slathering the vanilla-scented concoction onto her hands, arms, and face. If this was her nightly ritual, it was tedious.
Finally, she climbed into bed, clicked off the lamp, and settled beneath the blankets. Good. RedKnife would let her sleep until King arrived. Settling stretched out on the floor, he watched the steady rise and fall of her chest as the sound of her light breathing lulled him.
A short hour later, RedKnife blinked. His eyes were still focused on Cindy, but his ears picked up her distress before he ever saw her move. Ears pricked, he listened harder, trying to ensure he hadn’t imagined the soft, pleading sound.
Cindy jerked, then cried out. “No!”
Hackles now up, RedKnife sprang to all four paws. Had someone slipped into the house unnoticed? His eyes jerked around the room as his nostrils flared, drawing in all scents.
“Cody! Don’t leave me!”
Cindy’s plea had his eyes snapping back to her. Eyes still closed, she moaned, then rolled to her side.
A dream?
“Don’t leave,” she sobbed again, and RedKnife was startled to see tears slipping down her cheek.
Nightmare.
She was dreaming, and it wasn’t pleasant. The fact that she was dreaming about the man that had shoved her around earlier angered RedKnife. The fact that she was crying over the prick enraged him.
She begged ‘no’ once more and RedKnife had enough. He barked, just once, but it was enough. She quieted and then slowly stirred awake.
Sitting, he watched intently as she sniffed and then lifted her hands to rub at her cheeks.
“Oh, God,” she moaned, in what sounded like self-reproach as her fingers encountered her tears.
She sat up, swiping at her cheeks, sniffling again before turning on the lamp, flinging the covers aside, and abandoning her bed to pad to the kitchen.
He didn’t follow.
Moments later, she returned with a large glass of water. Lifting it to her lips with a shaky hand, he watched as her slender throat convulsed with a few swallows before she placed the glass on her night stand. One leg was already hiked up onto the mattress, and she was reaching to turn off the lamp when she stilled at the sound of a vehicle outside.
RedKnife tensed. King had arrived, but he was surprised Cindy had heard. The blacked-out trucks used at StoneCrow were intentionally muted so as not to attract attention or signal an arrival.
It was time.
Chapter 9
Cindy rushed to the window. Peeling back the curtain by a mere fraction, she peeked out and cursed. “Shit!” Spinning, she hurried to the lamp and cut the light, bathing the room in darkness before she hurried to the bathroom to dress. RedKnife took advantage of the opportunity to rush out to the front room. He shifted quickly and unlocked the front door before returning to stand in the shadow of the doorway just outside Cindy’s room.
She raced out of the bathroom with an armful of clothes, dropping them hurriedly on the bed. She was shaking out a pair of jeans and had just bent over to cram a leg into them when she stilled.
Slowly, she turned and locked fear-filled eyes on the darkened doorway. RedKnife knew she sensed him there.
He stepped into the room, directly into the path of the glow from the streetlight that filtered through the curtain.
“R-RedKnife?” Her voice was tremulous, and he scented her escalating fear. “What are you…” She eyed the doorway behind him. “What are you doing in my apartment? W-what do you want?”
He wanted to soothe her with a lie, but the truth was, he had bad intentions. She’d be taken to StoneCrow, where she would be interrogated by Monroe. It wouldn’t be pretty.
“You.” His voice was deep, sounding more menacing than he’d intended.
Cindy shook her head. “Why? What?” She swallowed hard. “What’s going on?”
He took another step toward her and held out a hand, palm up, curling his fingers inward to indicate that she should
Finally, she climbed into bed, clicked off the lamp, and settled beneath the blankets. Good. RedKnife would let her sleep until King arrived. Settling stretched out on the floor, he watched the steady rise and fall of her chest as the sound of her light breathing lulled him.
A short hour later, RedKnife blinked. His eyes were still focused on Cindy, but his ears picked up her distress before he ever saw her move. Ears pricked, he listened harder, trying to ensure he hadn’t imagined the soft, pleading sound.
Cindy jerked, then cried out. “No!”
Hackles now up, RedKnife sprang to all four paws. Had someone slipped into the house unnoticed? His eyes jerked around the room as his nostrils flared, drawing in all scents.
“Cody! Don’t leave me!”
Cindy’s plea had his eyes snapping back to her. Eyes still closed, she moaned, then rolled to her side.
A dream?
“Don’t leave,” she sobbed again, and RedKnife was startled to see tears slipping down her cheek.
Nightmare.
She was dreaming, and it wasn’t pleasant. The fact that she was dreaming about the man that had shoved her around earlier angered RedKnife. The fact that she was crying over the prick enraged him.
She begged ‘no’ once more and RedKnife had enough. He barked, just once, but it was enough. She quieted and then slowly stirred awake.
Sitting, he watched intently as she sniffed and then lifted her hands to rub at her cheeks.
“Oh, God,” she moaned, in what sounded like self-reproach as her fingers encountered her tears.
She sat up, swiping at her cheeks, sniffling again before turning on the lamp, flinging the covers aside, and abandoning her bed to pad to the kitchen.
He didn’t follow.
Moments later, she returned with a large glass of water. Lifting it to her lips with a shaky hand, he watched as her slender throat convulsed with a few swallows before she placed the glass on her night stand. One leg was already hiked up onto the mattress, and she was reaching to turn off the lamp when she stilled at the sound of a vehicle outside.
RedKnife tensed. King had arrived, but he was surprised Cindy had heard. The blacked-out trucks used at StoneCrow were intentionally muted so as not to attract attention or signal an arrival.
It was time.
Chapter 9
Cindy rushed to the window. Peeling back the curtain by a mere fraction, she peeked out and cursed. “Shit!” Spinning, she hurried to the lamp and cut the light, bathing the room in darkness before she hurried to the bathroom to dress. RedKnife took advantage of the opportunity to rush out to the front room. He shifted quickly and unlocked the front door before returning to stand in the shadow of the doorway just outside Cindy’s room.
She raced out of the bathroom with an armful of clothes, dropping them hurriedly on the bed. She was shaking out a pair of jeans and had just bent over to cram a leg into them when she stilled.
Slowly, she turned and locked fear-filled eyes on the darkened doorway. RedKnife knew she sensed him there.
He stepped into the room, directly into the path of the glow from the streetlight that filtered through the curtain.
“R-RedKnife?” Her voice was tremulous, and he scented her escalating fear. “What are you…” She eyed the doorway behind him. “What are you doing in my apartment? W-what do you want?”
He wanted to soothe her with a lie, but the truth was, he had bad intentions. She’d be taken to StoneCrow, where she would be interrogated by Monroe. It wouldn’t be pretty.
“You.” His voice was deep, sounding more menacing than he’d intended.
Cindy shook her head. “Why? What?” She swallowed hard. “What’s going on?”
He took another step toward her and held out a hand, palm up, curling his fingers inward to indicate that she should
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