Page 100 of Chasing Shelter

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TRACE

Anger blazed through me,burning away every ounce of calm I’d found by having Ellie in my arms. There were pictures on her phone, clearly taken with a long-lens camera, given their slightly grainy quality. A photographer had invaded her life, stalked her. And someone wanted her scared.

Ellie looked up at me, her face pale. “I-I don’t know.”

I wrapped an arm around her and scanned the street. Nothing popped for me. There were no vehicles that didn’t belong or people out of place. And our neighborhood was quiet, where you knew the people who lived around you. If someone saw something out of place, they’d say something. It didn’t make sense.

“Keys?” I clipped.

Ellie looked up at me, a hint of confusion in her expression, but she handed over a ring with at least five keys and a charm that looked like the thing on her T-shirt she’d called a pegacorn the other day. I would’ve found it funny if I wasn’t so damn tweaked.

I pressed a button on the fob, and the SUV’s back hatch lowered. Beeping the locks, I guided Ellie to her front door.

“What about the flowers?” she asked.

“We’ll deal with them in a bit.” I did my best to keep my voice even, but I heard the strain in it as the photos swam in my mind. Testing the doorknob, I scowled. “Why is this unlocked?”

Ferocious barking erupted as we stepped inside, and Gremlin dive-bombed my ankles.

Ellie pulled out of my hold. “I was going in and out of the house. There was no reason to lock it.”

“You go in the backyard, get distracted, someone could slip through.”

Her lips pressed into a hard line before she spoke. “I’m pretty sure Grem here would’ve alerted me.”

The dog tugged at my uniform pants leg as if to punctuate the point. And for the first time, I was glad she had him. He might not be able to do any damage, but he was at least a sort of alarm system.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and hit Gabriel’s contact. He answered on the second ring. “What’s up?”

“Need you to roll out and check the area around Ellie’s house. See if you find anyone or anything that doesn’t belong.”

An engine started up; Gabriel must’ve already been in his vehicle. “Gonna give me any more than that so I have a direction to go in?” he asked.

My back molars ground together so hard an ache took root in my jaw. “Someone sent pictures to Ellie’s phone. They’ve been watching her. Could be Jasper, but she’s got trouble back home, too.” And the long-lens approach didn’t read like Jasper. He didn’t usually have that sort of patience.

Gabriel let out a stream of curses. “On my way. Try not to break anything in the meantime.”

My mouth twisted into a scowl. “Just get here.” I hit end on the call, frustration mounting on various levels: having no clue who’d sent those photos, someone being fixated on Ellie, and my wavering control.

Because I cared about Ellie. More than I wanted to admit.

As my gaze found her again, her skin still a little pale and herhands shaking a bit, Ididwant to break something. I wanted to end whoever had put that fear in her.

“Blaze,” I whispered. “Come here.”

She moved to me as easily as she breathed. I wrapped my arms around her, and Ellie pressed her cheek to my chest. I held on to her, relishing the feel of her breathing, in and out, a rhythm that reminded me she was here in my arms, safe and unharmed. “It’s gonna be okay. We’ll figure it out.”

Ellie didn’t say anything, but her hands fisted in my uniform shirt, holding on. And that said it all. Her trust. Her belief. Her leaning.

“Come on. Let’s sit down.” I guided Ellie into the living room that had come alive under her fingers. I never would’ve thought a rainbow mural would look anything other than ridiculous, but Ellie made it work.

The room had become a mix of whimsy and art. She’d found a pale blue couch and placed colorful, flowered throw pillows on it. The floor had a color-blocked rug that tied in to the rainbow motif. Across from the couch was a yellow and pink chair with mismatched pillows. But it all worked. Eccentric, over-the-top, and Ellie.

I settled her on the couch and turned to face her. “Can you talk this through with me?”

Ellie bent, picking up Gremlin and settling him next to her. “Sure. I…what do you need to know?”

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