Fragile Sanctuary (Sparrow Falls Book 1)

I cursed as my hammer missed the nail, narrowly avoiding my thumb.

Shep straightened from his spot on the opposite side of the new deck we were putting in. “I’d tell you that you should be using the nail gun, but if you were, you probably would’ve put a nail through your hand by now.”

I scowled at him as I stood, tossing my hammer onto the deck and cracking my neck. I’d been a mess all morning. And Shep was right, it was a miracle I hadn’t seriously injured myself.

“What’s going on?” he asked, moving in my direction. “Was there a new update on The Hangman?”

I shook my head. All was quiet on that front. But quiet made me twitchy. Like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. “No. They’re still working the last crime scene and canvassing the area.”

Shep studied me for a long moment. “Still worried about Rho.”

It wasn’t a question, but I answered him anyway. “It’s hard for me to turn it off.”

Just because they had the person who’d been harassing Rho in lockup didn’t mean I could erase the protective urge. Too much had happened to both Rho and in my past. It was the sort of thing I worried she wouldn’t be able to handle in the long run. So, I’d shoved it all down and gone to work today, even though it was the last thing I wanted to do.

Shep clapped me on the shoulder. “Come on.” He started toward his truck, expecting me to follow.

“Where?”

“Fallon is picking Rho up for lunch. We’ll crash their day date.”

I frowned at him. “We’re already behind with not having access to the Victorian. I thought you said we needed to get this deck done today.”

Shep beeped the locks on his truck. “The rest of the team is working double-time on the Evans’ project. That’ll help us make up some time. And you and I can knock this one out this afternoon.”

I opened the passenger door and climbed inside. “Thanks.” Taking the time now meant us working faster this afternoon and maybe even staying late. But Shep knew I needed to lay eyes on Rho. Needed to touch her and assure myself she was okay.

He pressed the button to start the ignition. “You’ve been through one of the worst things imaginable. It’s understandable that you might need a little extra reassurance when it comes to the safety of the people you care about.”

I stared out the window as Shep navigated the gravel road that led back to Rho’s. I wasn’t good at the feelings stuff. As much as I’d studied emotion and psychological makeup, expressing it when it came to me wasn’t easy.

“Makes me feel weak,” I admitted.

Shep’s gaze flicked to me. “Because you care?”

“Because I can’t stop obsessing. Thinking about the million things that could go wrong.”

He adjusted his hold on the steering wheel as he made a left turn onto the two-lane highway. “I’d say that’s normal. You’ve been through trauma twice over. Give your mind and body time to recover. And the last thing Rho will think is that you’re weak.”

I knew he was right. Rho would talk me through it and see the silver lining in it, the strength. “I’m an idiot.”

The corner of Shep’s mouth kicked up. “You said it, not me.”

I chuckled. “What about you? You’ve usually mentioned a woman you’re seeing by now.”

Shep was the king of casual dating. I tried not to analyze the fact that he always seemed to come up with a reason to politely end things around week three or four. It was better than stringing someone along if he didn’t see a future, but I also worried he might be looking for something that didn’t exist.

Shep shifted in his seat, not looking in my direction.

I was instantly on alert. “What?”

He scowled at the windshield. “Nothing.”

“It’s obviously something.”

He finally let out a breath. “I asked someone out, but she said no.”

I was silent for a moment, and then I burst out laughing. “Is that the first time you’ve been rejected?”

Shep turned his glare from the road to me. “No. Abbie James dumped me for Robbie Allen in third grade.”

I only laughed harder, to the point where tears filled my eyes. “Who is she? I think I want to buy her a drink.”

“You’re an asshole,” Shep grumbled.

“I am. But you already knew that.” I glanced over at my extremely annoyed friend. “Seriously, who is she?”

He didn’t answer right away but then finally gave in. “Thea. She works with Rho at the nursery. I get the sense she’s been through some stuff. A little gun-shy. I asked her to coffee, and she shot me down with zero explanation.”

I studied him for a long moment. “You sure this isn’t just your white-knight complex coming into play?”

“I don’t have a white-knight complex.”

“You do. You have a compulsion when it comes to fixing people’s problems. It’s good in small doses, but you need to look at why you have the urge.” If he didn’t, he’d never actually find happiness in a relationship.

Shep glowered as he turned onto Rho’s drive. “Stop shrinking me.” Then, he sighed. “There’s something about her. She sees things others miss. She’s got this hard exterior, but when she thinks no one’s watching, she’s got a gentleness about her.”

Oh, damn. This sounded like a little more than a crush.

“Then give it time,” I encouraged. “If Thea’s been through something hard, it’ll take time for her to feel comfortable opening up to anyone.”

“You’re probably right,” Shep said as he rounded the Victorian to the guesthouse.

Fallon’s car was parked next to Rho’s new one, but that wasn’t what caught my attention. It was Fallon herself, bent over on the gravel, heaving.

Shep slowed. “What the⁠—?”

I didn’t wait. I threw open the door and ran toward Fallon. “What is it?”

Fallon choked as she heaved one more time but pointed at the cruiser. I ran toward it, skidding to a halt as bile surged up my throat. The man who’d greeted Rho with a quick joke this morning was slumped against the wheel, his throat slit.

I whirled, panic setting in. “Rho. Where’s Rho?”

Tears streaked down Fallon’s face. “I-I don’t know.”

Nausea swept through me, fast and fierce. My ears rang as I stalked toward the front door. I had a set of keys Rho had given me, but they were supposed to be used if I got home before her, not because a deputy was dead outside, and we had no idea where she was.

“Gloves,” Shep yelled at me, his arm around Fallon and his face pale.

I didn’t want to waste time on fucking gloves, but I turned back, ran to his truck, and grabbed a box out of the bed. If something had happened to Rho, if someone had her, we’d need all the evidence we could get. All the clues to find her.

I turned it off—everything inside me that made me human again. Everything Rho had brought back to life. I didn’t have any other choice.

I tested the front door. Unlocked. Fuck. The moment it swung open, Biscuit ran at me, barking his head off. I grabbed his collar, quickly hooking a leash to it. “Easy, boy. Easy.”

But I didn’t feel the words. Nothing about me was easy, and Biscuit knew it. He went unnaturally quiet at my side.

Everything about the place was silent. Too still. There was no music or humming, no sounds of laughter or chatter. It didn’t feel like Rho’s place.

I found no sign of her in the bedroom or bathroom, but nothing was out of place either. I headed back down the hall. I stilled when Biscuit and I reached the living room and kitchen. Nothing was out of place, not exactly, but something was off. Something that had triggered my sixth sense.

I walked deeper into the living space, coming up short as I reached one of the bookcases. The entire world dropped away.

A note was held to the shelf by a photo of Rho and her family. Scrawled across the paper was blocky lettering, familiar in a way that had dread sinking deep.

YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO SUFFER. HOW QUICKLY YOU FORGET. YOUR SISTER MUST’VE MEANT NOTHING TO YOU AT ALL. BUT RHO DOES. AND I’LL MAKE SURE YOUR TORTURE AND HERS LASTS FOREVER THIS TIME. SHE WAS ALWAYS SUPPOSED TO BE MINE ANYWAY.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN.

-THE HANGMAN