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She wasn’t sure what she thought of him yet

But at least he wouldn’t think she was an alar

"There’s so crazy"

"I’m on my way Stay back from the s Don’t let yourself be seen Don’t open a door until you hearit would take hi and saw the knob on the front door turn So escalated and he threw hi Barely daring to breathe, she stared down at her cell and watched painfully as time seemed to stand still Then she dropped the phone in her pocket and hurried to the kitchen, where she shoved the knives below the counter to ht, scrabbled around until she came up with her weapon of choice

The waffle rip and the body was hard It would reat weapon for a surprise attack-and-run should she need it

5

Dustin’s phone had rung at exactly 4:32 am

It took hiun, jacket and shoes and to sling his backpack over his shoulder He was out the back door in ten seconds, in his car in another twenty and speeding down the road Thankfully, walking distance to her place from Willis House was less than fifteenthere--even with the winding Tennessee country road--was about six minutes

His eyes were on the house as he pulled into her driveway But there was just one car there and no sign of anyone Jerking to a halt, he leaped out of the car, still surveying his surroundings, and raced to the front door He could hear the dog barking inside "Olivia, it’s Dustin"

The door flew open "Saood It’s Dustin, a friend"

She had evidently been waiting for hi velvet robe Her hair was erie ad

Her features were tense; her whole body was tense She gripped the handle of a good-size waffle ht?" he asked

She nodded "But so tried The knob wasAnd Sammywell, Samot in"

She shook her head "Sa to take a look around"

"Oh, no, no I’ with you"

She htened, but there was deter out, we’ll lock the front," he said

She picked up the keys sitting on the buffet near the front door and frowned "What’s that?" she asked, pointing at his backpack

"Supplies," he said

She arched her brows

"You’ll see"

She followed hi, of course Digging into the backpack, he ca kit, quickly dusted the door and searched for prints

"Well?" she asked hies"

"What does that mean?"

"There should’ve been prints Your prints and other prints, all on top of one another I think so the surface, as well"

Resealing the container of fingerprint powder, he searched the porch There’d been no dust on it and no snow, and there wasn’t the faintest sign of a footprint As he walked slowly down the porch steps, he continued to search, playing his flashlight over the dark grass and nearby shrubs

He wondered if hisobserved

He paused when he reached the ground

Olivia Gordon plowed into his back, she was so close behind hirip

"Sorry," she ht"

And it was He’d rather liked the feel of her--vividly warainst hi--he stepped forward An expanse of clear rolling ground lay to the front, rear and sides of her house The front yard stretched out to the road, and there was forest on either side of the cleared land He could see trails, soh the trees He made a mental picture of the area; he already knew the way to Willis House through the woods If he moved to the rear, he could take the trail that led over the hills to the pastureland and then on tohills and the Horse Farh the area for several h the rear of the property, as well Anyone who’d been here could have gone anywhere, in any direction Her nearest neighbor was down the hill a few acres away; trees separated them

He’d need an army to find someone out there

He walked around the house with Olivia at his heels Sa was a perfect nal that anyone else was present Whoever had been there was definitely gone