Before the Dawn

by Gail Chianese

  Pressing on her stomach, Kat took a deep breath. She hadn’t even thought about him coming after Ashley or Lexie. She’d been so wrapped up in her own problems she forgot others could be in danger. It was a good plan. Leave it to Lexie to turn a bad situation into their advantage, but now she’d be worried about her friends. “What do we do next?”

  “You and I go shopping for new clothes with Devin. I’ll give Rafe a quick call and bring him up to speed. Monday, Kat, you start your new job and as I go about our morning errands, I’ll spread the word further. We’ll make sure our new employee tells everyone she meets the same story, too, especially Loose Lips Lilly. And when you’re not at the school, you’re not to be alone. We don’t know when this guy will come at you again.”

  Chapter 15

  Monday: the longest day of the year, possibly of an entire lifespan.

  Today, between first-day jitters, the kids’ excitement over Halloween rapidly approaching, and Kat’s shot nerves from the weekend, it felt three times as long as normal. As she walked toward the main entrance, visions of curling up on the couch with a good book and giant glass of wine teased her brain, and since she was basically under house arrest there was nothing to stop her from a relaxing evening ahead.

  She simply needed to talk that cutie pie, Officer Swanson, into stopping at the store so she could buy said bottle of wine and perhaps some good chocolate to accompany it. The only problem? Swanson was such a stickler for following Rafe’s orders to the T. As she pushed the heavy metal door open and stepped into the late afternoon sun, the last sight she expected to greet her was that of a sexy fire marshal kicked back on the hood of his truck napping.

  Her heart did a little double take and, well, who could blame it when faced with such blatant sexuality? Images of their weekend together flashed through her brain. Memories of what that body looked like sans jeans and shirt. Suddenly the air around Kat shimmered with an increase in temperature. A little tug pulled at her heart as she acknowledged she’d missed him. Good golly Miss Molly, it’d only been a little over thirty-six hours. What would she do at the end of the week when he left for Seattle?

  A little click of a camera brought her back to reality and she turned to find one of the other teachers standing next to her with a dreamy, embarrassed smile.

  “That’s a sight that’s just too yummy not to capture and enjoy again and again.”

  “Can’t say that I blame you.” Kat walked toward the car, noticing Shawn’s devil-may-care grin. “I do believe you’ll be starring in a few fantasies tonight.”

  He had the grace to blush as he looked after her coworker. “At least she’s not my mom’s age.”

  Cocking an eyebrow, Kat glanced around the small parking lot. “What are you doing here? I expected Officer Swanson.”

  Shawn pulled Kat between his long legs. “He’s running late. I was at the police station and Rafe asked me if I could pick you up and stay with you.”

  Kat stepped back, putting several inches of breathing room between them. She would simply have to kill Rafe. Damn the man, his timing for payback stunk. “You’re not staying the night with me. Drop me off at Rafe’s house. I’ll be fine on my own. No one knows I’m staying there.”

  He hoped down, then walked to the passenger seat and opened the door for Kat. “Actually, you’re staying at my place tonight.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  Ignoring her, he went on. “We decided it was best to mix it up, keep changing your location every couple of days. If someone did figure out where you were, you wouldn’t be there for long. A neighbor could have easily seen Swanson picking you up at Barandas’s this morning and casually mentioned it in passing to another person at the bank, post office or that gossip mill all of you call a bakery.”

  “Rafe is going to talk to the local businesses. Ask them to keep an eye out for strangers or anyone asking about me to let the PD know. The townspeople won’t talk.”

  “We already know our guy can change his appearance with very little effort. He missed you, Kat. It’s going to piss him off big time. If nothing else, he’s going to come after you to soothe his ego.”

  Crow was exceedingly bitter to swallow.

  She stood still, not out of stubbornness or stupidity, out of fear. Getting into Shawn’s car, changing locations, it all amounted to letting the bad guy win. He’d backed her against a wall and her options were running out.

