Page 89 of Hiss and Make Up
Marc knew he hadn’t turned on the stove. Sierra could have done it while he was next door with the arson guy, but that didn’t make sense either. She was hungry and said she hadn’t eaten all afternoon. So why would she have turned on the stove?
What if Puck wasn’t warning them about the gas? What if he was warning them that someone had been in the house?
Or maybe he hadn’t been barking to open the door earlier. Maybe he’d been barking to tell them someone was there.
Could someone have walked into his house while they were having sex in the other room?
It seemed far-fetched, but he didn’t have any other explanation. He would have a hell of a time explaining that to the cops though.
Once the firemen arrived and switched off the gas, Marc looked down the road again. Sierra was gone. He shook his head and tried to remember why she’d been fighting for his attention when he was on the phone. The signal had been awful, and he was having trouble hearing them, so he’d waved her off.
Big mistake.
Now she was MIA again, and with Sierra that spelled danger.
No. He wasn’t doing that anymore. Sierra could take care of herself, and she didn’t need him to watch over her.
At least he knew from experience that the firemen would never let her through. And if she had snuck back into the house before they got there, they’d have dragged her out by now. So he tried to convince himself that at least she was safe, wherever she was.
He called her phone. No answer.
An engine turned over, and he spun around to find Sierra backing into his yard to get around the fire truck. Marc ran after her, waving his arms in the air.
She waved and smiled but didn’t stop.
“Be back in a little while!” she shouted out the window. Puck smiled from the back seat, his tongue hanging out in sheer joy. “Got some stuff to take care of. I’ll be right back!”
“Stuff? What stuff? Where are you going?”
As soon as all four tires left the driveway, she switched gears and slammed on the gas. Within seconds, she was gone.
Great. He couldn’t follow her while he was stuck dealing with this gas leak mess. But, of course, she knew he couldn't chase after her. That's why she’d left the way she did. And the fact that she didn't tell him where she was going…
Marc paced the driveway and waited for the firemen to clear the scene for the second time in less than a week. A small handful of neighbors flocked like zombies once again. Only this time, they were missing their ringleader.
Right. Mrs. Guidry was moving soon. Today or tomorrow.
He walked to the end of his driveway and looked down the street. The movers were there already, loading boxes from the garage into the back of the truck. But Mrs. Guidry's car wasn't there.
He’d told Sierra the idea was ridiculous. He still couldn’t think of a possible reason she’d want to chase them off their property. She couldn’t want the house or the property itself if she was already moving somewhere else.
But she must have a key to Adrien’s apartment. And she knew Marc and Denise’s schedules by heart because she was nosy as hell. She had easy access to both their houses and probably to the snakes as well.
But why? Why would she threaten him and try to scare them off their property?
He pressed both hands against the sides of his head in a desperate attempt to prevent it from exploding.
He wanted to rush after Sierra, but he couldn’t leave until the firemen signed off on the place. He could call Freddy, but he wasn’t sure what to ask him to do. Track Sierra down? Keep her safe until he could get to her? He didn’t even know where to look.
But there was someone else he needed to find.
Someone he’d need help finding.
* * *
Sierra parked in the shade and rolled the back windows down halfway. With a warning look, she told Puck, “Remember this place? It wasn’t very nice for you here. Stay. In. The. Car. Okay, dude?”
She patted the door and ran up the cypress steps.
