Page 62 of Hidden
Ellie:Will do. Xoxo
She hit Send before thinking too much about theXs andOs. Then, armed with the air horn, she inched back toward the window and its filmy curtains.
When her shoulder was flush with the frame, she took a deep breath and rolled against the wall. Then, poking her head around the edge, she flicked the curtains back.
And screamed.
A face—a human face—looked back at her. Only inches away.
Terror shot through her, and in her surprise, she stumbled away from the window, dropping the air horn as she moved. When the curtain fell back into place, hiding the shocking sight, she froze. Like a deer in headlights. A few seconds, precious seconds, passed as she processed what she’d seen. Black pants, black jacket, and a black balaclava. And a crowbar in their glove-covered hand. Whoever it was, they hadn’t stopped by to say hi.
The realization shot through her like a bolt of lightning, and she scrambled to the security panel and keyed in the panic code. A second later, the alarm split the air. Still holding her phone, she bolted upstairs and into Asher’s bathroom, closing and locking both the bedroom and bathroom doors behind her.
With shaking hands, she dialed 9-1-1 as she searched for a weapon. She knew Asher hunted and that he likely had a rifle somewhere, but she’d never asked. Now the paltry pair of scissors she found would have to suffice.
“9-1-1 dispatch,” the operator said. “What’s your emergency?”
Her entire body shook as she sank to the floor, keeping her back to the wall. “Please come. Someone is trying to break into my house.”
Asher studied the spreadsheet projected on the screen at the end of the conference table. He understood the information—and the myriad ways of displaying essentially the same data. But his finance team had covered the information he needed over an hour ago. He wanted to move on. Too bad he seemed to be the only one in the room who felt that way.
His phone vibrated, drawing his attention. He smiled, wondering if Ellie was calling about the bear. As he picked it up, his gut tightened. Ryan’s name flashed on the screen. Not hers.
“Excuse me, folks,” he said. “I need to get this.”
As the head of the hospital, occasional interruptions to his scheduled meetings weren’t unusual. Everyone nodded and a few began discussing something or other with their neighbor. Asher tuned them out, though, when the call connected.
“Yeah,” he said, rising from his seat and walking to the window.
“There’s been a dispatch call to your house,” Ryan said. “Possible break-in.”
Asher’s first thought was that the bear Ellie had texted him about might have gotten too close for comfort. Then reality set in. While the animal might come onto his porch looking for food, the likelihood of it actually trying to break in was small. A person, on the other hand…
“Fuck, I’m on my way. How far out are you?” he asked, already gathering his things.
“Three minutes.”
“I’ll be there in ten. Have Ellie call me,” he said. He almost added, “if she can.” But the thought of saying those words, and the implication that she might not be able to, wasn’t an option he’d contemplate.
He didn’t bother saying goodbye, just ended the call and slid his phone into his pocket. “I’m sorry, folks,” he said, gathering his laptop and drawing their attention. “There’s been an emergency call to my house. A possible break-in.” He didn’t mention he had a houseguest. “Can we pick this back up on Monday?”
He might not love his job, but he did love the people he worked with and the culture of the hospital. No one batted an eye and every one of them expressed more concern for him than interest in finishing the meeting.
Less than four minutes later, he climbed into his truck and started toward home. He couldn’t speed through town—not with four-way stop signs at every intersection—but once he made it through the downtown area, he hit the gas.
By the time he pulled into his drive, three police SUVs, including Ryan’s, were parked in front of his house. Ellie hadn’t called him yet, but he refused to think about what that might mean as he threw his truck into Park and sprinted toward the front door.
“Ellie!” he called, bursting into the living room. One of the cops spun and lowered his hand to his holster, then stilled when he saw who it was. “Where is she?” Asher demanded.
“I’m here,” she said. He jerked around to see her walking down the stairs. Ryan led the way, and another officer followed behind her. The moment she set foot on the floor, he tugged her into his arms. She wrapped hers around his waist and buried her head against his chest.
He held her tight, resting his cheek on her hair. “Are you okay?” he finally managed to say.
She nodded, not raising her head. She might not be physically hurt, but her body trembled against his. He lifted his gaze to his cousin. The other two officers had left the room, leaving the three of them alone.
“They never made it inside,” Ryan said, answering his unasked question. “The team is outside, doing a perimeter search,” he added.
Asher nodded then shifted back enough to look at Ellie. “Are you up for telling Ryan what happened?” he asked, smoothing her hair off her face.
