Page 17 of Flare (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters #17)

Intrusion

Emily hummed softly to herself as her car bumped up the winding gravel driveway toward her cabin the next afternoon.

She ’ d ended her first week at Cinnamon + Sugar on a high note, organizing months of neglected invoices, establishing a filing system that even the most organization-averse person could follow, and setting up a bookkeeping software package to automate future invoices and payments.

But if she was being honest, her new job wasn ’ t the reason she ’ d been smiling all day.

Even now, she could feel Ward ’ s lips against hers. Last night, his kiss had been tender at first and then hungry with a need that had made her knees weak.

So soon after Andrew, she hadn ’ t expected to feel excited, hopeful, or safe.

Especially safe.

Her thoughts scattered as she parked in front of her cabin and saw her front door ajar.

Emily was a hundred percent sure she ’ d locked it that morning. She always did—a habit born from years of living in the big city.

A lightning bolt of unease shot through her guts. Maybe Elle sent someone to fix that leaky faucet in the bathroom?

But Elle would ’ ve texted or called her to give a heads-up.

Oh, God. Emily sat frozen in her car. Her heart began pounding so hard her entire body shook. I should call someone. Maggie. Elle. Dane.

But what if I ’ m overreacting?

Everyone had assured her that Andrew wouldn ’ t dare invade another bear shifter clan ’ s territory.

She ’ d feel so stupid if she made a big fuss over nothing.

Emily got out of her car and climbed the porch steps with shaky legs. Then she pushed the front door open all the way and peeked inside.

Her living room looked like a war zone. The sofa cushions had been slashed open, stuffing scattered across the floor like artificial snow. The small bookcase lay on its side, torn and crumpled library books piled in a messy heap on the living room rug.

He found me!

“ No,” she whispered. “ No, no, no.”

As if caught in a nightmare, Emily moved through the cabin, her feet carrying her forward even as her mind screamed at her to run.

The kitchen looked just as bad as the living room.

Drawers had been pulled out and emptied onto the floor.

The upper bank of cabinets had been pulled entirely away from the wall and leaned haphazardly against the breakfast bar.

Shards of shattered dishes and mugs covered the countertops and floor.

The refrigerator ’ s metal sides were savagely scored with claw marks.

Her bedroom was the worst of all. The mattress had been pulled from the bed frame and slashed repeatedly, deep gouges revealing the springs beneath.

Her clothes had been yanked from the closet and drawers and flung around the room.

The framed photo of her mother that she kept by her bed lay face down on the floor, and the nightstand and dresser had both been tossed around like toys.

Emily kneeled and picked it up. A sob choked her as she saw the glass cracked across Mom ’ s smiling face.

Numbly, she looked around the room. The backup USB drive she made of Andrew ’ s files was gone from her nightstand drawer. Of course.

And her bright fuchsia neoprene laptop case was gone, too.

Her eyes darted to her pillow, which had somehow remained on the partially dismembered bed. The air froze in her lungs at the sight of a single long-stemmed red rose lying there.

Andrew ’ s calling card. Every time they ’ d argued over wedding arrangements, he would leave a red rose on her pillow afterward.

A reminder of his love, he ’ d called it.

Panic clawed at her chest. He found me! He knows where I am!

Her hands shook violently as she pulled her phone from her pocket. She nearly dropped it twice before she punched Maggie ’ s contact.

Each ring felt like an eternity. Emily jittered as she waited for her friend to answer, her eyes darting to every movement of tree branches or birds outside the window.

“ Emily? What ’ s up?” Maggie ’ s cheerful voice finally said. “ You still okay with working the booth at the festival tomorrow?”

“ He—he was here,” Emily stammered. “ Andrew. He found me. He—he destroyed the cabin. Everything ’ s torn apart. And he—he left me a rose.”

“ Holy shit. Get out of there. Drive over to my place,” Maggie ordered. “ I ’ m calling Dad and Grandma Elle.”

Emily nodded, then realized Maggie couldn ’ t see her. “ Okay,” she whispered, already backing toward the door.

She barely remembered the short walk to her car.

As she went to start her engine, her mind whirled with terrifying possibilities.

What if he ’ s still here, watching from those trees over there? What if he follows me to Maggie ’ s place?

What if hurts someone?

Her vision tunneled, narrowing to the steering wheel in front of her as her fingers locked around it.

Something squeezed her chest. She panted, suddenly desperate for air.

I have to get out of here! But her body refused to move, frozen in place by the weight of the panic pressing down on her body like a stone.

The sound of tires on gravel jolted her from her spiraling thoughts. She looked up just as Maggie ’ s Jeep came barreling up the drive, followed closely by a large white pickup with Grizzly Creek Ranch decals on the doors that Emily recognized as Dane ’ s.

