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of access. Once she’d packed her bag, she turned to the task of checking in on Josie.
    Cade knew something was wrong before she even got to the doorway. She had left the door cracked when she put Josie to bed, but now it stood fully opened, the dim glow from the night light near the door spilling out into the dark hallway. She was already on edge from the news reports; anything out of the ordinary, anything other than the way she’d left it, was enough to make her wary. She approached the door, easing up to it cautiously, and peered around the doorframe as she fought against the nervous flutter in her stomach.
    There was a dark form leaning over Josie’s bed. The little girl still slept, and the form was nearly motionless as it stood over her. Cade stepped into the room, her fists clenched and ready for a fight as her heart leaped into her throat. But she relaxed and let out a slow breath of relief as she realized it was only Andrew.
    “Drew? Everything okay?” she asked. She kept her voice low so she wouldn’t disturb Josie’s sleep and took a slow step toward him. Andrew continued to stand over Josie, his head bowed as he stared down at the sleeping girl’s form. He didn’t move in the slightest to acknowledge Cade’s approach.
    “Drew?” Cade repeated as she moved closer. She frowned and reached out to press her hand to his shoulder in a gentle gesture, trying to get his attention. “Are you okay?”
    Andrew turned his head so suddenly and so sharply that Cade took an involuntary step back. The look on his face struck her silent before she could even consider speaking another word. His expression was angry, heavy with hatred and violence. To her horror, she realized that the lower half of his face was covered in a thick, dark liquid that slowly dripped off his chin to fall to the cream carpet below.
    Cade glanced at the bed and saw that Josie still hadn’t moved. The dark liquid was all over the bedcovers, all over her pajamas. Her small, thin hand hung limply off the edge of the bed, horribly pale and motionless. As the full realization of what Cade was seeing hit her, Andrew lunged forward, both of his bloodied hands grasping for her. His fingers closed into the fabric of Cade’s pajama shirt and dug in, jerking her toward him. Cade let out a shocked cry and backpedaled, ripping free from his grasp and tearing the front of her shirt open.
    “Josie!” Cade yelled as she staggered away from Andrew. She collided with the doorframe, the wood digging into the space between her shoulder blades. The little girl on the bed still didn’t move, still didn’t respond to her cry.
    Cade turned and fled to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. She swore out loud as she fumbled at the doorknob and remembered that she’d had the knob changed out for one without a lock three months before. She gave up on the attempt and turned her attention instead to finding something with which to barricade the door. As her blue eyes skimmed over the room, they landed on the rifle case that she’d left lying on the bed.
    It took Cade only two steps to cover the distance to the bed. She grabbed the case and yanked on the lid before she swore again; it was still locked. She darted to the dresser and pulled the drawer completely out in her haste. The drawer’s contents spilled onto the carpet and scattered at her feet. Cade dropped to her knees and started to scrabble through the pile of assorted items for the little silver key that would unlock the case.
    Cade saw the shine of silver near the front of the pile and closed her fingers around it. She pulled the little key to her chest and clutched it tightly in her fist. She moved on autopilot as she climbed to her feet and raced back to the rifle case. She jammed the key home and twisted it in the lock. Before Cade could manage to get the rifle out, the doorframe splintered and Andrew barreled into the room. He headed straight toward her without hesitation.
    Cade took a quick