Читать книгу The Christmas Rescue - Laura Scott, Laura Scott - Страница 11

Footsteps on the deck had woken Kayla from her light doze. She jumped out of bed and quickly pulled on her robe. She took a moment to peek in on Ellen, who was sleeping, before hurrying out to the great room. Through the large picture window, she saw Rafe disappear into the woods.

Had someone tried to break in? Rafe was obviously chasing someone. The intruder? Fear gripped her by the throat as she stood, uncertain as to what she should do. Call the police? Or just set the security system and wait for Rafe to return?

And what if Rafe didn’t return?

The last thought spurred her into action. She grabbed her phone and quickly dialed 911. Thank heavens she’d let Brianna stay at a friend’s house for the night.

After notifying the police, she paced the length of the great room, feeling helpless and somewhat vulnerable. It was late, four o’clock in the morning, almost the exact same time frame as the last time the burglar had tried to break in. A coincidence? Or was the intruder the same man? She wrapped her arms across her chest, shivering in the cold.

Rafe burst into the clearing just seconds before sirens split the air.

She ran over to open the door for him. “What happened?”

“I lost him.”

She caught a glimpse of his face in the porch light. “You’re bleeding!”

“I’m fine.” He swiped his arm across his forehead. The blood smeared over his brow. “Scratched by tree branches, that’s all.”

She couldn’t be too disappointed that Rafe had lost the intruder. Not when Rafe had made it back safe and sound. As the sirens grew louder, she confessed, “I wasn’t sure what you wanted, but I did call the police.”

He shrugged and nodded. “It’s fine. We should report the attempted break-in, although I don’t think it’s going to help. This isn’t a simple burglary attempt.”

“It’s not?”

“No.” Rafe glanced outside and she turned to follow his gaze, noting that the sheriff’s deputy was already pulling up to the house. “I’ll explain more later.”

She went over to greet the deputy, a different one than the guy who’d responded to the break-in two nights ago. She tried to smile. “Good morning, Deputy.”

The sheriff’s deputy did not return her smile. He looked a little annoyed, as if he had better things to do than to respond to her calls. “You reported another break-in attempt?”

“Yes, I did.” Kayla glanced at Rafe for help.

Rafe stepped forward, introducing himself and using his coast guard ranking. “I’m staying up in one of the guest rooms, and saw a man trying to break in. I took off after him, but I lost him. There was a car on the road waiting for him. I didn’t get the license plate number.”