Stuffing her arms into the sleeves of her jacket, Maddie fumed. Scott’s words from yesterday still stung. They’d had “fun while it lasted.” What bullshit.
He’d talked to her about doing one more rotation in Mexico and then coming back so they could work out a life together. That screamed anything but casual. Damn him. She’d been willing to wait and had even considered changing her work travel plans for him. She grabbed her backpack, locked up her apartment, and headed to her car.
The man should have gone into acting, because he’d sure convinced her she was special. She couldn’t count how many times he’d held her close and told her she meant the world to him. Sure, the sex was phenomenal, but they’d connected on a deeper level, too. Or so she’d thought.
Before him, with all her work travel, she’d kept men at arm’s length and only dated for fun. No commitment meant no pain when it came time to move on. But he had changed everything.
He made her laugh and could turn even the most mundane task into a joke. Once while she’d been reading a magazine in the grocery store line, he’d loaded the conveyor belt with cans of whipped cream and boxes of condoms he’d snuck into the cart. He’d disappeared, leaving her to face the elderly, male cashier. Later, they’d laughed, played, and made good use of the purchases. She took a deep breath and pushed away the feelings that once had made her giddy.
Enough of him. Winding through woods loaded with deer at five a.m. required concentration. When she reached the parking lot, she squinted at the lone storage building across the field. The outside lights were off. They’d been on when she’d left last night at ten. Maybe a circuit breaker had tripped or something. The air and heat cycled all the time to control the temperature. That could be trouble if the system malfunctioned. Her hands turned cold.
She grabbed her backpack and got out of the car. Shining a flashlight on the dew-covered field, she picked her way toward the building. A beam of light flashed from the front window.
She froze mid-stride.
Another glimmer flickered from the window.
Her gut clenched. Anyone on her team would have turned on the overhead lights. Something was wrong. But if a prowler had broken in, the security system should be activated.
Think. Think. No nine-one-one service. Who was on duty? Maybe Tom. She fumbled in her backpack, fished out her cell phone, and speed-dialed his number. If he was asleep, he’d forgive her for waking him in an emergency like this.
He answered on the second ring. “Maddie?”
“Tom, I’m at my storage building, and I think there’s someone inside. A burglar maybe. Did the security service send any alerts?”
“No. I’m on duty and any alarms would have come to me. Leave and get to a safe place. I’m on my way. I’ll call in backup, but stay on the line until I get there.”
She couldn’t leave. That building held all the artifacts collected over an entire year. And if she got into her car, the dome light might draw attention. Scanning the area, she homed in on a large oak by the edge of the parking lot. Close enough to her car if she needed to get away, and big enough to hide behind. In quick strides, she crossed the field and took cover.
She peered around the tree trunk. The storeroom door opened, and a man dressed all in black emerged with a flashlight in his mouth, carrying a box.
Her stomach dropped. This couldn’t be happening.
The guy lumbered around the rear of the building.
A car door slammed, and the sound echoed across the field.
He reappeared and strode back into the storeroom. Seconds turned into minutes. Cold sweat trickled down between her shoulder blades.
She whispered into the phone, “I just saw the burglar. He’s carrying boxes out of the building. I don’t know how many he’s already taken. Oh God, the tribe would be devastated. How far away are you?”
“About ten minutes. What are you still doing there? I told you to leave.” Tom’s voice rang with concern.
When the thief came out lugging another box, she slapped the phone against her leg to hide the illuminated screen. Ten minutes! He might get away in that time.
The man hesitated. He turned his head and swept the flashlight in his mouth across the field. She held her breath as the beam approached her car.
She dug her nails into the bark of the tree and rolled onto the balls of her feet, ready to run if necessary. A mere foot from her car, the light dimmed.
A long, quiet breath slipped from her lips.
He swung around and trudged behind the building again.
Her mind raced. He appeared to be working alone.
Empty-handed, he returned and went back into the storeroom. A loud noise came from inside.
Crash. Crash. Crash.
She flinched. Each sound punched a direct hit to her gut. He could be destroying artifacts. But they wouldn’t be worth anything if he broke them, so it made no sense. She ground her teeth. Time to take matters into her own hands.
Given his size and her lack of a weapon, she shouldn’t charge in and try to fight him. She needed to stall him until the police came. Maybe if she wedged something under the door, she could trap him inside until the cops showed up. She shoved the phone in her pocket, dropped to her knees, and ran her hands along the ground to grab a fallen branch. Feeling the rounded end, she tossed it aside and picked up another. This one had split from the tree to form an angled edge. Perfect.
She took a deep breath and sprinted to the building. Her chest heaved as she flattened against the side. She inched along the wall and crept under the front window. Steam puffed out of her mouth as her warm breath met the cold morning air.
The noise inside the storage unit stopped. Crap.
No turning back now. She groped the cool, metal frame of the door. Her pulse throbbed in her neck.
Silence from within. And then a shuffling. Like feet kicking through debris as they approached the door. Desperation deflated her lungs.
No, no, no, no.
She dove to the ground and fingered the crack under the door. Hands shaking, she stuffed the end of the stick into the space.
Too thick. Damn it.
The steps came closer, and she pressed her lips together. No time to run now.
Wrenching the stick back and forth, she forced it into the crack. Tighter and tighter. Her heart leaped. She had this.
The door handle shook, and she jerked.
Oh God. She gripped the branch with both hands and wedged it harder under the crack.
A thump and grunt came from inside. The door slid open an inch. She threw her weight onto the stick, bracing it against her stomach as she shoved hard.
Not tight enough. The door burst open, knocking her flat on her back.
Her breath left with a whoosh. She gasped for air.
A man lurched out of the building and towered over her. Angry eyes glared through the holes of his ski mask. “Bitch.”
He was bigger than she was, but she’d go down fighting.
Before she could make a move, he yanked her to her feet and swung a fist.
She dodged her head, but his blow glanced her cheek.
Aiming for his vulnerable spot, she rammed her knee up between his thighs. He twisted his hips, and she missed the mark.
His fingers dug into her arms as he threw her to the ground. Her head smacked against the hard dirt. Searing pain shot through her skull.
She rolled on her side and tried to scramble away. His booted foot stamped down inches from her shoulder.
Blood filled her mouth. Adrenaline spiked through her body, waking her dazed senses. She wobbled to her feet, but stumbled and fell.
Gravel crunched, and the man whipped his head around in the direction of the noise.
Tom, at last.
The thief cursed and ran toward the rear of the building. An engine gunned, followed by the noise of dirt and rocks pelting the concrete wall.
Dizzy, she managed to get up and stagger around the corner of the storeroom.
And then everything went black.