  She rested her face in the palms of her hands, resisting the urge to scream—partly because it would scare the children, but mostly because her head already wanted to explode. “Look. I don’t want to argue. In fact, I’m not going to. Either you agree to drop me off at Rafe’s and leave me there or I walk back inside that school and call for another ride. If Lexie won’t pick me up, one of my parents will. Or I can call for an Uber. Your choice.”

  They stood staring. Neither moved. Neither blinked. He ran his hand over his face, then across the back of his neck.

  “Have you always been this stubborn and I’m just now noticing it?”

  “Pretty much. What’s your answer going to be?”

  About then a wave of cool air washed over her and Kat sighed. Heavily. Exactly what she didn’t need, another opiniated male.

  “Why are we standing around in the school parking lot?” Vinnie looked around. Today he was dressed in jeans and a Yankees hoodie. At least he was sticking to his home turf. “Oh, you and lover boy are having a spat. Great. You’re killing me. You know you’re like a sitting chicken out here? That crazy could come along at any minute and pick you off.”

  Kat tried to slyly give him the steely-eyed death stare, but all that did was make her headache worse. “Time’s a wasting.” Maybe if she showed Shawn she was serious he’d drop the macho alpha act.

  As she turned to go, he reached out and grabbed her arm. “Fine. We’ll do it your way. For tonight.”

  The short, silent ride to Rafe’s Cape Cod style house didn’t help her headache. There was only so much tension that a truck cab could hold and his was about to go boom. Still, he had ghosted her and she hadn’t forgotten. At this point, she needed to protect her heart from Shawn as much as she needed to protect her whole body from the arsonist. While the first didn’t mean to hurt her and the second did, in both cases, chances were, she was going to end up badly burned.

  When they arrived at Rafe’s house, Officer Swanson met them at the door.

  “Sorry about earlier. Couple of kids ended up in a fender bender. Thanks for stepping in for me.” He held out his hand to Shawn.

  Shawn nodded toward the house. “All good?”

  “Yes, I’ve secured the premises insides and out. It’s safe for you, Ms. Jones, to enter. I’ll be out here keeping a watch and making periodic perimeter checks. If you need anything, call me.” He handed her his business card with his direct cell phone number before walking to his patrol car.

  “Thanks for the ride. I’m sure you’ve got lots of paperwork and stuff to do back at the station, so I won’t keep you.”

  “Kat, I don’t feel right leaving you here alone.”

  That wall she’d built around her heart crumbled a little like the sides of a thousand-year-old castle. Still strong, still holding up, but getting weaker every minute. “I’m not alone. Officer Swanson is right there.” Plus, unknown to Shawn, she had Vinnie.

  She could see the warring emotions in his expression as he scrubbed his hands over his eyes and blew out a labored breath. “Okay, but I’ll be back soon.”

  He headed to his truck and tore out of there like a man racing a storm.

  “That guy has it bad.” Vinnie laughed as they walked into the house. “He’s definitely a step up from your last boyfriend.”

  Kat snorted. “That’s not saying much. An amoeba on a flea on a rat would have been a step up from Paul Gibson.” She dropped her purse on the kitchen counter and opened the fridge to stare at the meager contents. “Why are you here? I thought you’d be hanging with your lady friend?”


  “She needed some downtime to rest.”

  It was on the tip of Kat’s tongue to ask, “rest from what?” but she held back out of common sense. Vinnie wasn’t known for his political correctness or being subtle. Although, she was curious. Did ghosts “get busy?” If she asked, Vinnie would answer, probably in graphic detail. She didn’t need those images haunting her for the rest of her life. And she’d yet to find any actual brain bleach.

  When Kat didn’t respond, Vinnie chuckled. “You know you want to ask.”

  “No, no I don’t. I want chocolate.”

  “Bow chicka wow wow,” he sang.

  “Stop. You’re ruining my appetite.” She had to bite down to stop from laughing.

