashlight moves slowly across the pool. I pull back, afraid they’ll see me, too.

Sucking in short breaths, building myself up, I have to look, to see what’s going on. Steeling myself, I peek again through the curtains. The flashlight is upstairs now.

Shit.

Unlocking the pool house door, I need to help Evren. I open it an inch when he materializes out of nowhere. I swallow my scream and whip the door open.

“Hurry,” I hiss, pulling him inside before quietly closing the door and locking it.

He nudges me to the side, fully blocking both of us by the curtain, and places his hands on my face. “Are you okay? Hurt anywhere?”

“I should be asking you that,” I whisper, scanning him from head to toe. There are leaves in his hair, and a small cut on his shoulder. He’s only wearing a pair of boxer briefs, and at any other time I’d enjoy the view, but not now.

“We need to get out of here,” he says softly. “I can lift you over the privacy wall and you can get to safety.”

“And what about you?” I demand.

“I’ll take care of myself. I’ve already alerted my security team.”

“Shouldn’t they have alerted you instead? What if they’re part of it? Or worse, dead?” My voice rises inpitch the more I talk. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”

“Yes, you are. I need to make sure you’re safe.”

“And I need to make sure you are, too,” I whisper-yell.

His eyes widen at my admission, and I’m too terrified to take it back or pretend like it’s not true.

“Okay,” he says slowly. “Stay here, then. I can stop them and?—”

“No.” I grab his arm, my nails digging into his skin. “Don’t leave me.” My breaths speed up and I’m close to hyperventilating. “What if you get hurt? Please, I can’t…” I can’t have him getting hurt or for me to be left alone. Like when Mom left me alone for two days when I was ten and there were people banging on the front door on and off. It was terrifying, the not knowing, and I can’t do it again.

“Okay, shh, calm down. I won’t go anywhere.” He grabs my shoulders and lowers his face to eye level. “It’s too dangerous to head to the front of the house right now.”

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