Jennifer’s POV
I didn’t wait to see what it was.
The moment the sound cracked from the backyard, my pulse surged into my throat. Something primal in me screamed danger, the kind of warning that doesn’t leave room for second-guessing. My body moved before my mind caught up.
I slipped from the couch, clutching the blanket around my shoulders, bare feet whispering across the wooden floor. The cottage was dim, the fire only embers now, but every shadow looked sharper, darker, as though they were reaching for me.
Jack wasn’t there.
That thought alone made the silence unbearable.
I didn’t even bother with the front door. I darted to the side, lifting the latch as carefully as I could, though the click of metal sounded deafening in the quiet. The storm had dulled to a drizzle outside, the a