  “What? You think sex is only for the living?”

  Well, yes, but she didn’t say that. He stared at her, waiting.

  He ran his fingers through his hair, then grabbed his hoodie as if it were a suit with lapels. “I’ll have you know. I’ve still got it going on.”

  “Vinnie, I’m begging you. Go bug, Lexie.” She stuck her head into the freezer to cool her flaming cheeks as she stifled a giggle. She had to admit, he might be a PITA and lack certain social graces, but he never failed to make her laugh when she needed it the most.

  “No can do.” All seriousness had returned to his tone. Kat slammed the freezer door and turned to find him looking out the kitchen window. “Lexie said I was to stay with you. If anything happens, if anyone uninvited shows up, I’m to alert her.”

  “So, you’re just going to sit around and wait for something to happen?” Kat blinked at him and waited. Surely, he had something else to do. Someone else to bug or haunt?

  “Yep. Hey, can you turn the TV on for me?”

  Kat grabbed the remote and hit the power button. “What are you in the mood for? The Godfather? The Sopranos? Scarface?” Vinnie hated when she or Lexie brought up his past. “You know, so you can connect with the old gang.”

  “It’s not nice to stereotype.” The ghost reclined on the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table, one arm resting on the back like he had not a care in the world. Probably didn’t. Pyewacket hopped up and snuggled in next to him.

  “I know. How about Married to the Mob?” Kat snort-laughed. “Or Casper.”

  “You’re killing me, here.”

  “I think I’m a little late for that.”

  “Let’s watch one of those rom-coms you like. You could stand to unwind for a while.”

  “What I could use is some alone time.” But it was clear, with her family and friends, that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

  She brought up the movie selections and hit play on the first romantic comedy she saw, then went back to the kitchen. She had papers to grade and a lesson plan to tweak. Chilling in front of the TV would have to wait. As would her plan to continue looking for her arsonist. There was no way she was getting out that door without Vinnie alerting the world.

  Vinnie popped in and out of the house periodically, keeping his word and doing perimeter checks, making sure she was safe. She did appreciate his help. She even, sort of, liked his company. He made her laugh and he was right that she needed to unwind. Although, she would have preferred a different method, one that involved a certain hot fire marshal. Not that she was going to admit that to anyone . . . especially to a certain hot fire marshal.

  After the movie, Vinnie disappeared. She assumed he was on one of his recon missions outside. A few minutes later, Vinnie popped back in, smiling.

  “What’s up? Tell me Lexie is here and has chocolate cream pie.” Kat was dying for something sweet.

  “Nope, but you do have company. Take a look.” He pointed to the kitchen window.

  She followed where he indicated and wasn’t shocked to see Shawn. But why was he sitting in his truck?

  “You should invite him in. Offer him something to drink.” Vinnie leaned back against the counter trying to look cool, suave, and innocent at the same time. She didn’t buy the act. “I saw some wine in the pantry.”

  “Do you not remember he dropped me like I had the plague?”

  Vinnie shrugged. “Did you let him explain why?”

  Kat took one more look out the window before going back to the table and picking up someone’s homework paper. “It doesn’t matter. He’s leaving. It’s better that we forget everything that happened and move forward.”

  Vinnie threw up his hands and muttered, “You’re killing me.” He disappeared.

  At first Kat didn’t think anything of it. He was probably going to do his regular perimeter check. But as the minutes ticked by and the ghost didn’t reappear, an uneasy sense came over her. She wouldn’t describe it as being lonely, more like alone in the most deserted place you could imagine with no way home.

  Which was silly.

  Shawn was right outside in his truck. She had her cell phone and could call Lexie or her parents, if she wanted to. And it wasn’t like she had never been by herself before. She lived alone. But this was different. It wasn’t her apartment. It wasn’t home.

  A chill ran down her. She shivered and rubbed her arms as she got up to look around. “Vinnie,” she called out. Normally, he popped in as soon as he was done with his recon mission, but he didn’t return. “Vinnie, I’m sorry. I know you were only trying to help.”