Relief washed over her in a dizzying wave as Maggie scrambled out of the Jeep and sprinted over, her face twisted with barely contained panic.

Emily opened her car door and almost fell out. Her legs legitimately felt like Jell-O.

“ Oh my God, Emily! Are you okay?” Maggie demanded, pulling Emily into a hug. “ I was so worried when you didn ’ t show up at the house!” She looked around. “ Is he still here?”

“ I ’ m so sorry. I got in the car and then… I couldn ’ t move. Couldn ’ t do anything. Oh, God, I ’ m such a freaking mess… sorry.” Emily buried her face in Maggie ’ s shoulder, trying to get a grip on her shredded composure. “ I got home from work and found that he ’ d torn everything apart.”

“ I can ’ t believe that jerk would dare set foot on our land!” Maggie stroked her back.

Elle Swanson emerged from Dane ’ s pickup, her expression grim. Dane followed, scanning the surrounding trees with narrowed eyes.

“ Are you sure it was him?” Elle asked.

Emily nodded. “ He—he left me a rose.”

Elle ’ s lips thinned. She and Dane traded a long look, then Dane strode to the cabin, his heavily muscled frame tense with alertness.

“ Wait here,” he instructed, disappearing inside.

Emily, Maggie, and Elle stood in silence for what felt like hours but was probably only five minutes before Dane reappeared in the doorway.

“ All clear,” he announced, looking as grim as his mother. “ And I smell a bear shifter, but not anyone I know. And you ’ re gonna want to see this, Mom.”

The four of them entered the cabin. Maggie ’ s arm wrapped comfortingly around Emily ’ s waist.

Emily felt a fresh wave of shame and violation seeing the destruction through their eyes. This was her fault. If she hadn ’ t come here, Andrew wouldn ’ t have destroyed this place.

Elle ’ s expression hardened as she surveyed the damage, while Maggie muttered a string of curses under her breath.

“ Yeah, it was Andrew, all right,” she announced. “ This whole place stinks of him, but he ’ s been gone two, maybe three hours. What do you think, Dad?”

“ Sounds about right,” Dane replied. “ His scent isn ’ t fresh. But he sure was angry while he was here.”

This happened hours ago. Andrew ’ s probably long gone. Emily felt a bit of relief lacing through the sick feeling.

“ Did he take anything?” Elle asked. “ Or was he just sending you a message?”

“ He found the USB drive I made a few days ago to give to the police. My laptop is gone, too.” Emily wrapped her arms around herself. “ That rose on my pillow… it ’ s Andrew ’ s way of letting me know he can get to me whenever he wants. I-I should leave.”

Elle ’ s eyes narrowed. “ That ’ s a terrible idea. You should stay put,” she stated firmly. “ Didn ’ t I promise we ’ d protect you?”

The sound of another vehicle approaching had them all turning toward the door. Maggie released Emily and strode to the living room window.

A moment later, a pickup roared into the clearing and screeched to a halt. Emily recognized Ward ’ s truck. Weirdly, she instantly felt calmer.

“ Oh, good,” Maggie said, waving at him. “ I texted him right after I called Sheriff Jacobsen. She told me Malia ’ s on her way over.”

Ward burst through the door and looked around, his expression turning thunderous as he saw what Andrew had done. But when his eyes found Emily, they softened.

“ Hey, are you okay?” he asked, crossing to her in three long strides and enclosing her in a hug.

“ Yeah.” Emily clung to him, resting her forehead against his shoulder. She suddenly felt a hundred times better, the sick feeling in her stomach fading now that he was here. “ He broke in while I was at work.”

His jaw worked, and an animal growl vibrated against Emily ’ s cheek. “ I ’ m going to kill that son of a bitch.”

“ Eddie,” Elle warned, though her tone lacked real rebuke. She added, “ That ’ s your uncle Dane ’ s job. He ’ s the clan enforcer, not you.”

“ Though if you ’ re itching to take over the job, it ’ s yours.” Dane sounded serious, but Emily noticed a teasing gleam in his eye.

Enforcer? Emily couldn ’ t help staring at him. That sounded… violent. She remembered Maggie ’ s dad as unfailingly gentle and kind during her younger years.

“ How did he find you?” Ward demanded, ignoring his grandmother and uncle.

“ I don ’ t know,” Emily replied, a fresh spurt of fear cramping her stomach. “ I ’ ve been really careful about not posting anything on social media. And I ’ ve ignored all his messages.”

Ward ’ s expression darkened further. “ Let me check your car.”

Emily and the others trailed him out the door. She watched as he dropped to his knees on the gravel and began examining the undercarriage of her vehicle. After a moment, he reached for something and grabbed it.