Page 76 of Paranoid

She actually blushed. “As I said, ‘options.’ Like college. So she can get a bigger view of the world than just from Edgewater, Oregon. It wasn’t the worst thing that happened to me, okay, I’ll admit it. Having Harper and marrying you, ending up with Dylan. I wouldn’t change a thing. Well, not most things anyway.” She looked away, no doubt thinking about his betrayal. And then, as if the conversation had gotten too deep, she waved in the air as if to dismiss her words. “So, look, don’t worry about the door, okay? I’ll deal with it,” she said with more resolve than he’d seen in her in a long while. “I panicked after Ella called, but I’m okay now.” She glanced at the door. “Nothing a can of spray paint can’t cover up until I can paint the whole thing. I was thinking of changing the color anyway.”

“And the security alarm?”

“My . . . our son owes me and he’s got the skills, I think. Maybe even the equipment.”

He withdrew his keys from his pocket. “Any kind of guard dog?” he asked.

“Reno?” She let out a humorless laugh, and the dog, hearing his name, wagged his tail, then circumvented the coffee table to stand next to Rachel and place his head on her lap. She scratched him behind the ears. “Not much of one.”

“Maybe you should upgrade.”

“Yeah, right.” To the dog she said, “Don’t listen to that. He’s just kidding.”

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he checked the screen. A text from the precinct. “The job,” he said to her, standing. “The boss wants me in early.”

“Then you’d better go.”

“You’ll be okay?”

“Never better,” she said, though they both knew it was a lie.

“I can come back, help clean up the door. I’ve painted a few panels in my day.”

“No, I’ve got this,” she said firmly as she stood. “You need to get to work.”

“Forget work.” He paused, knowing she wanted to handle things herself; it was her thing. “I’ve got time coming. I have no problem calling in.”

“No. I’ll be fine.” She flashed him one of her rare smiles and her gold eyes gleamed for a second. “Remember: I’ve got Reno.”

“Guard dog less than extraordinaire.”

“Exactly.”

He didn’t like it but saw she couldn’t be moved. “Okay. Fine. But I’ll be by to make sure the security system is online.”

“Really, Cade, you don’t need to do this.”

“Yeah, I think I do,” he said and decided to be brutally honest. “My kids live here with my ex-wife, and contrary to what she may believe, I care about her, want her safe.”

Rachel drew in a long breath. “Oh . . . I don’t think that . . .”

“I don’t care what you think, Rach, it’s the truth.” She looked about to argue again, so he started for the door. “In the meantime, keep the dog on alert and the doors and windows locked.”

CHAPTER 18

Dylan was sweating bullets.

His knee was twitching and he kept glancing at the clock, ticking off the seconds of the school day, maybe of his life.

His mom was on to him.

He saw her poking around his room this morning, finding his stash.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

Ten minutes left in class. Then he’d have to avoid that moron Schmidt and his goons, then deal with the smug assistant principal.

He felt as if the walls were closing in on him, that he had nowhere to turn, no one to confide in.