Chapter 41

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

Ainsley watched as Dare climbed behind the wheel, then steered the SUV down the driveway. A tiny pang of anxiety ricocheted through her chest as he disappeared from sight, and she rubbed one hand over the spot.

This was his job; he was used to the danger. But it was new to her. She couldn’t stop herself from worrying about him, and she knew the feeling wouldn’t subside until he was home once more.

Ainsley let out a little sigh as she dug through her purse and pulled out her phone to call Kinley.

Pulling up her contact list, she tapped her sister’s number and waited for the call to connect. Three short rings later, Kinley’s voice filled the line. “Hey, Ains. What’s going on?”

“I was wondering if I could come over. Dare just left to work a case, and I really didn’t want to be all alone.”

“Of course. Cam just got called out, too.” Her voice was filled with worry. “I hope everything’s okay.”

Ainsley hesitated, debating whether to offer false platitudes or not. While she wasn’t privy to all the details of the ongoing investigation, she knew it wasn’t good. And this most recent woman going missing was looking worse by the minute. “I’m not sure,” she finally said. “But I figure it’s better to stick together for the time being.”

“Definitely. I was thinking of heading over to mom and dad’s, but if you want to come over here instead…”

Ainsley bit her lip. She wasn’t sure she was ready to tell her parents about everything going on just yet. “Maybe we’ll just hang out at your place today.”

“No problem. See you when you get here.”

Ainsley hung up and turned her attention to the road, her thoughts drifted back to Dare as they always did.

She turned into Kinley’s driveway less than ten minutes later, and her sister greeted her with a wave from the small front porch. Ainsley climbed from the car and shot her sister a smile. “Sorry to just drop in like this.”

“No problem at all. I was actually just going to make some cookies.”

Kinley baked when she was stressed, and sympathy tugged at Ainsley’s heart. More than likely her sister was worried about Cam, just as Ainsley worried about Dare each time he was called out for an emergency. “Cookies sound good to me.”

She followed Kinley inside and laughed when she saw the counter cluttered with ingredients. “You weren’t kidding.”

Kinley made a face. “Yeah. I couldn’t decide what to choose, so… ”

Ainsley laughed. “Well, we better get to it.”

Once they had the first batch of peanut butter cookies in the oven, Kinley slid a look at Ainsley. “So. How are things going?”

“What do you mean?” Ainsley affected an innocent expression as she dropped onto a stool.

One sleek blonde eyebrow brow arched upward. “I haven’t talked to you for a couple weeks, but I can tell something is different.”

A smile tugged at the corners of Ainsley’s mouth. What hadn’t changed?

Kinley’s eyes narrowed. “You’re sleeping with him, aren’t you?”

Heat swept up Ainsley’s cheeks, but she could no longer fight the smile that overtook her face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You are!” Kinley clapped her hands together excitedly. “I knew it.”

Ainsley ducked her head and fiddled with the package of chocolate chips.

“How are things?”

She added a healthy portion of chips into the dough. “It’s good. Really good.”

Kinley’s head tipped slightly to one side as she inspected me, and I fought the urge to shift nervously. “You look… happy,” she finally said.

“I am. I really am.”

The doorbell rang, and Ainsley glanced up at her sister. “Are you expecting someone?”

Kinley’s brows drew together. “I don’t think so. You stay here for a second, and I’ll go see who it is.”

Ainsley gave a little nod, then plunged her hands back into the bowl of cookie dough. The sound of the front door opening reached her ears just as she placed a perfectly round ball on the baking sheet.

“Can I help you?” Kinley asked.

“Hello, ma’am,” came a thick Southern drawl. “Sorry to bother you, but I’m collecting…”

The rest of his words were drowned out by the beep of the oven. Ainsley scowled at it, staining her ears toward the front door.

“Hold on just a second,” Kinley replied.

Ainsley glanced over at her sister as she trotted back into the kitchen. “Who is it?”

“Someone collecting donations for wounded soldiers.” Kinley grabbed her purse off the chair and dug through it for her wallet.

“I thought they did most of those things online now, Ainsley said.

“Maybe.” Kinley pulled out a $20 bill, then shrugged. “It’s probably easier for them to guilt people into giving the money if they ask face-to-face.”

Ainsley made a little sound in the back of her throat. “I’m sure it’s for a good cause.”

“Of course it is,” Kinley replied. “I’m just kidding. Let me run this out to him and I’ll be right back.”

Ainsley shaped the last of the dough, still listening intently. Metal slid against metal as Kinley unhooked the deadbolt, then opened the door. “Here you go.”

“Thank you so much, ma’am,” came the man’s reply. “Would you mind filling one of these out so we can acknowledge your gracious donation?”

A smile tugged at Ainsley’s lips. The man selling it just a touch, though he did sound grateful. Tuning out the rest of the conversation, she washed her hands, scrubbing at the sticky dough. The oven timer beeped, and Ainsley removed the tray of cookies and set them aside to cool. She reached for the second tray just as a soft noise from the living room drew her attention.

Ainsley tapped the button to turn off the oven and listened hard, ears straining to pick up any sounds beyond the kitchen. Several moments passed, but the house remained eerily silent. “Kin?” she called out. “Is everything okay?”

Two seconds passed with no response, then three. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and ice water streamed through her veins. Where had Kinley gone? Did she go outside for something, or had the man lured her away?

Her heart beat hard in her chest as she glanced around the kitchen. She heard no movement from the outer room, and every cell of her body went on high alert. Something wasn’t right. Had Joel finally found her?

Her gaze immediately darted to the door that led to the back yard. She might be able to escape, but she would have to cross in front of the living room to do so. And what about Kinley? She couldn’t just leave her here.

Her gaze swept the room, locking on her purse sitting on the kitchen table, her cell phone next to it. If she could reach her phone, she could call the police. She darted a look toward the doorway to the living room.

She still hadn’t heard anything from that direction, and her pulse kicked up. Someone was there, just waiting for her.

The knife block appeared in her peripheral vision, and she inched toward it. Better to be prepared. Wrapping her hand around the hilt of the chef’s knife, she quietly drew the long blade from its slot. It scraped the wood softly as it came free, and Ainsley winced, hoping the sound hadn’t carried.

She adjusted her grip on the knife and, quietly as possible, tiptoed toward the doorway that separated the living room from the kitchen. She paused several feet away, cocking her ears and straining to hear anything from the other side. It was deathly silent.

Ainsley bent her knees and crouched low, then sidled closer. Her breath caught in her throat as she risked a peek around the doorway and saw a body on the floor, legs sprawled lifelessly. She slapped a hand over her mouth, barely managing to stifle her cry of horror as she recognized the shoes Kinley had been wearing just a few moments ago.