Stitched Up Heart (Combat Hearts Book 1) by Tarina Deaton Page B

with an evil smile.
    Jase smiled and took the card from her outstretched hand. Brianna Marks, DPT . And it had her cell phone number on it. His smile stretched into a grin.
    “Love you, Ms. Carol.”
    “Love you too, Jason. Go get her.”
    Jase pulled out his cell phone and called his brother. “Hey man, can you do me a favor?”

B ree parked on the side of the small ranch-style house her grandparents had built early in their marriage. They had raised their children here; then later, her. After her grandfather passed away, her grandmother moved to a retirement community and deeded the house to Bree, along with the acre and a half of property they still owned.
    Bree entered through the mudroom and laundry off the kitchen and set her bag on the counter. Her dogs scratched at the french doors in the living room leading to the back yard. She grabbed a beer from the fridge on her way to let them in. Glass crunched under her shoes as she crossed the threshold into the living room.
    “What the hell?” She looked down. A framed picture had fallen off the wall and shattered on the floor. “Crap. How did that happen?” She stopped before going farther into the living room. More pictures lay shattered on the floor in a pile. She glanced around the room. Only the pictures of her and Chad had fallen - or had been thrown.
    She turned and froze. The front door stood slightly ajar. She hardly used the front door. She might live in the country, but she always made sure to lock her doors when she left.
    Why are the dogs outside? They should be inside, where they usually had free roam of the house.
    She listened to the house. “Chad?”
    She retraced her steps back to the kitchen to get her phone out of her bag and dialed 9-1-1.
    “9-1-1 operator. Please state your emergency.”
    “This is Brianna Marks. I’m at 5335 Lakeview Drive. Someone broke in to my house.”
    “Ma’am, do you think someone is still in your house?”
    “I don’t know. I haven’t gone past the living room.”
    “Ma’am, for your safety, please exit your house. Do you have somewhere safe you can go? A neighbor, for instance.”
    “Not really; I’m out in the country.”
    “Do you have a working vehicle you can lock yourself in?”
    “Yes, I can do that.”
    “Alright ma’am, a sheriff’s unit is on its way. I’ll stay on the line with you until they arrive.”
    “No, thank you, I’m good. I’ll just keep my phone on me.”
    “Ma’am, you should really stay on the line until the sheriff arrives.”
    “I’ll be fine. I’ll go wait outside.”
    She heard the operator’s sigh on the other end. “Call back if you need to.”
    “Thank you.” Bree disconnected. A hand grabbed her upper arm. She let out a scream, wrenched her arm away and spun. She dropped to a knee as she turned and punched out at the attacker, connecting with his crotch.
    “What the fuck, Bree,” Jase ground out as he dropped to his knees.
    Her hands flew to her mouth and her eyes widened at the sight of Jase crumpled in front of her. “Oh my god.” She dropped her other knee. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
    He dropped his head on her shoulder, curling in on himself. “Fuck no. What did you do that for?”
    She ran a hand through his hair, petting him, and tried not to smile. She shouldn’t laugh. She felt bad, but he kind of deserved it for sneaking up on her. “I thought you were whomever broke into my house.”
    “What the hell do you mean someone broke into your house?”
    “Someone broke into my house,” she repeated. “What more explanation does that need?”
    “Did you call the cops?”
    “Yes, I called the cops. A sheriff is on the way.”
    His head came up off her shoulder. “Why are you still in your house?”
    “I was on my way out when you grabbed me.”
    “Well, let’s go,” he said as he carefully stood up.
    Bree rolled her eyes. Could he be any more bossy? She led the way out of the front of her house.
    A sheriff deputy’s car pulled