Taking Tessa Read Free

like I expected, I needed to get that girl out of there. I had to save her, couldn't let her be another statistic because some self-involved asshole shrugged the situation off as normal.

    I shoved my foot down on the pedal, my black F-250 roaring down the road. I didn't bother with the red flashing hood light; this town was so empty there wasn't another car to disturb. With my heart pounding against my ribcage, I eased around the corner of Bakker Lane, then came to a stop across the street from the house.
    Oranges and pinks streaked the sky and lit up all the shabby corners of the old house. Shingles lay scattered in the front yard from one of the last storms we'd had, mildew crawled up the dark eaves, a broken fence overgrown with rose bushes welcomed no visitors.
    "Jesus Christ," I murmured as I cut the engine and lowered the window, prepared to eagle-eye this place until I knew what I might be dealing with. The odds didn't look good. The house wasn't the most rundown on the street—our northern corner of Idaho had been starkly affected by the depressed economy—but this place looked like it was owned by someone trying to keep people out for a reason. A Beware of Dog sign couldn't make the message clearer.
    My eyes flicked across the windows of the house. Some of them were boarded up with sheets of plywood, others with heavy curtains obscuring my view, a slice of neon from a screen flashing in what I assumed was the living room was the only sign of life. I licked my lips, thinking maybe I should go have a chat with the neighbors and ask them exactly what they'd seen, then I saw the dim light from the living room flicker off.
    I watched silently as the front door slid open and a fat old man toddled down the front steps, his eyes darting around the neighborhood then up to a second-story window. One of the boarded-up ones.
    Damn if he didn't look like he had something worth hiding in that shit hole.
    I watched as he climbed into the rusted Cadillac sitting in the driveway, the old car firing to life before he backed down the driveway and went off down the street.
    Shit, this was it. Act, don't think. If she's in there hurt, this is your chance to get her out.
    I launched out of the cab of my truck, striding across the street and up the driveway of the rambling house. Taking the front steps two at a time, I gave two loud knocks on the front door, biding my time before I could crash through and investigate the house. I didn't expect anyone to actually answer. I expected to have to do my own recognizance.
    I rested a palm on the knob just as the cool metal turned and the door cracked open.
    Not a single word was said, only a pair of wide crystal-green eyes peered out at me. My mouth went dry as I realized what I was facing.
    "Ma'am, are you hurt?" The stranger's eyes widened for a moment before she bit down on her bottom lip. So hard the front incisors piercing the ruby flesh turned it ghost white. "Can I come in?"
    Her eyes narrowed for a moment, and I remembered she'd probably like some identification. I pulled out my badge, the one I kept tucked in my work jeans for times just like this. The gold flashed in the dim light, and her eyes seemed to relax marginally.
    "I-I don't know if I should let you in." The first sentence she strung together, and it was like a siren song to my ears. Who was this girl?
    "Well, just the fact that you don't know if you should let me in means you should probably let me in."
    "That doesn't make much sense." Her eyes shimmered with some unspoken emotion.
    "I work with the local police department, so actually, it does." I placed the toe of my boot in the small crack she held open. I didn't want to push her, but I needed confirmation of her safety before I just sauntered back out of here.
    "He'll be back any time." The sliver of door cracked wider as my heart died a slow death in my chest.
    "Who's 'he,' sweetheart?" I placed a spread palm on the paneled wood, pushing gently.
    "My father.