  She waited. Still no ghost.

  “Fine, be that way.” She sat back down to the work she’d brought home to keep her mind occupied.

  Barely through the first spelling test she froze. She waited and heard it again: the distinct sound of someone trying to open the window. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out her pepper spray and tiptoed across the kitchen. Shawn sat in his truck, head down like he was reading something or sleeping. Great protector. Kat rolled her eyes and then stealthily made her way across to the front room to look out the window. No one there.

  She breathed a sigh as her whole body relaxed. Overactive imagination.

  Then she heard the front doorknob jiggle.

  “Enough of this.” She stalked across the room, pepper spray ready, and whipped open the front door.

  Nothing.

  “Vinnie, if you’re playing tricks on me, I’m going to send you to your eternal rest.”

  Tired of acting the victim and getting treated like one, Kat grabbed the keys and headed outside. She’d do her own perimeter recon. As the sun was just starting to dip into the horizon, she didn’t need a flashlight, thankfully. She was armed with pepper spray in one hand and her keys clenched between her fingers in the other. She was a trained PI and a badass at that. Or rather, once upon a time, she had been.

  She headed in the opposite direction of Shawn’s truck, close to the house, and examined the ground for footprints. Not surprisingly, there were none, but she hadn’t really expected otherwise considering how dry it had been. Before she pushed open the gate to the fenced-in backyard, she waited and listened. By the time she’d gotten back to the front, she’d started to feel better—that is until a certain hot fire marshal yelled.

  “What the hell are you doing, Kat?” He slammed his truck door shut and stalked across the street, stopping two inches from her. His nostrils flared as he clamped down on his jaw.

  She knew he was trying to be all macho and protective, but she rolled her eyes. It was better than laughing, because he reminded her of an angry stallion.

  “You’re supposed to be inside,” he said.

  She chose to ignore his comment. “Did you see anyone out here?”

  “What? No.” His body went on high alert. His gaze scanned the area looking for threats. “Did you see someone out here?”

  “No, but I heard someone, first at the window and then the front door.”

  Shawn grabbed her arm and started leading her toward the house. “Let’s get you inside, then I’ll check around the building.”

  Kat pulled her arm free. “No need. I already did.” She stuck her pepper spray into her back pocket, along with the keys. “It was probabl
y the wind, or the house settling, or just my imagination.”

  “Still, you shouldn’t be out here. You could be spotted and taken out.”

  She wrapped her arms around her middle, because that was safer—to her emotional well-being—than wrapping them around Shawn. “He’s an arsonist, not a sniper.”

  “We don’t know that.”

  “Why are you even here? Where’s Officer Swanson?” If she had to have a bodyguard, she’d prefer one that hadn’t stolen her heart.

  “Rafe decided it would be better and less obvious if a patrol car wasn’t sitting outside of his supposedly empty house.”

  “For once, I agree with that man.” She sighed. “But it still doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

  Shawn dropped his head and shoulders, scrubbing his hands over his face. When he looked up, his hazel eyes were full of concern. “He also didn’t think you should be left unprotected. I volunteered and he okayed it.”

  “And just like that, I don’t agree with him again . . . on either decision.” She started to leave, but stopped when she got to the front door. “You can consider yourself relieved of duty, Marshal. I’m going inside. I’m going to lock the doors and not step out again until morning.”

  “I’m not leaving, Kat.”

  She whirled around to face him. “Are you going to sit in your truck all night?”

  “Yes,” he said, his voice low and insistent.

  Men! Why did they all have to be such stubborn asses? She counted to ten, huffed out a breath, and then sighed. “If you sit in your car all night, some neighbor is going to call the police.”

  “Probably.”

  “So much for keeping a low profile.” When he didn’t budge, she rolled her eyes and turned back around. “Come inside then. It’s the only way to keep the gossips quiet.”