Page 33 of Fortune’s Control (Fortune’s Creek #1)

I placed a hand on Shane’s thigh to prevent him from leaving. “Something is wrong.” I shut my eyes and took three slow breaths. This was Fortune’s Creek, and I wasn’t alone. Not this time.

“We didn’t turn on the porch lights this morning because we didn’t plan for dinner at the diner.” Shane placed a reassuring hand over mine. “There’s only us, and we’re in the country, Lilah. It gets dark here.”

The eerie silence and glowing white house didn’t mean an army waited inside to slaughter us. Wilson Skane lived in Atlanta, and an ankle monitor kept him there. Whoever attacked Sophie and me did so because he didn’t know where we lived.

“You’re right. It’d be helpful if my imagination learned to turn itself off a little more often.” I came to Fortune’s Creek for a fresh start and to learn about myself, not to quiver with fear.

Shane hopped out and opened my door before offering his hand. “There’s a lot of night left.”

“Is that a promise or a threat?”

He cupped my neck, massaging the tight muscles. “How about a little of both? You’re safe with me; don’t forget that.”

His hands fell as my stomach dropped. The oven light cast a dim glow for us to see through the kitchen’s open door.

“I remember closing that door this morning.” I was the last one out when he took me to Aiden’s store.

“Did you lock it?”

“I can’t remember.” It was a busy morning, with me talking to Emma on the phone while Shane spoke to the management company for his rental properties. I fed Pirate and gathered my work supplies before heading outside to meet Shane. “I might have left the door open.”

“Mistakes happen. Do not feel guilty about it. If someone wants in, a simple lock won’t stop them.” Shane turned on his phone’s flashlight. “The windows aren’t broken. Stay here.”

His truck was a black rectangle, and I could fall into the pool without noticing. “I’m going with you.” I clutched the waistband of his shorts to prove it. “You might need backup.”

Shane flicked on the kitchen light rather than argue. “Stay behind me. We go one room at a time before moving upstairs. Dial 911 on your phone, and be ready to press the button.” He did the same.

“Who are you calling?”

“Jack. Let’s go.”

We moved through the entire bottom floor, starting with the family room and hall closet, turning on each light as we went. No sign of intruders or vandals appeared.

“One of us left the door open,” Shane decided once we arrived in the formal living room. “We do the upstairs next.”

My mind wandered. “What if the bad guy is there?”

Shane cast his gaze upwards, towards the second floor. “If you want to escape, never go up. If you want to attack, don’t do it against two people who know you’re there.”

“Did you learn that in military school?”

He chuckled. “Something like that. Still, we aren’t done.”

I believed Shane and trusted his intuition. The lack of forced entry or creaky floorboards proved him correct. Silence hit again, and with it, the same sensation that struck as we drove up.

The house should not be this empty.

I cried out and ran from the living room to start my search.

Shane followed. “What is it?”

My panic grew. “Pirate. She’s gone.”

I ran from him to check her usual hiding spots, with no luck. Her full water bowl and empty pirate ship told me she wasn’t inside.

Shane turned on the staircase lights. “Let’s check upstairs before we assume the worst.”

“She’s not there. She’s lost.”

“You don’t know that. She might be asleep on the bed.”

I knew, and still followed. We inspected each bedroom without success. Shane didn’t find an intruder, and Pirate didn’t appear.

“She’s gone.”

Shane pulled me against him. “She’ll be back. Cats sneak out for an adventure, but they always return home.”

“Pirate didn’t sneak out. I’m going to look for her.”

I went back downstairs, leaving him in one of the spare bedrooms.

“Pirate!” No response. I opened a can of cat food next. “It’s your favorite flavor.”

“Did you find her?” Concern etched itself onto Shane’s features. He pressed a button on his phone without waiting for a response. “Get over here…Pirate is missing…Yes, the cat…. Good idea, thanks.”

“Was that Jack?”

