Chapters 15-16 Summary

Dunford has promised to stay until Belle gets inside John's house, which is of course why she had wanted to learn how to climb trees. He is unwilling to participate in the plan, but finally agrees to, only for her own good, and makes sure that John will walk her home before he leaves. John, meanwhile, is jumpy, and nearly mistakes Belle for a prowler, but luckily recognizes her in time. He is angry, but she tells him what happened with her near-abduction, and he becomes protective of her once again. He can't think of any enemies he might have, and she begs him to accept help from Alex, which he agrees to do. They agree to ignore the matter until the morning, and make love for the first time.

The next morning, Belle goes home. Shortly afterwards, John comes to...