Love Inspired Suspense September 2015 #1 by Alison Stone, Lisa Phillips, Margaret Daley

to the side Cheri perched on her bed, wailing as though she was being assaulted. Something slammed against the door. The lock held. But not for long. The wood wasn’t thick. She went to her bedside table to retrieve her father’s revolver. As her assailant attacked the flimsy barrier, his pounding fist vied with her heartbeat—ever increasing. Although the weapon was always loaded, she checked to see if the gun had bullets in every chamber. Empty! The spare ammunition was kept in a hall closet.
    Her cell was in the car. Why wasn’t there an extension of the home phone in here? She frantically looked around for any kind of weapon to use. Nothing useful against a knife. Her gaze fell on the window at the end of her bed. Maybe if she could climb out of it and escape...
    A crashing sound, as if the intruder was throwing his body against the door, rattled the pictures on the wall nearby. She rushed to the window and fought to unlock it. It wouldn’t budge. After wiping her sweaty hands on her jeans, she poured all her strength into trying one last time before she searched for something to break the glass. The bolt gave way, and she shoved the window up.
    The sound of sirens—not far away—echoed in the air. Suddenly an eerie silence came from the hallway. What was the intruder doing? Looking for something else to smash the door open? Either way she had to get out of her bedroom. The sirens probably weren’t for her.
    She poked her head out to see how far down she would have to jump to the ground. A motion out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. A man dressed in black jeans and T-shirt ran across her yard from her back door, heading for the woods nearby. It had to be her attacker, although earlier she hadn’t even noticed what he was wearing. Or could there be two people and the other one was waiting out in the hallway for her?
    * * *
    Jesse turned the corner onto the road that ran in front of Lydia’s home. He spied a patrol car parked in front with the lights flashing. As he shut down his emotions, preparing himself to handle anything coming his way, he pulled up behind the cruiser and glanced toward her house.
    Lydia came out onto the porch with Officer Williams, her arms crisscrossed over her chest. The look on her face twisted his heart. Something happened there, but at least she was alive.
    He climbed from his white SUV and rounded the rear to release Brutus. He strode toward Lydia, and her head swiveled toward him. She bit her lip, then returned her attention to Officer Williams.
    â€œWhat happened?” Jesse asked as he approached them.
    â€œDr. McKenzie found a man in her house. I was going to have her sit in my car while I take a look inside.”
    â€œHe’s gone. He ran out the back door toward the woods.” Lydia’s voice quavered, and she clamped her lips together.
    Jesse headed for the left side of her house. “How long ago?”
    â€œFour or five minutes ago,” the police officer answered.
    â€œStay here and guard her. Brutus and I will follow the intruder’s trail. Don’t leave her alone.”
    Officer Williams nodded his head.
    Jesse disappeared from their view, hurrying his steps. He wanted to catch this man—put an end to the past weeks’ terror. Brutus picked up a scent at the back door, and Jesse gave him a long leash as they charged across the yard into the woods. His partner weaved through the trees as though the intruder wasn’t sure which way to go. Good. Maybe he had a chance to catch the guy even with his lead.
    In the thick brush to the left, a flash of black caught Jesse’s attention. He turned Brutus loose, and his dog made a beeline toward the heavy foliage a couple of football fields to the west. The sound of a motorcycle’s engine revving spurred Jesse on faster. When he broke out of the line of trees onto a path, his K-9 raced down the trail after a person in black hunkered over a