Page 42 of Hold Your Breath
The wind wouldn’t stop. He pressed his hands flat against his ears, barely holding back a scream of frustration. It blew and blew, never ceasing, and it made him crazy. But he couldn’t just stay like that forever. Eventually he dropped his arms to his sides and moved through the trees, staying in the blackest shadows. The worst part of the wind was that it disguised other sounds—sounds like the crunch of snow under boots or the brush of moving fabric. Someone was following him. He knew it, but the wind hid whoever it was from him. The back of his neck burned every time he was watching her.
He reached the tree line and paused, scanning the cabin. The days were starting to run together, blurring time around the edges. He was late, and he’d probably missed her changing. It was okay, though. He’d still get to watch her sleep, to see her relaxed body and peaceful expression. He realized he was almost at the cabin, but he didn’t remember moving from the trees. It was getting worse.
He quietly approached the darkened window, his heartbeat speeding up as it always did. Maybe tonight he’d try the door, and it would be unlocked. He pictured her with her hand on the dead bolt, deciding to leave it open, just for him. Instead of sneaking inside, he’d walk through the cabin, knowing that she’d be waiting in her bedroom, in her bed…
He stopped abruptly. Instead of the usual darkened room, all he could see were closed shades. She’d blocked him.Him!How could she do that to him?
His chest started to burn as he moved around to the front of the cabin. It was time to make her understand that she was his. He’d tried to be gentle, to give her time to realize that she belonged with him, but now she’d shut him out. His anger growing, he rounded the corner of the cabin and jerked to a halt.
The man’s truck was there. She’d put up shades and had another man staying the night. His confidence that she was faithful shredded, and he could hear his ragged breathing. He knew he needed to be quiet or he’d be caught, but he couldn’t control it. His imagination was going wild as he thought about what was going on behind those covered windows. The rage was close, the kind that made him deaf and blind to everything until afterward, when he had to face what he’d done.
This time, he welcomed it. They needed to pay.
Chapter 8
Lou woke with a start.
Although she had heard the saying, “asleep before her head hit the pillow,” she’d never experienced it until the night before. As she’d changed back into pajamas while Callum showered, she’d thought she’d be antsy, anticipating him so close to her, but a syrupy blackness had swallowed her mind as soon as she had gotten into bed and curled onto her side.
Now she lay still, hunting in the darkness for clues about what woke her. Callum lay next to her, his breaths deep and even. She didn’t think that was what had disturbed her.
No light was creeping in around the newly hung and only slightly crooked shades, and she twisted, reaching for the cell phone on her nightstand so she could check the time. It was two thirty. Her brain flew to the memory of the morning before, when she’d woken in the same way. Her stalker could’ve been watching her at that moment.
Her gaze shot to the covered window. She eased out of bed, not wanting to wake Callum until she had solid proof they should be concerned. Besides, the cabin was small. If her stalker was close, Lou’s scream could bring Callum running within a couple of seconds. She tiptoed across her bedroom floor toward the door.
“What’s wrong?” Callum’s voice, husky from sleep, made her jump.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You didn’t answer my question. And I’m up. You don’t need to whisper.”
“Right.” She should have known she couldn’t dodge his question. He was a master at spotting evasion—she’d seen him in action during training. “I was just checking on…things.”
Shoving down the covers, he swung his legs off the bed and stood. “What things? Did you hear something?”
“No. Maybe.” When he just cocked an eyebrow at her, she sighed. “I woke up. I’m not sure why. I just wanted to check things to see if there was anything to actually get alarmed about or if it was just my overactive brain.”
Frowning, he moved around her so he could leave the bedroom first. “Don’t be checking things by yourself. That’s why I’m here.”
“Fine.” Stepping behind him, she gave him a nudge. “Then go. Investigate.”
Callum shot a quelling look over his shoulder before starting his search of her house. She stayed behind him as he checked the dimly lit living room and kitchen. When he reached to open the pantry door, she flinched. This time, though, the broom stayed put. They moved to the bathroom. It was nice, having a shield between her and her own overactive imagination. Still, she jumped at the rattle of shower curtain rings as Callum yanked it open, revealing a shadowed, empty tub.
He headed toward the front door and began pulling on his boots. Unlike her fearful stumble around the house, his search had been quick, but thorough, and she was impressed by his technique.
“Were you in the military?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“What branch?”
“Marines.”
“Did you like it?”
He paused in the middle of reaching for his coat. At first she didn’t think he was going to answer, but he finally said, “I did. I liked the order and the discipline. After growing up in chaos, the structure was…reassuring.”
Shocked that the normally reserved Callum had actually shared something personal, she was quiet as he eased open the front door and slipped through it. The short rush of cold air that blew in before he closed the door behind him brought her back to reality. She hurried from window to window, watching Callum’s progress around the perimeter of the cabin.
