Free Defender for Hire by Shirlee McCoy Page B

was off. So was the living room light. No lights shone from the upstairs windows. None from the foyer.
    She hadn’t left the house that way.
    She glanced up and down the street. Her neighbors were a good distance up the road, but their lights shone through the darkness. The streetlights glowed hazy yellow in the storm.
    Everyone but Tessa seemed to have electricity.
    Maybe it wasn’t the electricity at all. Maybe someone had turned off the lights. Maybe that same someone was waiting in the darkness.
    Someone tapped on her window, and she screamed, the sound dying abruptly as she met Seth’s eyes.
    She opened the door, her heart slamming against her ribs. “What are you doing out there!”
    “I followed you home, remember?” he asked, frowning as he studied her face. “What’s wrong?”
    “The lights in the house are off. I left them on.”
    “You’re sure?” He glanced at the house, shifting so that his body was between her and it.
    “Yes. Maybe the electricity went out. Sometimes—”
    “The streetlight in front of your house is on. I don’t think it’s an electricity problem. Call the police. I’m going to check things out.”
    “No!” She grabbed his hand. “Let the police handle it.”
    “If someone is in there, Tessa, I’m not willing to give him a chance to slip out the back door and get away.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Give me the house key.”
    “Seth, I really don’t think this is a good idea.”
    “But, you thought that walking out of the church alone was?”
    “No, but that was different. I—”
    “Was alone and without protection. I’m carrying a concealed firearm. Come on, Tess. This is what I do for a living. Stop wasting time, and give me the key.” He held out his hand, and she dropped the key into it, not sure what else to do.
    If someone was waiting in the house, it was better to find him and catch him than let him escape.
    But, she felt like a coward letting Seth walk into danger while she waited in the car.
    “Stay in the car and lock the doors.”
    “Seth—”
    “I mean it, Tessa. Call the police and stay here.” He slammed the door, and she dialed 911, watching as he disappeared into the dark house. The operator asked questions and Tessa answered, but her mind wasn’t on the conversation. It was on Seth.
    Ice fell from the deep-gray sky, coating the driveway and grass, and hanging from the old cedar that stood at the edge of Tessa’s yard. Aside from the quiet ping on the roof of the car, the world lay hushed and still. She expected at any moment to hear a gunshot, to see a flash of light in the darkness of her house.
    Time ticked by, and she saw nothing, heard nothing but the muted sounds of approaching police cars.
    Please, Lord, keep him safe.
    The prayer flitted through her mind, and she held on to it, tried to believe that this time, her prayers would be answered. Such a hard thing to believe when her most heartfelt prayer had been ignored.
    She frowned.
    Not ignored. Just not answered the way she’d wanted, expected, needed.
    Please, Lord.
    She tried again, shifting in her seat and staring at the empty road, willing the police to arrive and willing Seth to be okay until they did.
    * * *
    Seth eased through the living room and into the dining room, following the track of smudged footprints on the wood floor. He held his Glock in hand and ready, his nerves humming with adrenaline. The house was silent, but something felt off. He just couldn’t put his finger on what it was. He searched the dark corners of the dining area and walked into the kitchen.
    Nothing there, but he felt danger the same way he had countless times when he’d worked in enemy territory.
    He crouched low, making himself a smaller target as he eased across the empty kitchen and approached the mudroom. Cold air swept in on a gust of wind that splattered ice onto the mudroom’s tile floor.
    Surprised, Seth straightened, walking into the small room, his feet sliding across the