Batter Off Dead by Maymee Bell

Author:Maymee Bell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Chapter Thirteen

“Stay right here,” he said and drew his finger up to his mouth, gesturing for me to be quiet.

He pulled up his shirt and took out the gun from his concealed holster. He was always packing heat. I gulped and tried to stop the escalating heartbeat I could feel taking over my entire body.

Carter tiptoed into the house with the gun drawn in front of him. Outside, I nervously tried to look around in the darkness. An eerie feeling swept over me. Then it turned to fear with the thought that Duchess might’ve gotten out.

“Duchess!” I couldn’t stand it any longer. I stepped into the house and called for my trusty feline again. “Carter, can I come in?”

“It’s all clear.” His words were accompanied by a burst of light as he began to switch on the lights in my house, exposing my ransacked belongings. The couch cushions had been taken off the couch and thrown on the floor. It looked like someone had dragged their arm down the coffee table and pushed all my knickknacks off.

The contents in the kitchen drawers had been dumped. All of my ingredient containers full of flour, sugar, and oats had been unscrewed and dumped all over my counters. When I didn’t notice Duchess in the kitchen near her bowl, I began to panic.

“Duchess!” I screamed and ran toward the bedroom. “When it would lightning and thunder, she always runs under the bed.”

My only thoughts were for her safety.

“Sophia, don’t touch anything.” Carter hurried after me.

But it was too late. I’d flipped on my bedroom light and crawled to my bed, where I pulled up the bed skirt and looked under. Duchess’s big blue eyes batted as if she were saying, What about me? Where have you been? I’m scared.

“It’s okay, Duchess.” The reality of what had happened to my cute and cozy house, and what could’ve happened to Duchess, set in and jolted my heart with pain. “Come here, sweetie.”

She wasn’t moving.

“Please come here.” My voice cracked and tears stung my eyes. “Please,” I begged.

“Sophia.” Carter’s warm hand touched my back. “Let’s give her some space. She knows you’re home, and she’ll come out when she feels safer.”

“Okay.” I sat back on my heels and wiped away the tears. “Okay.” I shook my head and took his strong hand as he helped me up.

The shock of it all left me a little wobbly. Carter swept me into his arms.

“I’m so sorry,” he continued to repeat over and over, snuggling me tighter as he walked down the hall. I wrapped my arms around his neck and let myself be sad for a few more seconds until he set me down on the couch in the family room.

“If someone thinks they can scare me away from helping Madison, they’ve got another thing coming.” The anger erupted inside of me, replacing the scared and helpless feeling as the words seethed out of my mouth.

“Wait just a second.” Carter bent down and looked me straight in the eyes.

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