He paused. Instead of trying to find the right words, Mark looked like he was trying to forget them. “Her body was found in a ditch near the airport.” Kelli and Lynn gasped. “That’s when Nikki used the contacts she’d made as secretary to leave and start her own security group. She named it after Morgan’s favorite constellation. She wanted to help those who couldn’t afford it. Orion occasionally takes on wealthy clients to keep the place running, but the bottom line is we protect those who don’t have the money for it.” His frown tilted into a half smile. “And I went with her.”
“Whoa,” Lynn whispered.
Kelli couldn’t help but agree. Warmth at the realization of why he helped people who couldn’t afford it started to spread throughout her chest. Without a doubt Mark was a good man.
The conversation from there became lighter. A storm rolled in, and they found a more comfortable ground of discussing—of all things—the weather. It led to other topics mundane enough that no one was forced to remember a tragic past but interesting enough that the conversation stretched into an hour. Mark was more than the quiet man she’d met before and met once again. He livened up enough that she could see he wasn’t just a bodyguard—former or otherwise—but a normal guy with a sweet smile.
He complimented her cooking and thanked her for the meal. He talked directly to Grace as much as any person could and even gave her a few compliments of her own. Lynn must have decided she liked him, as well. Without asking Kelli or Mark, she cleared the table and replaced their dishes with wineglasses.
“It’s storming outside, so it’s not like you can leave right now,” she explained to Mark. “While we wait, let’s have a glass of this wine I was polite enough to bring over.”
Kelli found that she quite liked that idea.
“You said you’ll never turn down free food?” Mark asked Lynn, eyeing the bottle. “I won’t turn down free wine.”
* * *
THE STORM DIDN’T DISSIPATE.
The longer they waited, the worse it got. If Grace hadn’t skipped her nap, she would have been terrified. As it was, she was bundled up in Kelli’s bed, fast asleep. But with the growing volume of each boom of thunder, she wouldn’t be for long.
It was well past ten and Lynn, Mark and Kelli had thoroughly exhausted all small talk. A majority of that had been done by the vivacious best friend who hadn’t been shy with the wine she’d brought over. Whether she was making sure to fill the conversational void constantly or was just really excited for new company, Kelli couldn’t tell. What she did know was that Mark had been nothing but polite. He hadn’t been quiet, but she realized he hadn’t said much about himself, either. The only time he’d momentarily opened up was about Orion before the wine. Past that? It was like talking to a ghost.
It made her wonder how he lived his life.
And how much of it he didn’t.
“If you think I’m letting you two leave in this—” Kelli motioned to the living room’s front windows “—then you’re sadly mistaken.”
Mark’s head was tilted down over his phone, but he chuckled. “It isn’t that bad,” he said.
Lynn, who had taken up the other side of the couch, moved her head to see what he was looking at. “That’s a very red radar,” she commented.
Mark sighed. “Yes, it is.”
Kelli stood from the chair opposite them and put her hands together. “Then it looks like we’re all bunking here tonight.”
Mark’s eyebrow shot up so fast that Kelli instantly questioned her decision.
“Listen, you took a taxi here right?” she asked. He nodded.
“I realized my truck was running on empty,” he admitted. “I thought it would be easier to just grab a cab here instead.”
“Well, they aren’t going to send someone out in this, and even if they did, would you trust them to get you home all right?” On cue, the sound of rain pelting the house intensified. She could tell the man was now reaching the same conclusion. “If you don’t mind taking the couch, Lynn, you can bunk with me and the munchkin since her room is all packed up. Okay?”
Lynn reached over and patted Mark on the shoulder before standing with her empty wineglass.
“Don’t fight it, man,” she said. “That look she’s sporting? That’s her Mama Bear face. Right now she doesn’t see us as people. We’re her cubs.” Mark laughed.
“Call it a side effect of motherhood,” Kelli responded, hands going to her hips. She fixed Mark with a less intense stare. “I can’t make you stay, but I assure you it’s no inconvenience to us.”
Mark glanced at the window and the dark abyss outside. He was hesitant in answering. “If it’s really no trouble, then it might be a good idea to stay, at least till it passes.”
Kelli smiled and Lynn clapped. The sound was drowned out by another boom of thunder. It didn’t diminish her cheer.
“Haven’t had a sleepover in years,” she squealed.
Kelli promptly rolled her eyes.
* * *
THE DAY HAD been full of surprises, but now the night was trumping them. Mark settled back onto the couch, trying to get comfortable under the multicolored blanket. Kelli had said Victor had never been a fan of its brightness. Bringing Victor up, however relevant he was, had put a feeling of guilt and confusion within him once again.
Now the house was as quiet as the storm outside would let it be. The light kept on in the kitchen buzzed through the madness. Neither of these things kept Mark awake. It was the room across from him that grabbed his focus and kept it.
Victor Crane’s office.
Kelli had mentioned it was the last room they had packed and as soon as she’d said it, her expression had darkened. That’s where she’d found the notebook.
