Page 40 of Colton On Guard
Driving to her parents’ house, she couldn’t shake a feeling of dread. At first, she assumed it had to do with returning to the place where an intruder had so recently been. But as she drove, she caught herself constantly checking the rearview mirror and she realized she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone might be following her.
The closer she got to Shelby, the more unsettled she became. The two-lane road changed to a four-lane and some of the vehicles behind her passed her.
Nothing looked really out of place. But still… She decided to take a random right turn and circle back around just to see if anyone followed her.
No one did. Breathing a sigh of relief, she turned onto her parents’ street. Pulling into the driveway, she sat in her locked car with the motor running. In the bright sunlight, the house looked welcoming and undisturbed. She got out, keeping her keys in hand, and picked up the tote with her sleeping dog. Then she took a deep breath and headed for the house. As she stepped up onto the porch, she turned and did a second check of the street. She didn’t see anything suspicious; no unusual vehicles parked by the curb, nothing.
It all must have been her imagination. Though she felt slightly foolish, she couldn’t deny she also felt immensely relieved.
Inside the house, she turned off the alarm and sighed. Since it was still set, that meant no one had been inside since she’d left.
Still, she walked around to check. Everything looked the same as it had when she’d left it. The busted back door that they’d jammed closed appeared undisturbed, though she figured another swift kick from outside would send it crashing open.Pulling out her phone, she put in a call to the door repair company she’d used earlier, but had to leave a voicemail. Whenever she was able to get the door replaced, she planned to have them reinforce it with multiple dead bolts if necessary. Between that, and the redone front door, along with her new alarm system, she knew she should be able to feel secure in the house where she’d been raised.
And she could leave Parker’s place so he could go on about his life.
The thought made her feel sad. Shaking her head at her own conflicted emotions, she checked on JB, who somehow was still sleeping, and then let herself out through the garage.
Again she checked the street and, again, saw nothing out of the ordinary. She got into her car and after securing JB and her tote in the front passenger seat, she backed from her driveway and headed into town. Only then did she notice a black SUV pull away from the curb as if following her.
CHAPTER 9
To Parker’s surprise and relief, Revis fit right in with the crew at RTA. Everyone loved the older dog and with all the people petting and loving on him, it seemed his tail never stopped wagging.
“We have a mascot,” Parker proclaimed. He couldn’t seem to stop smiling. Between having Genna staying at his place in such close proximity and his new family member, he felt happier than he had in a long time.
Spence went home and came back with a large, well-worn dog bed, which he placed it in a corner behind the front counter. As soon as Revis saw it, he claimed it as his own. Curled up with his head on his large paws, he kept an eye on everything. At least, when he wasn’t dozing.
“The office dog,” Spence said, grinning. “Great idea.”
“Thanks.”
“But I thought Genna was getting a dog,” Spence continued, checking the computer to see who would be in his next group. “How’d you end up with one instead?”
“Long story,” Parker replied, really not wanting to go into it at the moment. “Since your tour is about to start arriving, I’ll save it for another time.”
Reluctantly, Spence nodded. “I’ll hold you to that. What about you? When’s your next outing?”
“Not for a couple hours. I had one scheduled earlier, but they all canceled. It was a family outing. Turns out they’ve all come down with strep throat.”
“Ouch.” Spence grabbed his own throat. “Which means I’m guessing you’re planning to hold the fort down here then?”
“Yeah, for now. Hetty is due in soon. She’s taking out a small group this afternoon. I should be back before she has to leave. And you can fill in also. Between the three of us, we should be able to keep this place covered.”
“Four of us,” Spence corrected. “You can’t forget Revis.”
“As if I could.” Parker’s phone rang. Seeing Genna’s name on the caller ID made his heart skip a beat. Answering, he barely got out a quick hello before she started talking.
“Someone is following me,” she said, an edge of panic in her voice. “I stopped by my house to check things out, and when I left, this black SUV pulled away from the curb. I’ve been driving around downtown taking random turns and it’s sticking with me. I don’t know what to do.”
“Are you close to the police station?” he asked. Though his heart rate accelerated, he tried to sound calm.
“No, I’m on the other side of town. But I can get there. It will take me about twenty minutes though. I’m just worried whoever this is might ram my car or try to force me off the road. I have June Bug with me.”
Was she crying? Jaw tight, he battled the intense need to defend her, to help her, and hold her close.
“Keep driving.” He took a deep breath, not wanting to let her know how alarming he found this situation. “How far are you from here?”
“From RTA? Maybe ten minutes.”