Lou was equally needy, growing impatient as I mapped her.

Kissing and tasting every inch of someone’s body took time, especially since I kept stopping every time she sighed or moaned, concentrating on that spot. It wasn’t long until she was pulling at my hair and making threats.

“I swear, Dec, if you don’t—”

I cut her off with a kiss, nestling myself over her, enjoying the feel of her body against mine. I grabbed a condom, rolled it on, lost myself in her. Reveled in her. Drunk with the knowledge that she was here, she was safe, and she was mine.

After we were done, Lou fell into a deep sleep nestled in my arms. Lou was not a restful sleeper, tossing and turning half the night. Sometimes it was all I could do to keep my hands on her, but I managed, because sleeping without touching her wasn’t an option I was willing to entertain.

For now, her breathing was steady as I ran my hand along the side of her hip. I indulged my love of her curves, touching softly so as not to wake her. Going by the light streaming through the window, it was midafternoon now. Lou would need to get up soon, take her medication. Then we were supposed to text Will. He wasn’t working today, so he’d have to meet us at the shop.

I pressed my lips against her temple before slipping out of bed, heading to get a glass of water so Lou could take her medication. Maybe a snack. The entire house was quiet as I padded into the kitchen, making me think no one was home. I grabbed a glass, filling it at the tap, thinking about what Lou might want to eat. What I could bring her to make her wake up with a smile.

I got a little distracted for a second, thinking about several interesting ways I could do that, when I heard a clanging noise, like someone had dropped something. It sounded really close to the house. I froze.

After a second, I turned off the water, waiting and listening.

Silence.

I brought Lou her water, setting it down on her windowsill without waking her. I wanted to crawl back into bed, but I didn’t feel comfortable going to sleep before I checked the house. Just in case.

I moved between the rooms, checking windows, locking doors. Everything seemed normal. I heard another noise then—out back by the garbage cans. Not loud, more like a rustling sound. The ferrets. They knew they weren’t supposed to go outside, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t go outside.

I went out the back door, heading to the side of the house where the garbage cans were. One of the cans had been knocked over, some of the recycling spilled on the ground. I picked the mess up quickly, and when I straightened, I realized that one of the kitchen windows was open. Not much. Just a crack, really. An inch, tops. Unease chewed at me.