Mark let out a long breath and tried to readjust to a more comfortable position. Nothing was working. His mind was refusing to shut down for the night. After a few more minutes of no success, he pulled out his phone and checked the radar again.
“Desperate to leave?”
Mark sat up quickly, turning toward the hallway that separated the living room and kitchen. In the dim light, Kelli smiled.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” she apologized. “Unlike the two ladies passed out in my bed, I can’t sleep through all of this.”
“And here I thought I was the only one,” he responded. His voice had dropped in volume to match hers, but every part of him had to focus to keep it from getting too deep. As she stood there in a tank top and plaid boxers, with no makeup, her short hair in a ponytail, Mark found himself admiring how beautiful she was.
“Well, since we can’t seem to fall asleep, would you be interested in a late-night snack?” She grinned. “I know where Grace’s mom hides the chocolate-chip cookies.”
For the umpteenth time that night, Kelli made him laugh. It was not only a foreign feeling to him but also a sound he wasn’t used to hearing.
“As long as you don’t tell, I won’t,” he responded with a wink. Kelli’s smile grew, and Mark followed her into the kitchen. Wanting to avoid another shirtless session with her, he’d been mindful to keep his undershirt on when he had first lain down.
The light above the sink was enough to illuminate the room. It showed Kelli climbing up onto the countertop next to the refrigerator. She looked back at his questioning look before opening up the small cabinet above.
“You really made sure Grace couldn’t reach those, huh?” he whispered.
She laughed softly. “And Lynn.” Kelli found the bag of cookies and passed it back to him. “Keeping any sweets in the house has proven to be a very difficult thing to—”
Another boom of thunder hit, but the sound that immediately followed wasn’t storm-related at all. It was glass shattering. Both of them turned their heads toward the living room, even though the wall was in their
way. Frozen, they listened.
Another crash was partially masked by the storm.
Every part of Mark went on high alert. He crept along the kitchen wall until he was at the doorway. Crouching so he wasn’t at full height, he looked across the hallway to the room he had just been trying to sleep in. Past the couch and through the double French doors, movement caught his eye.
Someone was climbing through the office window. Judging by the flashlight in his hand and the mask on his face, it wasn’t a person filled with good intentions.
Mark moved quickly back to Kelli. His face must have shown it all. She didn’t question when he grabbed her by the waist. She put her hands on his shoulders, and he lifted her up off the countertop and set her back down on the floor. He took her hand and pulled her through the other kitchen doorway that opened farther down the hallway. The intruder couldn’t see them as Mark rushed them to the master bedroom. But that also meant they couldn’t see the intruder.
Once they were in the bedroom, Mark turned and quietly shut the door behind them. He threw the lock before turning to his hostess. The nightstand lamp illuminated her face. Acute worry shone clearly across it—so intense it almost gave him pause.
Almost.
“A man in a mask just broke into the office. I can’t tell if he was armed,” he whispered, taking his cell phone out of his pocket. He handed it to her and went to the bed where Grace and Lynn were fast asleep. He shook the woman. It took her a second, but her eyes finally fluttered open. He put a finger to his lips when she opened her mouth. “Take Grace into the bathroom and lock the door.” Surprisingly, Lynn didn’t argue. Without comment, she scurried out of bed.
Mark went back to Kelli, who was whispering into the phone. She watched with wide eyes as her best friend carried her still-sleeping daughter into the en suite. It was those wide eyes that he was looking into when the lamp and the bathroom light cut off. He could hear the dying whirl of the ceiling fan as it powered down.
He cursed beneath his breath before a hand reached out and took his.
“Either the storm or the intruder just cut the power,” Kelli whispered to the 911 operator. Whatever the operator said back to her, he didn’t hear. She squeezed his hand, pulling him closer. Suddenly her breath was next to his ear. “There’s a flashlight under the bathroom sink.”
It was Kelli’s turn to pull him along. He didn’t stop her. She knew the house better.
“Lynn, take the phone,” Kelli whispered when they were inside the bathroom. There was noise, and then Lynn was the one whispering to the operator. The glow of the phone illuminated her sitting in the soaker tub, Grace asleep still in her arms.
Kelli didn’t drop Mark’s hand as she retrieved a giant flashlight from beneath the counter. She clicked it on. He was surprised to see that the worry she had exuded earlier had changed into something else. He couldn’t place it and didn’t have time to. She turned to her best friend.
“Stay here and don’t open this door. And keep Grace safe no matter what,” she ground out, turning the lock inside the door before shutting it and taking Mark with her into the bedroom. No hesitation lined her movements.
“There’s a gun in the nightstand,” she whispered, hurrying over to retrieve it. “But it doesn’t have a clip.” Her face fell. “I separated them just in case Grace found it...and I’ve already packed it up.” Mark scanned the boxes that lined the wall.
“They don’t know that,” he said, taking the black 9 mm. It was undoubtedly empty, weighing significantly less than when it was loaded. He held the grip with one hand. With the other, he cupped the bottom, where the clip would normally be. If he kept it there, no one would be the wiser.
