"Who's there?" Jared's voice sliced through the night like a blade, sharp and commanding.
Georgia clutched her children close as the shadows shifted behind the hedges. Her heart pounded.
Then
"It's me. Caleb."
The voice was low, familiar. Jared's muscles stiffened. His grip on Georgia tightened protectively, the air thick with tension. He stepped forward, positioning himself like a human shield between his family and the shadowy figure.
Then the figure stepped into the moonlight.
Caleb.
Jared's eyes blazed, his jaw clenched tight. "You've got some nerve showing your face here," he growled, each word cutting like glass.
Caleb opened his mouth to speak, but Jared wasn't done.
"You scared the hell out of them!" His voice was low but lethal. "Do you even realize wh
