Blood Kiss (Savage Security Series Book 1) by Karen Tjebben

houses were dark.
    He got out of the truck and tucked the ski mask into the back of his pants. He carefully closed the truck door, hoping not to attract attention. He crossed the street and casually walked down the sidewalk, taking in the neighborhood. The houses seemed spacious with nice yards. These were family homes, and not your starter family homes either. Since she was a single teacher, he hadn’t expected her to live in such a nice area.
    He strolled past her house. It was an attractive, two-story brick home that sat on a corner lot. A light was on upstairs, but the first floor was dark. Bushes lined the front of the house, and he saw something he didn’t like. Beside the garage door was a large cypress tree. He shook his head at how easy it would be for someone to hide behind the tree and sneak into the garage as she drove in. That tree would have to go.
    He came to a large hedge of bushes that divided her land from her neighbors. He hid among the bushes, slipped the black ski mask over his head, and followed the bushes to the backyard. He knew this was another hiding spot, and his gaze swept the ground for clues.
    Her backyard had a large fenced-in section. He was glad the dog wasn’t outside. It should be inside with her, keeping her safe.  But between her house and the one behind hers was a large wooded section. Pine trees and various shrubs provided good cover for nighttime peeping.
    Mike crouched low as he slowly made his way through the wooded section between the houses. His gut felt heavy as he saw all the wonderful hiding places her backyard provided. This place was a peeping Tom’s wet dream.
    The bushes and trees that lined the yard for privacy were beautiful, but they also lent themselves as shelter to predators. This stretch of trees even led to a sidewalk on the other side of her house. Mike cursed. He couldn’t do anything about the protected tree area. 
    Kneeling behind a bush, he looked up at her house and saw her silhouette walk past a window. Her shadowy form was barely perceptible, but a stalker could fill in the blanks in his mind’s eye and be in paradise. His blood rushed at the thought of some pervert sitting back here and staring at her .
    Let’s see what you left behind.
    Mike scanned the ground and noticed a shrub with broken branches. There you are. Mike scooted towards the shrub and touched a broken branch. A few other branches were damaged and it was obvious that a spot had been cleared out. The leaves were also crumbled and crushed in that location. The hidey-hole was just big enough for a man to hide in.
    He studied the ground, looking for a foot print or anything that would tell him about the stalker. Something white lay atop the leaves and dirt. He picked up the white oval shape and sniffed it. Peppermint . He chuckled and shook his head. The pervert left behind a Tic Tac. Was chomping on those a nervous habit, or did the man suffer from halitosis? Either way, it was a good piece of information to have.
    Then his stomach turned as he touched the damp earth. It had poured the previous night, yet this Tic Tac was in good shape. The man had recently been in this exact spot. Had he just missed him? Was he still around?
    Mike scanned the area. He didn’t see any movement as he studied the branches of bushes along the perimeter of Alisha’s house. He moved slowly through the bushes again, his hand tracing over the ground. Then he saw it. A shoe print in the moist soil. He couldn’t help but smile as he laid a quarter beside the print and snapped a picture of it with his cell. He’d guess the shoe was a size nine and the busy tread looked like it came from a running shoe. He’d send the picture to Tyson and see what he could find.
    He looked up at the dark window where he’d last seen Alisha’s silhouette. He struggled with the notion of guarding her all night or going home and coming back in the morning. If the man had already been there and left, he most likely wouldn’t be