Свольн. Путь в воины. Константин Назимов

reason to believe anyone is following me, she thought. And yet when she turned off the highway and onto the narrow gravel road that would eventually lead to the lane that was her driveway into her cottage, the car made the turn right behind her.

      An edge of apprehension crept up her spine. There were few people who used this road and she couldn’t remember the last time any vehicle had shadowed her from the shop to her home.

      Stop being silly, she told herself. There were other people who lived in this area. She didn’t own the road that continued past her driveway and on up the mountain. It was probably just the thought of somebody kidnapping Aunt Liz that had her unusually on edge.

      She couldn’t tell the make or color of the car that was behind her. Darkness had fallen and all she could discern was the brilliance of the headlights.

      As she turned into the lane that led to her cottage, she could have sworn that the car behind her came to a near halt, and then zoomed on and disappeared from sight.

      Sheri hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until it expelled out of her in a deep whoosh. She parked her truck and when she stepped out, a sense of uneasiness settled over her again as she heard the sounds of Highway barking raucously from his pen.

      Nerves jittering, she quickly unlocked her front door, stepped inside and then locked the door behind her. She went to the kitchen and looked out the window where Highway was at the back of his fenced pen facing the forest and barking the kind of sound that indicated danger.

      The dog was well trained not to bark at four-legged creatures or any of the wildlife that populated the area. Highway only acted this way when there was a two-legged predator in the woods.

      Sheri opened the window above her kitchen sink, her heart beating an abnormally rapid rhythm. “Highway...inside!”

      The dog turned in her direction, looked back toward the forest and gave a sharp bark, and then headed to the doggie door.

      As he entered the kitchen, Sheri flipped the latches on the door that would keep anything else from crawling inside. She hurried back to the window and peered outside, wondering who or what had set Highway off.

      The darkness betrayed no movement, no discernible figure, but that didn’t slow the frantic beat of Sheri’s heart. She tried to tell herself she was overreacting.

      Still, she went from room to room, turning on lights and checking windows for any sign of an intruder. Her blood chilled as she found an unlocked window open an inch in the spare bedroom.

      Had she unlocked the window last week when the weather had been so nice? Had she opened the window to let in some fresh air? She couldn’t remember. All she knew for certain was that she didn’t want to be here alone.

      She wasn’t even aware that she had memorized Jimmy Carmani’s phone number until she punched it into her phone. He answered on the first ring. “Jimmy, can you come to my house?”

      “On my way,” he replied, and hung up.

Chapter 2

      Jimmy had been at home when he’d gotten the call from Sheri. He hadn’t bothered to run a comb through his thick, unruly hair. He hadn’t taken the time to change from his jeans and polo shirt. He simply grabbed his gun and car keys, jumped in his car and headed out.

      As he tore out of his driveway, all he could think of was the faint simmer of stress he’d heard in Sheri’s voice. She hadn’t specified anything wrong, but the phone call directly to him was definitely an anomaly.

      He hoped he didn’t find her holding a shotgun on somebody again. She was obviously territorial about her property, but her going up against a hunter’s loaded gun with her useless shotgun was not just foolish, it was suicidal.

      If that was what this call was about he intended to leave her home tonight with that shotgun of hers safely locked away in his trunk.

      He thought about calling her back to find out what was going on, but figured by the time he pulled over and made the call he could be at her place. He couldn’t imagine why she’d called him, but as he rolled to a stop in front of her cottage every light in the house radiated outward and she opened the front door.

      He breathed a sigh of relief, just now realizing how tense he’d been on the drive here. “Are you okay?” he asked as he got out of his car. He’d pulled his gun, but kept it by his side, ready for any situation.

      “I’m fine, just a little freaked out.” The smile she offered him was slightly shaky as she opened the door wider to allow him inside.

      Jimmy had never been inside her house before and he was instantly embraced by the warmth of the earth-tone furniture, the pop of vibrant colors of scattered throw pillows and the various scents of candles here and there. A variety of healthy-looking plants added greenery, as if it was her attempt to bring the outside in. It was exactly how he’d imagined her living space would be.

      What he didn’t see in the room was anything to give him pause. He turned back to look at her as she closed the door and locked it, and then faced him once again. The sight of her slightly pale face made his stomach clench.

      “What’s going on?”

      She motioned him to the sofa and she curled up in a chair nearby. “I think maybe I overreacted,” she said.

      “About what?”

      It was obvious she was still not herself as she clasped her shaking fingers in her lap. “First I thought I was followed home from the store. A car followed me off the main highway onto Timberline Drive and then when I pulled into my driveway, it appeared to stop for a moment and then sped off.”

      Jimmy frowned. “Did you get a make or color?”

      She shook her head. “No, it was too dark. All I could see were the headlights. I slowed down to allow them to pass, but they didn’t and when I sped up, they did the same. It just felt...slightly sinister.”

      Jimmy’s concern grew as she continued to tell him about Highway’s frantic barks and the unlocked window in the spare room. “Where is Highway now?” he asked when she’d finished telling him everything.

      “He’s in my bedroom. I didn’t figure you’d want to mess with him.”

      “As long as he doesn’t eat me I’m fine with him.” Jimmy was rewarded with the first genuine smile from her.

      “I already told you he wouldn’t hurt you unless you were hurting me or I gave the command.” Her smile fell and she worried a strand of her long shiny hair between her slender fingers.

      “He was just acting so out of character when I got home, like he knew somebody was in the woods.”

      “Maybe Travis?”

      “Possibly,” she conceded. “But when I noticed the unlocked window in the spare room I just got totally creeped out. That’s when I called you, because I was afraid to be here alone. Now I’m just feeling rather foolish.”

      Jimmy got up from the sofa. “Better safe than sorry. Let’s check out that window.” As always whenever he was around her he experienced a hyperawareness of not just her, but himself. He suddenly wished he’d taken the time to run a comb through his hair and maybe pulled on a different shirt. He frowned at the inappropriate thought.

      She led him down the hallway and he tried not to notice the tempting sway of her slender hips in her tight jeans. He followed her into a small bedroom that held a double bed neatly made up with a purple flowered spread, and a dresser that sported a purple vase filled with an arrangement of white flowers.

      He caught the pleasant scent of lilac and wondered if it was coming in through the partially opened window or wafted from her.

      “The screen appears to be solidly in place. Are you sure you didn’t crack the window open at some point or another and have simply