My Deadly Valentine - By Valerie Hansen & Lynette Eason Page 0,40

on somebody?

Shaking fingers reached out to grasp the handle of the largest one. She pulled it from its sheath without a sound. The lone kitchen light over the sink glinted off the blade and Holly swallowed hard.

Turning back toward the door, she paused, knife held aloft, ready to do some damage to whomever dared to try and get past her locked kitchen door.

Scrape, thud.

Duster barked and Holly shushed him. She didn’t think he’d scare away the intruder, and his barking might wake her mother. Holly didn’t need that right now.

Screech!

She jumped again and heard the blood rushing in her ears. Whoever was out there wasn’t being very careful. What if the shadow had been a figment of her imagination? What if the sound was just an animal? A raccoon looking for a late-night snack? Her adrenaline eased.

The pounding of her heart slowed and her fingers loosened their grip a fraction. Moving to the back door, she tested the knob. Locked. Her ears strained to hear, desperate for advance notice of impending danger.

Duster paced the floor and whined. Someone, something, was definitely out there.

The police force in Rose Mountain consisted of five deputies and a sheriff. If she called 9-1-1 again, what were the odds Alex would come? If he was listening to the scanner, he’d insist on taking the call.

So what? He was the sheriff. She was scared enough right now, she’d welcome him. She started to dial.

Hesitated.

Or was she just being overly jumpy because of the store incident? Speaking of which, did this have anything to do with that? Did the person think he’d find more money or whatever at her home?

Hands trembling, heart thudding, she wondered what she should do. One hand clutched the knife, the other the phone. Her finger hovered over the one.

She didn’t want to cry wolf, and yet…

Listening, she strained to hear anything.

Nothing.

Things had quieted down outside, but Duster kept his ears pricked toward the window.

During a quick glance around the kitchen, the blinds on one window caught her attention. They gaped, exposing the blackness beyond. She shuddered, feeling creeped out by the night and all the noises it brought with it.

Deciding she’d been foolish and would owe Eli an apology for calling him out here, she hung up and went to close the blinds.

Just as she reached up to pull the string that would snap them shut, a face in a mask popped up to eye level then jerked back as though surprised to see her. Her heart leaped and her stomach dropped as terror shot its way through her veins.

As quickly as the face appeared it was gone. Through sheer willpower, she swallowed the scream pounding for release and yanked the blinds shut.

Whirling from the window, she raced to the wall and started flipping on all of the outside lights. The hand still clutching the knife knocked a canister to the kitchen floor. She ignored it.

Tires crunched on the gravel outside and she froze.

Eli? It had to be.

She edged to the back door and pushed aside the curtain covering the window. Eli’s truck. And he was about to climb out with a prowler nearby.

Holly opened the door, pointed in the direction she’d last heard the intruder and said, “Dust it up, boy.” The dog bounded out, barking furiously. He disappeared around the side of the house. Seconds later, the faint sound of a motorcycle reached her ears.

Eli bolted from his car, ran across the lawn and followed after Duster.

Ten minutes later, Eli gave up the search. He and Duster made their way back to the house where Holly stood on the porch, knife in hand.

He motioned to it. “I think you can put that away now.”

She stared at him blankly, then looked down at her hand. “Oh.” She looked surprised to see the weapon. “When I thought…I had to grab something…”

He’d seen this before. Mild shock.

Carefully, he approached her. “Give me the knife, Holly. You’re safe.”

With a hand that still shook with fine tremors, she handed the knife over to him.

He placed an arm around her shoulders and led her into the house. Duster skirted around them and made his way over to the rug in front of the fireplace. Another animal appeared from the back of the house and followed Duster’s example. Eli smiled. “Still taking in strays, I see.”

Holly’s shoulders stiffened and she pulled away from him. “Of course.”

The shock was wearing off. “I’ll just put this back in the kitchen for you. If you have a powerful flashlight, I