“Do you believe the dogs attacked him while he was outside?”

She winced. “I hope not. I’m going to go to the door. You stay back. I’ll find out what is going on.”

He tightened his hold. “No. It could be dangerous.”

“The door is closed. Animals can’t get inside. Just hang back. I’m going to check it out.”

“I don’t like this.”

She didn’t either, but she pried his fingers off her hip and stepped out from behind the tree. She approached the front of the cabin and hated the way the porch steps creaked when she put weight on them. The cabin was quiet. She listened before lifting her fist and knocking.

“Mr. Avery? It’s Lynn Reynolds.”

There was no sound and the door didn’t open. She gripped the handle and twisted, not surprised to find it unlocked. It would have surprised her if it had been. She eased open the door. The lights in the main living area were on. She left the door open after entering.

“Mr. Avery? It’s Lynn Reynolds,” she called louder. “Are you okay?”

She spotted broken glass near the kitchen table. She guessed it used to be a coffee mug. She crept forward—and froze. Fear hit when she saw a pair of booted feet peeking from around the corner.

“COTO!” She had no qualms about yelling for him.

She rushed forward, staring down at Mr. Avery. She didn’t need to touch him to know he was dead. He was face-up and dried blood had pooled on the hardwood floor next to his throat. She looked away. His eyes were open and his throat had been slashed.

Coto rushed into the house and she looked at him. He had his weapons in hand, looking ferocious. Tears filled her eyes but she blinked them back. “He’s been murdered.”

Coto stormed forward and took in the scene. “No dog did that.”

“I know.” She refused to look at Mr. Avery again. It was going to devastate his daughter when she learned of her father’s death. “Would Vhon do this?”

He sheathed one of his blades and quickly approached the hallway that led to the two small bedrooms and bathroom at the back of the cabin. “There’s no honor in killing a harmless blind man. This is the work of the Collis. Some of them did survive.”

He disappeared down the hall. Lynn glanced at the phone on the wall, tempted to call for help. Coto returned. “They aren’t here but all the doors are open, as if they were searching for Vhon.”

“How do you know it was the Collis?” She wanted to believe him but it was possible his friends had murdered the old man.

Coto walked over to the body and cleared his throat. “Look.”

She didn’t want to.

“Lynn? You want proof? Remember what I said about the Collis? Yellow teeth and bad hair? They spit yellow fluid. It stains their teeth. Look what is next to the victim.”

She forced her head to turn, following where his finger pointed. She saw his proof right next to the pool of blood, and was totally grossed out. “Okay.” She averted her gaze, not wanting to look at Mr. Avery again. “I need to call this in.”

“You can’t. It will bring more humans.”

He was right. “Those Collis are murdering people.”

“We must find and stop them. Bringing in more humans would only give them more to kill. They have weapons your law enforcement wouldn’t expect.”

Anger bypassed her sorrow. The police couldn’t help. “Vigilante style. Got it. Hang on.” She hurried down the hallway to Mr. Avery’s daughter’s old room.

The cabinets in the kitchen were all open and she understood why Coto had guessed that the aliens had searched the house. The long cedar chest along the windows had been torn open as well, the lid split as if it had been smashed in anger. She spotted what she was looking for and tried on a few pairs of shoes. They were a little too big but a pair of socks helped some boots fit. She also took a camouflage jacket.

She returned to the main living area, yanked the shotgun off the mantel, and grabbed a box of shells to stuff into the pocket of the borrowed jacket. She turned, facing Coto.

He’d used a throw from the couch to cover Mr. Avery. She appreciated that. He held her gaze, looking grim.

“Let’s go.” She looked down, making sure the shotgun was loaded. It was, just as she suspected.

“What is the meaning of the word you used? I don’t understand.”

She struggled to remember what she’d said and then it came to her. “Vigilante? It means I usually don’t hunt to kill. Today that changes. Follow me. I didn’t see any tracks in the front to indicate they came that way. There’s a back door out of the bathroom. I think they snuck up on him. This happened last night. He probably didn’t even hear them until they were in his kitchen.” She focused on the anger instead of the grief that wanted to rise. She had liked Mr. Avery. “Let’s make sure they don’t kill anyone else.”

“You are so appealing right now.”

She glanced down at the oversized jacket, her borrowed clothes from him, and the chunky boots. She looked up at him, skeptical.

“You are.” He approached her. “You’re the tracker. I have your back. Let’s go, Lynn.”

She spun, leading him through the hallway to the bathroom. Mr. Avery used it as a mud room too. She eased open the door and froze, looking at the three steps leading to the ground. One of them was broken.

“Just as I thought. Heavy bastards, aren’t they? One of them went right through the board.” She kept a tight hold on the shotgun, easing around the hole, and located the tracks on the soft dirt of the ground near the bottom of the steps. “There’re two of them. They left the same way they came.” She moved forward, spotting more signs of the two men. “This way. The good news is they haven’t found your Vhon. At least not these two.”

“How do you know?”

“I’d assume your friend wouldn’t willingly go with one of them. Their footprints would be close together if handcuffs were used and there’s no smudging on the prints to indicate one of them was being forced to walk.”

“You impress me.”

“Tell me that after I find them and they’re dead.”

Coto growled.

She halted and glanced back at him. She recognized the look. “That turns you on?”

“More than you know. You are extraordinary.”