“He’s on his way. Right now, let’s recheck the house, and then we’ll look outside.”

*****

Jack whistled to announce his presence.

I shut the pantry door behind me and ran into Shane, who beat me to the family room.

“Pirate isn’t inside,” I said.

“When did you last see her?” Jack asked me.

“This morning before we left. She was curled up on her bed. I have pictures of her.” I opened my phone to show him.

Jack waved it away. “We all know what she looks like. There aren’t many black and white cats with one eye around here. I’ll start in the garage while we wait for more help.”

“You must think I’m being melodramatic,” I said once we were alone.

“I think you’re a woman who deeply cares, and Pirate is lucky to have you,” Shane said.

“Do you think he took her?”

“Wilson Skane, or our suspect?” Shane’s features tightened as he looked past my shoulder. “It’s possible, or maybe one of us left the door open and she wandered off. A stray escapee makes sense.”

“Past tense. She was a stray. Now, she’s a spoiled princess pirate who adores her life of leisure.”

He frowned at me. “I am aware. Let’s look outside.”

I turned on my phone’s flashlight, stepped outside, and flicked it right back off. Between the outside lights and the lit-up house, the new moon didn’t stand a chance.

“You start in the woodshop, and I’ll check on the porch. It’ll go quicker if we split up.”

Shane gripped my arm to prevent me from moving. “You can’t be alone.”

That was in public. “There’s no one here.” I was safe here. I refused to believe otherwise.

“You just asked if someone took her, Lilah. You know that’s a possibility. I am not letting you wander over several acres by yourself, alone, and in the dark. It will not happen. You stay right next to me, where I can see you.”

I wanted to argue, but knew it would slow us down, and Shane reveled in giving orders. “We’ll start on the porch and work our way around.”

**** *

“Lainey?”

She hugged me. “Aiden called. Have you found her?”

My tiny bit of joy at her appearance disappeared. “She’s still missing.” The four men gathered together on the porch steps to discuss a search plan. “It’s sweet that everyone showed up after Shane called for help. He deserves friends like this.”

“You think we came to help Shane?” Lainey drew back, concern showing on her features. She leaned against the railing and lowered her voice. “Aiden called me and never once mentioned Shane. He said everyone was coming to help you and guessed I’d want to do the same.”

I blinked. “Oh.” I came to Fortune’s Creek believing one person in the world cared about me, a second who kind of did, and with a vague hope of finding another.

My grandmother may never be found, but people who cared still surrounded me—a fortune in Fortune’s Creek. I wanted to giggle. “Let’s join them.”

“Lilah, stay here at the house. Both of you,” Shane said after we arrived.

I crossed my arms and prepared for a battle. “She’ll come to me more than anyone else here. If anyone should look for her, it’s me.”

“The house is lit up so all of us can see you, and I’d prefer you stay with Lainey,” he insisted.

“She’ll help me search under bushes.”

Shane’s jaw tightened at my pushback. “Lainey, you’ll stay here with Lilah. Keep your phones close so we can call with updates.”

Lainey shrank back in discomfort.

I wasn’t finished. “That’s ridiculous, Shane. You can’t give orders to everyone all the time.”

Dean stepped in. “If experience is a guide, then Pirate will run away if one of us finds her first, probably back towards the house. She’s also more likely to run toward you than any of us.

We’ll whistle or call if she’s found, and your presence would help.

” His lips twisted as he played mediator with such a long spiel.

“There. It’s decided,” Shane said.

I wanted to argue on principle, if nothing else, but Dean had a point. Pirate was my cat, and as much as she enjoyed Shane’s company, she bonded with me more. “We’ll stay here. Call if she appears,” I said, dragging the words out.

Each man, with a phone in one hand and a flashlight in the other, left in a different direction.

“He’s in love with you,” Lainey said once we were alone.

I rubbed my arms to stay warm, despite the humid late May night. Anxiety over Pirate warred with the thread of hope her statement planted in me. “Do you think so? He’s never said it.”

