Stranded (Military Investigations) by Giusti Debby

Author:Giusti, Debby [Giusti, Debby]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2015-02-28T16:00:00+00:00

TWELVE

Colleen inhaled the clean smell of the outdoors as she snuggled between the crisp sheets—no doubt dried on the line—and pulled the quilt up to her shoulders. Feeling pampered by the fresh linens, she fell asleep quickly and woke with a start some hours later from a dream that seemed too real.

She saw Trey in the woods, rifle raised, and heard Vivian’s cry for help, along with the deafening roar of the twister.

Throwing back the covers, Colleen grabbed the robe Evelyn had provided and shrugged into the soft cotton. Reaching to turn on the bedside lamp, she hesitated, her hand in midair.

A sound upset the stillness.

With every nerve on high alert, she turned her ear toward the double French doors leading to the porch and strained to decipher the sound that came again.

Metal on metal?

Ever so quietly, she slipped from the bed and tiptoed to the window. With her back to the wall, she lifted the edge of the curtain.

Darkness.

Staring into the black night, she willed her eyes to focus. Slowly, they adjusted.

Movement.

Snip. Then another.

Her pulse raced and fear clawed at her throat.

The sound repeated over and over again.

She strained to make out some faint outline that could identify who was trying to gain access.

There. A hand thrust through the porch screen.

A portion of the wire mesh pulled free.

She dropped the curtain and turned to flee.

* * *

Tired though he was, Frank couldn’t sleep. He kept seeing Colleen buried in the rubble, first when the twister hit and then later when the barn wall had collapsed on top of her. He’d screamed and raced forward, but he couldn’t get to Colleen in time.

Thankfully, the roof of the Honda had stopped the momentum of the wall’s downward collapse. Colleen had been hit by broken boards, but not with the full force of the larger section.

He’d asked Evie to check on Colleen during the night. No doubt, his sister was also giving thanks to the Lord about the right resolution to a very dangerous situation today. Frank wasn’t used to turning to God, yet a swell of gratitude rose within him.

Dropping his legs over the side of the bed, he sat up and stared into the darkness. “I don’t know what to say except thank you, Lord.”

Satisfied with his first significant attempt in years to communicate directly with the Almighty, Frank lay back down, hoping to grab some shut-eye.

Duke stirred at the foot of the bed.

“Easy, boy. What is it?”

The dog whined and trotted to the door.

“You hear something?”

He pranced and whined again.

Frank stood, slipped into a pair of jeans and grabbed his service weapon.

Opening the door ever so carefully, he glanced at the door to Evelyn’s bedroom and stepped into the hallway. Duke trotted toward the kitchen and turned into the rear hallway leading to the sewing room, where Colleen now slept.

Frank followed and stopped outside Colleen’s room. All he heard was the beat of his heart and the dog’s even breaths at his feet.

Had he imagined something?

Duke had seemed a bit skittish since the tornado.

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