No One But You (Silver Springs #2)(46)

Someone or something was outside, trying to rouse her. A raccoon or a squirrel didn’t make that deliberate bang, bang, bang...

Alarmed, she crept out of bed and crossed to the window, where she parted the blinds to peer out. There was only one window in the room, and it looked out on a very small yard and a gate leading to the narrow alley behind the house, not the side yard. She didn’t expect to see anything, was merely doing what she could—which was why she covered her mouth to stop herself from screaming and stumbled back when she spotted a man. She couldn’t tell who it was. His face was hidden beneath the hood of a black sweatshirt, but she could see his basic shape, even his shadow in the moonlight. He looked up at her, then jumped the fence and ran down the alley.

Who was that? Sly? She’d barely caught a glimpse, couldn’t even say with any certainty that the person she saw had his build. He was dressed in a way she’d never seen him dressed, and it’d happened too fast. But who else would come by in the middle of the night?

He’d probably been watching and waiting to see if Dawson would join her again—and, even though that hadn’t happened, he was angry enough about before to give her a little scare.

After unplugging her phone from its charger, she carried it with her into the living room so she could peek out the other windows, but none looked out on the side yard. She couldn’t determine what her visitor had been doing, and she wasn’t about to venture beyond the safety of her locked doors—not when that man could so easily come back. For all she knew, she’d just seen the hitchhiker who’d hacked the Reeds to death.

She considered calling Sly. He was, after all, a police officer. He’d know how to handle something like this—if it wasn’t him. But it could be him, which meant she couldn’t call 9-1-1 or anyone else on the police force, either. Whoever came to see what was wrong would contact Sly immediately, or tell him what happened afterward, and he’d want to know why she didn’t reach out to him like he’d probably been setting her up to do.

Without letting herself think any more about it, she texted Dawson. She still felt a little awkward about assuming he was interested in her when he wasn’t, but, for the most part, he had been nice so far, and she needed a friend, especially one who wouldn’t take Sly’s side in any given situation or share anything she said.

You awake? she wrote.

She hesitated to disturb him, which was why she didn’t call. She figured, if he was sleeping, he probably wouldn’t notice that he’d received a message. A ring was more intrusive. So she was surprised when he texted her right back.

Yeah. What are you doing up so late?

To be honest, I’m a little nervous. There was someone at my house a minute ago. A man.

What do you mean—at your house?

Outside, doing something. Someone knocked on the side of the house, then came around back where I could see him from the window. I think it was Sly, but I can’t be sure.

And you have no idea what he was doing?

None. Do you think he was just trying to scare me? The less secure I feel, the more likely I’d be to move back—or at least go there tonight.

Whatever you do, don’t go there.

So do you think it was nothing? Should I just go back to bed? Whoever it was had been on the side, not where he could’ve been watching her.

But there was nothing to say he’d been on the side for long. Had he been outside her window before that, staring through the gap between the blinds and the wall while she undressed? Peeping?

Do you have your blinds down? Dawson texted.

I do. I know he comes here a lot to check up on me, so I always keep them down. But they don’t fit the window very well. There’s a two-inch gap that someone could easily peer through if...if they wanted to be that intrusive. She felt violated just imagining that, even if it was Sly. So what if he’d seen her before? They weren’t together any longer. She deserved some privacy.

I’m coming over.

This time she was surprised by his response, not that she’d received one. No! You don’t have to come all the way to town. I just... I needed to tell someone, I guess. Needed to hear someone say I’m being silly and there’s nothing to be afraid of.

She knew where his mind would go, because hers had already gone there. His response confirmed it. You’re not going to hear that from me, not after what happened to my parents.

I admit—I keep thinking of that hitchhiker. That’s why I texted you, I guess. You don’t think he’s back...

I can’t say it isn’t possible.

The idea that it might be him gives me the creeps...

It’s okay. I’m almost there.

How? It took longer than two or three minutes to get to her house, but that was the length of time they’d been communicating with each other.

I’m not at the farm. I’m coming from the bar only a few blocks away. I’ll swing by and take a look around, make sure everything’s okay.

That he was so close made her feel much better. Everyone was wrong about him. He didn’t frighten her; he made her feel safe. After all, he could’ve done anything he wanted last night, but he hadn’t even gotten off the couch.

She breathed a sigh of relief as they disconnected—but that was when she began to smell smoke.





12


Dawson was turning down Sadie’s street when his phone rang. “Stay away! Oh my God, whatever you do, stay away!” Sadie screamed and then she was gone.