“Are you kidding?” Lainey leaned back on the railing and pulled out her messy bun. “I think he’s obsessed with you.”

The thread’s root deepened. “Sometimes, I think he does, and other times, I think he’s determined to keep me safe until it’s time to leave.”

“Both can be true, you realize that? Shane has a responsibility streak in him.” Lainey carefully picked her words.

“I may be the wrong person to say it, especially considering my history. Who else do you know who turned her secret crush into a bad guy serial killer in her debut novel? Still, I’m right.

It’s easier to notice when you aren’t in the middle of it. ”

“I’m in love with him,” I confessed, keeping my voice low so it wouldn’t carry.

“Yes, I know. You could tell him, but my advice is to make him do it first.”

I laughed, despite our situation, and my anxiety lessened a notch. “That’s good advice.”

“Of course it is. Do you know what we should do? Shane said to stay here, but there’s an entire crawlspace under this veranda. Let’s check it out.”

Pirate hid in the corners early on before she warmed to us. “Fantastic idea.”

**** *

“What are you two doing?”

I banged my head on the wooden floor at Shane’s voice. “Ow.”

“Where’s Lilah?”

“She’s coming,” Lainey said.

I rubbed the top of my head and scooted backwards from under the veranda. “We’re looking for Pirate,” I said after climbing to my feet. “We stayed here like you wanted.”

His flashlight flicked over both of us. “You’re covered in dirt.”

“It’s dirty under there.”

“Also a little gross,” Lainey added.

“Did you find her?” I asked.

“Not yet. Give us time. She’s missing, not gone. She’ll be back.” Shane said.

“Cats sometimes go on an adventure before boredom sets in and they return home,” Lainey said.

It was true, and I didn’t care. My first pet escaped because I left the back door open. My inability to care for an animal made an excellent addition to my list of messes.

Shane sensed my misery and put his arms around me. “Don’t blame yourself for this. She was on her own for a long time, so this was bound to happen. We will find her.” As if he commanded it, a whistle sounded. “It’s Jack.” His phone dinged a second later.

“Is that a text?” I asked.

He checked it. “She’s hiding in a bush on the other side of the creek and is afraid to come out.”

“Pirate won’t be afraid of me.” I took off, knowing they would follow.

*****

“Everyone, stay back.” I lay on the ground. The evening’s damp grass tickled my exposed arms and legs. Ants, or worse, would attack if I weren’t careful. “She’ll run away if you frighten her.”

“Don’t pirates attack instead of running away?” Aiden asked.

“Pirates choose when to attack. Their favorite victims are thirty-year-old men who fix cars for a living,” Shane said.

I appreciated his lending support, but didn’t join in the teasing. Pirate needed me first.

“Kitty, I’m here. Come out and get some pets.” She didn’t move. “Everyone needs to move further back. You’re scaring her.”

Meow!

“That’s right. I’m here.” I wiggled my fingers and scooted closer to her hiding spot. Pirate’s eyes glowed as she took a single step forward and then another. “C’mon, kitty. You’re almost home.”

It worked. Pirate walked up and rubbed her cheeks on my outstretched fingers. Her tail straightened behind her as the purring started. I scratched behind her ears and petted her sides before moving into a sitting position. Pirate crawled into my lap and sat down.

“She’s found. Thank you, everyone, for coming out tonight and for all of your work. For everything.”

Lainey sat opposite me and crossed her legs. “She’s a pretty cat.” Pirate raised her head at the compliment.

“The life of a volunteer firefighter never ends,” Aiden said.

Shane and Dean stayed silent as their flashlights moved, inspecting the ground and nearby bushes.

“Nothing in the water,” Shane said .

Dean kicked the ground, and something red glinted in his flashlight. “Do either of you ever come here?”

We were almost an acre from the main house.

Shane picked up a wrapper from the ground. “Not to eat.”