Whispers of You (Lost & Found #1)(62)

Wren swallowed hard. “This could’ve been so bad.”

I leaned into her, resting my forehead against her temple. “We’re okay.”

She shuddered, and I held her closer.

Lawson cleared his throat. “I texted Jude and asked him to bring over some plywood to board up the window. We can get some new glass ordered, and everything will be back to normal before you know it.”

“Thanks. I’m actually going to talk to a friend about some specialty glass,” I said.

Wren twisted to face me. Relief washed through me as I took in her expression. All wary skepticism. “What kind of special?”

“Something that will keep people from being able to easily see inside.”

“And something impossible to shoot through,” Nash muttered under his breath.

Wren let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Is it going to launch rockets in a counterattack, too?”

Lawson couldn’t contain his chuckle. “If Holt has anything to say about it, I’m sure there will be an entire missile defense system.”

“You know it’s rude to gang up on someone,” I huffed.

She leaned into me, her mouth curving as she pressed it against my arm. “You might be a tad overzealous.”

If my girl was giving me a hard time, she was coming back to herself. My breaths came a little easier. “You say overzealous. I say prepared.”

An officer knocked on the open door and strode inside. “We found the shooter’s nest. There are tracks from an ATV, but no one has seen any sign of the vehicle.”

Lawson glanced my way. “Good ears.” He turned back to the officer I didn’t recognize. “The crime scene techs are on their way from county. They should be here in another thirty minutes to process the evidence there and in the house.”

I met my brother’s gaze. “Have you zeroed in on any suspects?”

He shook his head. “Not yet. Still talking to people.”

I glanced at Wren and then back to Lawson. “I saw Joe in town earlier today. He was wearing a black hoodie.”

Wren stiffened next to me. “Holt—”

I squeezed her hand. “I’m not saying he did this, but they need to talk to him.”

“I’m going to,” Lawson assured me and then turned in Wren’s direction. “I’ll go as easy as I can on him, but Joe’s connected to the shooting ten years ago. A lot of people are. I’m going to talk to every single one.”

“I hate this,” Wren whispered so that only I could hear.

“I’m sorry, Cricket.”

She shook her head. “I know they need to do it and that they’re only trying to help, but I hate the idea of analyzing everyone in our community. I hate the idea of strangers pulling apart my home, looking for pieces of whoever this is.”

Shadow nosed her way out of the crate, and I motioned her to come to Wren’s side. The dog nuzzled her owner’s hand, and Wren started petting her.

“We’ll make this place your home again.”

She blinked up at me, unshed tears gathering in her eyes. “It’s been my sanctuary for so long. I’ve always felt safe here.”

Fury lit somewhere deep inside me. That someone would terrorize Wren after everything she’d been through… That they’d try to destroy the haven she’d work so hard to build for herself.

“We’ll make you safe here again. Whatever it takes.”





30





WREN





“That should hold things,” Jude said as he shot the last nail into the plywood that covered the hole. The huge plates of glass had once been one of my favorite parts of the home—a window that looked out at the lake and one that faced the forest. But I wasn’t sure I’d be able to look at them the same way again.

Jude shook his head as he surveyed the room. “I’m so damn sorry this happened.”

I let out a shuddering breath. “Thank you for helping us deal with the mess.”

Not only had Jude covered the window, but he’d also patched the hole in the wall.

“Of course. Chris is going to pick up some paint that matches your walls tomorrow. Before long, you won’t be able to tell that any of this happened.”

I glanced at Holt, hanging makeshift curtains over my other large window. I’d never bothered with finding anything to cover them before, but now, I guessed it was necessary. It felt as if the walls were closing in around me. I could almost hear the sound of bars clanging closed in my mind.

“Is he okay?” Jude asked quietly.

The concern in Jude’s voice had my heart clenching. I studied Holt as he made sure the curtains were secure, checking every possible vantage point. We were both rattled. We just dealt with it in different ways.

“I think so. You know Holt. He’ll try to come at this like a problem he can fix. Assessing every possible angle.”

But this wasn’t something Holt could fix.

“He loves you. It would kill him if anything happened to you,” Jude said.

“I can’t let anything happen to him either.” Some of the panic from earlier found its way back, clawing at my insides. The day’s events replayed in my mind: Holt diving for me, the window shattering, not knowing if he’d been hit.