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Fueled by fury, and fear, he took off to follow the trail of Della’s blood.
Chapter Eighteen
The blood led Chase through the woods. The thought that he should call Burnett and get help was countered by the thought of not wasting a second before finding her.
He ran through the brush, not caring when he got caught by a thorny bush. After about a minute he realized that unless the trail changed, he’d come out at cabin fourteen. His cabin.
Had Della been hurt and gone looking for him? The thought of her needing him and not being able to find him sent another jolt of pain through his chest.
He suddenly cleared the woods and could see the light on in his cabin. He hadn’t turned a light on. Someone had been there. Or was there.
Shooting forward, he caught her scent, still mixed with her blood. Then he heard her say, “I’m gonna kill you. I am.”
Who was she going to kill? Not that she had to; he’d do it for her. Too panicked to check for another scent, he bolted up the stairs and swung open his door, ready to defend her.
She swung around. She had on a bloody white tank top and a pair of pajama bottoms. Baxter sat in front of her.
“What happened?” he asked, his heart thumping against his rib cage.
“You happened,” she seethed.
He stood there, the roaring panic that had tightened his muscles slowly fading. “Me?”
“Yes, you let Buster loose. And he ends up at my cabin.”
Chase hadn’t let the dog out, but … He blinked and again noted the blood on her white tank top. Then he glanced at Baxter sitting at Della’s feet, his tail slowly swishing back and forth, his head hanging a little low. Definitely his guilty pose.
Was she saying…? “Baxter would never hurt you.”
“He wouldn’t hurt me, but a cat is another question.”
Chase shook his head. “No, he wouldn’t hurt a cat. He loves cats. Eddie had one and they were best buddies. He used to pick it up and carry it around in his mouth.”
“Well, I guess Socks isn’t fond of a canine set of chops coming at her, even if it is for a joy ride.”
“Shit. What happened?”
“Baxter showed up at my cabin. I forgot about Socks and I let him in. I went to get my pajamas on and hell broke loose. Baxter had Socks cornered. Socks ran. Baxter chased. They ransacked the cabin. And before I caught the cat, the cat caught me. She clawed her way up me to get away from your dog.”
Chase frowned. “Are you okay?”
“Okay?” She pointed to her shirt. “I was used as a climbing post.”
“Bad Baxter,” Chase said.
“No!” Della seethed.
“You’re right,” Chase said. “It was the cat who did it.”
“No! You’re the one who didn’t put your dog up.”
“I did put him up.” Chase inhaled and realized the stench of paint was stronger. “I bet the painters came and let him out.”
“Oh, yeah, blame it on the painters!” she snarled.
“I’m not.” He bit back his laughter. Even covered in blood, she looked adorable in her pajamas. The white tank, with the word “princess” written across it in pink, hugged her chest and showcased her breasts perfectly. It also fit against her waist. And her white bottoms had little pink crowns printed on them. They were a little big, and hung just low enough to expose a little flat belly. She looked sexy as hell.
