Page 21 of Katherine's Last Hope
Katherine’s heart pounded faster than the spinning tires of Cody’s cruiser speeding toward town. She ran her hands up and down the coarse denim that covered her thighs, gaze fixed out the window.
A soft touch on her hand jerked her attention over to Cody.
He rested his palm over the back of her hand and flicked her a quick glance before returning his focus in front of him. “No matter what we find, at least we know that nobody was injured. The house was empty. But if you don’t stop, you’re going to rub a hole in your jeans.”
Clinging to that thought, she squeezed his hand. Grateful didn’t even come close to describing the depth of her emotions for Cody and the gentle calm he carried with him.
“You’re right. As freaked out as I am that this guy knows where I live, I can at least be thankful he found an empty house.” Her phone rang, interrupting her thoughts, and she hurried to answer when she spied her brother’s name on the screen. She activated speaker phone so Cody could hear the conversation. “Hey, Owen. You at my place?”
“Dad and I just got here. A window’s busted but that appears to be the extent of the damage. Once you arrive we’ll look at the footage. See if we can get any distinguishing features of the vandal. You close?”
“We’re about a minute away.”
“We?”
“Me and Cody.” Saying his name reminded her that she still held his hand. She should release it, but dammit, she didn’t want to.
“I thought you were getting Pappy’s truck,” Owen said.
“Pappy insisted it needed an oil change. Cody was in the middle of changing it when the alarm went off on my phone.”
Cody turned onto her street.
The sight of blue and red lights slashing through the sky turned her stomach. “We’re about to pull up the drive. I’ll talk to you in a second.”
“He didn’t sound thrilled to hear you were still with me,” Cody said.
“He’s just stressed and scared. He takes his duties as older brother seriously and this has him terrified for my safety. Leave it to Owen to think something bad happening to me makes him a failure.”
“He’s the sheriff. It’s his job to catch the bad guy. The fact that he hasn’t yet, and you’re the one paying the price, has to weigh heavy.” Cody maneuvered his cruiser behind Owen’s and shifted into park while keeping her hand tucked in his. “You ready?”
“Not really. This house has always been a safe space. A home. It’s never been the same since Theo died, and now it’s tainted. I don’t know if I can face it.”
“Then don’t.”
She blinked at the casualness of his suggestion. “What do you mean?”
“Give your brother the code to your security system. He doesn’t need you here to look at it. Let him and everyone else do their jobs.”
“And what do I do?”
He lifted a shoulder. “What do you want to do?”
She sighed and spied her dad heading her way. “Disappear.”
“All right. Then let’s go.”
She faced him with wide eyes. Her heart sped up, pulsing against the inside of her wrists. “What?”
“If you’d feel safer leaving town for a while, we’ll leave. We’ll grab some things, get Ollie, and find somewhere to lay low until this blows over.”
The side of her mouth inched up. As good as it sounded to leave town with Cody and Ollie, it wouldn’t be right. “My family would love that.”
He wrinkled his nose. “I don’t care what your family thinks. All I care about is making sure you feel comfortable and protected. I’m here for whatever you need.” He squeezed her hand before slipping his palm away from hers then stepping out of the car. Before he shut the door, he leaned his forearm on the top of the vehicle. “I got you. Remember that.”
A knot formed at the base of her throat, stealing her words. She nodded and hurried out the passenger side of the door before his sincerity brought tears to her eyes.
Her dad marched over the concrete drive, a deep frown pulling down the sides of his face. “I hate that I keep seeing you like this. Something’s got to give.”
