It couldn’t be. Why was he creeping around this late wearing a camouflage disguise and scaring the living shit out of her?
Spinning her around, he held a finger to his lips behind the mask indicating for her to be quiet. She nodded searching the masked man’s eyes. They were ones she knew well. Cautiously he backed away, flipping on the kitchen light switch.
Once the kitchen was illuminated, he looked to be decked out in swat gear. It was freaking to see her dad looking like a burglar. Removing his mask, she finally saw what her eyes wanted to deny. It was in fact her dad.
“What are you doing? You literally scare me to death,” she informed him in a loud pissed off whisper. Now that she wasn’t in grave danger, she threw all that adrenaline into anger.
“Why aren’t you in bed?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at her.
Ugh. She got the feeling he was evading the bigger question here. “Couldn’t sleep.” She waited for him to explain what was going on…and waited. Her kettle started to whistle, and she ran to take it off the burner.
Leaning against the counter she folded her arms over her chest. “Well, what is going on? Why are you sneaking around in the dark like a criminal?” She couldn’t believe the condescending tone that was coming out of her mouth. She never talked to her dad like this, or questioned his motives for anything.
“Calm down. You know I work late.”
She did, but that still didn’t explain the whole sniper vibe. “So you were working, dressed like that?”
“You know my job sometimes calls for safeguard,” he replied in his no-nonsense voice like she even had the faintest idea what he did. She knew it could be dangerous, but this was taking it to an unexpected level.
“Is everything okay? Are you in some kind of trouble?” She wondered if he was engaging in something illegal.
“Trust me Emma. Everything is fine. There is nothing for you to worry about,” he pacified in a smooth tone.
Why did she get the feeling that Travis wasn’t the only one hiding dark secrets? Scrutinizing her dad’s face, she didn’t really have a choice here. And this was the second time that someone she cared about asked them to trust her.
Coincidence?
She wasn’t so sure.
Chapter 9
Saturday Emma woke up giddy. Today she was spending the day with Travis. Her heart quickened in anticipation. Looking out her bedroom window, the sun was beating gloriously over the snow covered ground. Lately the nights were getting bitter cold, and to see a bit of sunshine was just what she needed to lift her spirits.
Digging in her closet, she rummaged through her clothes looking for something to wear. She was tired of pussyfooting around with Travis and was ready for something more physically, like kissing. With that always in the forefront of her mind, she wanted to look irresistible, sexy.
Or maybe she would just plant one on him. She always seemed to make the first move, and it wasn’t like he was shy.
Twenty outfits later, a mess of clothes were streamed over her floor. Nothing she owned seemed appropriate. Sighing, she plucked a pair of tight jeans from the discard pile and wiggled into them. She added a sweater the color of her eyes and finished the look with a cute knitted hat. He told her to dress warm.
Does he have any idea how ugly and unflattering warm could be? Surveying herself in the oval mirror, she thought she didn’t do to badly. The sweater made her eyes pop. A little dusting of eyeliner and mascara really gave her a smokin’ appeal.
Satisfied, Emma grabbed her keys and headed to her car. He had texted her directions the night before, along with some steaming messages. The man was driving her berserk. She never felt like such a horny teenage before…it was great.
Main street was pretty much the only road to and from in Spring Valley. So it was no surprise when she jumped on the road to get to Travis’s house. It was only a short driving distance from hers. A massive forest separated them. Most houses here were either broken up by woods, wheat fields, or corn stalks.
Shuffling her feet on the white porch of Travis’s house, she tried to extinguish the butterflies zooming in her belly. On the other side of the door, the bell chimed in a musical melody. When the door opened, her heart sunk.
Chase.