Nightstruck - Jenna Black Page 0,66

on the door, but though he was loud and intimidating by nature, he didn’t usually sound like this, like he wanted to rip the throat out of whoever was daring to request entrance into his territory.

I had to practically shove Bob aside so I could get to the peephole, and he continued to bark and carry on uninterrupted.

I don’t know exactly what I was expecting to see when I looked out that peephole, but I’d obviously already convinced myself that it wasn’t Piper, because when I saw her standing there, arms crossed over her chest, hip jutting to one side as she tapped her foot with impatience, my knees felt almost wobbly.

“Will you hurry up already,” Piper whined. “It’s freaking cold out here.”

Feeling almost light-headed with relief, I shoved the gun into the back of my pants. My hands were shaking as I rushed to undo all the locks, my vision blurred with tears. She was okay. Against all odds, she was okay.

I wanted to fling the door open and throw my arms around her. I wanted to tell her how relieved I was to see her—and then spend the rest of the night yelling at her for torturing me and her parents and Luke by disappearing like that.

The problem was Bob. He was still pitching a fit, still very obviously in kill-the-intruder mode. If I opened the door, I feared he would go for Piper’s jugular.

Luke obviously shared my concern. He pulled a Milk-Bone from his pocket. “Hey Bob,” he beckoned, then whistled. “Come here, buddy. Look what I’ve got for you.”

Bob paid no attention.

“What is the matter with you?” Piper shouted. “You can’t seriously plan to leave me out here in the dark. Not after what happened last night.”

“Hold on a minute!” I shouted, then grabbed Bob’s leash and clipped it on. I didn’t know why he was freaking out so much. It made me think about how he’d barked at that baby-shaped bundle, how he’d tried to warn me that it was bad news, and I’d ignored him.

But I could see with my own two eyes that it was Piper out there. Surely my own eyes trumped canine instinct.

“Back up,” I told Luke, then dragged Bob away from the door. Luke was happy to make way for us, and I directed him back into his seat at the dining room table. “Hold this,” I ordered him, handing him Bob’s leash. Luckily, I kept my own hand on it, because Luke wasn’t prepared for Bob’s strength and might have gone sprawling. He adjusted his grip more securely, and I let go.

“Hold tight,” I told him unnecessarily. “And be ready to let go if I tell you to.”

“What?” he asked, and almost lost his grip a second time.

I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants legs, then pulled the gun back out. “I’m worried there might be something other than Piper out there,” I explained. “I’m probably being paranoid, but after last night I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

I thought he might argue with me, but instead he frowned at Bob and nodded.

I opened the door cautiously, and although I didn’t point the gun, I held it clearly visible in my hand. Piper glanced at that hand and her lips twisted in something vaguely resembling a smile.

“Someone’s feeling kinda edgy tonight,” she said as she slipped into the house.

“Aren’t you?” I asked, keeping an eye on her as I closed and locked the door. If she’d been out on the streets alone at night, she should be a raw bundle of nerves right now. Luke and I had decided not to watch the news, but the frequent wailing of sirens announced that the city had not suddenly gone back to normal.

Piper stepped clear of the entryway and finally saw Luke sitting at the dining room table, holding on to Bob’s leash with both hands. Bob tried to lunge forward when he saw her, but instead of looking intimidated, she laughed.

“I’ve gotta hand it to you, Becks,” she said. “You move quick. I haven’t been gone twenty-four hours, and already you’re playing house with my boyfriend.”

“I … What?” I shook my head, completely confused. This was not the tearful reunion I’d imagined.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Luke shouted over Bob’s barks. “Her dad and my mom didn’t want us hanging around our houses alone. Where the hell have you been?”

My brain finally caught up with the conversation, and I understood that Piper was accusing me of stealing her boyfriend. Although she didn’t