Page 81 of Cautious Love

I push my truck harder and flip on my lights, running through town until I turn onto my street and pull into the driveway.

Throwing the door open, I hop out and draw my gun.

At first glance, my house was vandalized. There’s spray paint, eggs, someone threw a rock through the window, and either red paint or blood on my front door.

I hurry through the garage and take a deep breath, pushing the door open. Shiloh said no one was in the house, but she could be wrong.

Stepping into the combination laundry and mudroom, shoes are strewn everywhere and my soap and fabric softener are all over the floor. Carefully stepping over the puddles, I ease into my kitchen with all the cabinets thrown open. Broken dishes are everywhere. My dinner table was thrown on its side. In the living room, my couch was cut up, and my TV is on the floor with a rock on the cracked screen. Moving further down the hall, I check her room first and see a stuffed animal with its head ripped off on the bed. There’s no one else here.

“Shiloh, it’s me,” I call to her, my back against the wall to my room.

She doesn’t answer, and her silence ices the blood in my veins.

“Shiloh?” I yell, grabbing the doorknob key from the top of the trim.

“I’m going to open the door, please don’t shoot,” I yell.

Before my hand touches the lever, the door flies open, and she leaps into my arms.

Throwing the safety on my gun, I holster it and hug her tightly.

“Boss!” Calder yells.

“It’s clear!” I yell, still holding Shiloh.

“Are you okay?” I murmur into her hair.

She tilts her head back and nods, with tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, this is all my fault,” she says, her lower lip trembling.

I drag my thumb over it and shake my head. “No, honey, it’s not. This is on me. I didn’t want to tell you why, but looks like it’s time.”

Her brows squish together, and I can see the questions flying through her eyes.

Unraveling us, I take her hand and pull her behind me.

Calder and Noah are inspecting the carnage as we come down the hall.

“Thanks for coming, guys.”

They nod, looking between me and Shiloh.

“I’m going to file the report. Can one of you do the outside and one the inside?” I ask them.

“No problem,” Noah says and goes out the door.

My phone keeps ringing and I know it’s my family because I ran out of the house like a bat out of hell.

Sure enough, it’s my mother.

“Ledger? Are you—”

“Mama, I’m okay. I’ll tell you about it later, but for now, can you please send one of the guys with a couple sheets of plywood, please?”

She’s silent for a moment. “Are you sure you’re alright?” she asks quickly.

I squeeze Shiloh’s hand, and my chest unknots a bit. “Yes, there was an incident at my house, but I need one of the guys.”

“Oh—okay. I’ll send one over,” she says.