Until he needed to shoot it.
“What are you going to do?” Kelli kept the flashlight’s beam on the floor. The beam bounced off the hardwood to give them just enough lighting to see the shadows on each other’s faces.
“I’m going to go greet our new guest.”
“But can’t we just wait for the police?”
The storm kept its loud pace outside.
“I’m not confident in their response time,” he said, already moving Kelli back to the bathroom door. “Stay and turn the light off.”
“Be careful,” she whispered.
The flashlight cut off. He waited a moment for his eyes to readjust to the darkness before creeping back into the hallway. The storm wasn’t helping him hear exactly where the intruder was, but by the same token, the intruder probably didn’t hear him, either. It helped he was barefoot.
Slowly he followed the cool hardwood back toward the living room. Without the kitchen light on, the house was bathed in darkness. The occasional lightning flash lit up his surroundings.
He mentally pulled up the layout of the house, thanks to a quick tour Kelli had given him after supper. The only way to get to the women was to go through him or the bedroom window. He doubted the intruder would go back outside just to break back in. If he did, he knew Kelli would let him know.
Mark slowed at the arch that opened into the living room. He heard rustling but couldn’t tell where exactly it was coming from. Pulling the gun up as if it were actually loaded, he swung around into the room. Judging by the size and form, the intruder was a man. Broad shoulders couldn’t be hidden by the black jacket he wore. He was no longer in the office but by a stack of boxes behind the couch in the living room. Mark had hoped to be quiet enough to surprise him completely, but the man turned at his presence.
Mark immediately noted the gloves and ski mask he wore.
And the knife in his hand. Even from a distance in the low light, he could see it was at least six inches in length.
“Drop the knife and put your hands up,” Mark barked, making sure to keep his hand firm over the empty space where the clip should have been. He tried quickly to discern any details that might give him an edge over the mystery man if things went south. The intruder wasn’t as big as Mark, but that didn’t mean he didn’t know how to fight. The flashlight he’d had when Mark had first seen him was set on the back of the couch. It partially lit up the room but not enough to piece together the intruder’s expression or intention beneath his mask. “I said, drop it,” Mark repeated, moving closer. He wanted to show the man he wasn’t joking.
“And here I thought the ladies were alone.” The way the man said it put Mark further on edge. There was no worry or remorse in his words. Almost as if he was stating a lazy fact.
“Drop the knife or I’ll drop you.” Mark lowered his voice to a level he hoped was pure threat. The man wasn’t showing any signs of fear. He moved the knife to his other hand.
“‘Drop me,’ eh? Been watching a lot of cop shows, haven’t you?”
“Can’t say I’m the only one,” Mark bit out. “Looks like you’ve been taking pointers from some lowlifes. I’d rather be the cop than the thief.”
The man chuckled.
“I may be stealing something, but I’m no thief,” he responded, starting to move slowly around the couch. Mark was surprised he was coming closer rather than trying to flee. He had no way of knowing there was no clip inside the gun. “But I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
Later Mark would be able to look back and realize that the small smile that brought up the corner of the man’s lips right after he spoke was the exact moment he knew that the man was dangerous. That, without a doubt, the intruder was an immediate threat not only to Mark but also to the women in the house.
But in the moment, he felt his body act of its own accord.
He threw the gun at the man with all the strength he had. Clearly surprised, the intruder didn’t duck out of the way. The gun hit his shoulder hard. The knife in his hand clattered to the ground.
Mark didn’t hesitate.
Chapter Eight
The two men hit the far wa
ll with enough force that Mark heard the man’s breath push out. Mark wanted to get the man away from his weapon and subdue him. Tackling him into a wall seemed to be the best of both worlds.
However, it was Mark’s turn to be surprised.
The man might have lost his breath, but he hadn’t lost his fighting skills. He brought up his fist and gave Mark a good right hook. Pain burst behind his eye just as the man brought his foot right on top of Mark’s instep. The combination made him waver enough that the intruder was able to push Mark backward into the couch.
“Is that it, bodyguard?”
How had he known Mark was a bodyguard? Ex or otherwise?
Mark balled his fists and brought his feet apart just in time for the intruder to lunge forward.
He swung high. Mark ducked low.
They went through another flurry of fists before the man threw a punch that landed so close to Mark’s face that he lost his balance trying to dodge it. The intruder used the gap in defense to his advantage. He threw his shoulder into Mark’s chest, and together they toppled over the couch.
Mark’s head hit the coffee table, dazing him. The intruder pushed off him and made a run for his knife, lying a few feet from them.
“I don’t think so,” Mark hissed, scrambling to grab the man. He wasn’t fast enough. The man picked up his weapon. He turned so fast that Mark froze.
“I’m no thief, but I don’t mind fighting,” the man said, brandishing the too-large knife.
Mark was so close that if the man jumped forward, he’d slice him with ease. Images of the three ladies in the bedroom flashed behind his eyes. He needed to get that knife away from the man, no matter what.
Full Force Fatherhood Page 6