by Karen Foley
“What about you?” she asked archly. “No jealous girlfriends out there who might want me out of the picture?”
Her tone was light, but Shane didn’t miss how she waited for his response. He gave her a look. “Hardly. You’re probably the only woman alive who hasn’t figured out that I’m not a great catch. Like I already told you, I’m a realist, not a romantic. Most women prefer the latter.”
Shane hadn’t been a saint since he joined the military, but his few relationships had been casual and short-lived. He wasn’t the kind of guy to make promises to a woman, not when he spent so much time deployed. That had been part of the reason he’d left the morning after Holly’s graduation party without so much as a thank-you or a good-bye. If he’d hung around long enough for her to wake up in his arms, he would have insisted that she wait for him, even knowing they couldn’t have any kind of relationship while they were both in the military. The knowledge had scared him enough that he’d gotten the hell out of there before he’d done something completely insane.
Like leave the Marine Corps.
Or ask her to marry him.
“Call me crazy, then,” Holly said, watching him. “I happen to think you’re a great catch.”
Shane wanted to drag her into his arms and cover her mouth with his own; anything to shut her up, because when she looked at him like that, all soft and sexy, it took all the restraint he had not to confess how he really felt.
“I’m going to check the perimeter of the house,” he said abruptly. “Turn the security system on while I’m gone.”
She looked at him, puzzled. “How long will you be?”
“An hour, no more.”
“To do a walk-around of the property?” Her voice expressed her disbelief.
“I need to think, and I can’t do it in here,” he finally said. “The fresh air will help clear my head. I have a key, so if you want to go upstairs, that’s probably not a bad idea.”
To his relief, she accepted his explanation. Once outside, he paused and cocked his head to listen, but except for the night bugs in the trees, everything was silent. He was convinced that whoever had taken the shot at Holly had intended to hurt or kill her. This had been no accident.
There was a part of him that wondered if he shouldn’t bring her back to her parents’ house in Chatham, as the police had suggested. Maybe she would be safer there. But in the next instant, he realized that wasn’t an option. If someone was intent on harming Holly, then returning to Chatham could put her parents in danger, too. Until the culprit was captured, he wasn’t leaving her side. He’d let her down once; he wouldn’t do it again.
HOLLY STOOD AT THE WINDOW for a moment and watched as Shane walked down the gravel driveway, his gait slightly uneven due to his cast. After a moment, the shadows swallowed him up, and as much as she strained to peer through the darkness, she could no longer detect him.
The afternoon’s events had shaken her more than she cared to admit. She didn’t want Shane to leave the house; wanted him to stay inside with her, where it was safe. If there was some crazed gunman out there, she didn’t want Shane in danger. But she’d known that to argue with him would have been pointless. She had some comfort knowing that he had her father’s handgun with him, and that he knew how to use it.Walking back into the great room, she took one look at the towering wall of windows overlooking the water and realized she couldn’t remain there. She could almost feel malevolent eyes watching her from the trees beyond the house. If there actually was someone out there with a gun, she’d be an easy target in the brightly lit room.
The small clock in the front hallway chimed, and Holly nearly leaped out of her skin.
“Okay, that’s it,” she muttered under her breath. “I’m outta here.”
Darting up the stairs, she made her way to her bedroom and pulled the drapes tightly closed across her windows before switching on the bedside lamp. It was just after eight o’clock, and there was no way she was going to be able to sleep, not with Shane wandering around outside. Restless and agitated, she prowled the room. She felt helpless, and she didn’t like it one bit. She wanted to be with Shane. She knew how to handle a weapon, but with her injured arm, she’d be more of a liability to him than an asset.
She heard the back door open and then close, and Shane’s distinct footsteps as he crossed the first floor. He came up the stairs and when he appeared in the doorway of Holly’s bedroom, it was all she could do not to launch herself at him.
“Anything?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No. Everything looks normal. I locked the boathouse and turned on the security system.” He hesitated. “If you’re too nervous to stay here, I’ll understand. I can use the Jeep to drive you back to Chatham, or we could stay in a hotel somewhere.”
“No!” Holly felt her heartbeat accelerate. She didn’t want to leave Shane; didn’t want to be separated from him for any reason, not even to allow him to go out to the barn and start the Jeep. A part of her worried that if she let him out of her sight now, she would never see him again. “I’m not afraid to stay here, as long as you’re with me. And the sheriff promised to make extra patrols along the lake road tonight, just to be safe.”
Shane turned away, but not before Holly saw the flash of relief in his hazel eyes. With a sense of shock, she realized that he didn’t want her to leave any more than she wanted to go. She watched as he withdrew the handgun from the back of his waistband and placed it on the bedside table.
“I don’t think whoever fired that shot is going to return, but it doesn’t hurt to take precautions.” He moved to the window and flicked the edge of her curtain aside, peering out at the dark yard.
Holly sat down on the edge of the bed and scrubbed her hands over her face. “I can’t believe it happened. Who would want to hurt either of us?”
Turning away from the window, Shane came and sat down next to her. “If not personal, then what about someone in your professional life? Can you think of any reason why someone from your battalion might want to hurt you?”
Holly lowered her hands and stared at him, bewildered. “My entire unit is still in Iraq. None of them even know where I live, never mind that I’m here at the lake house.”
Shane blew out a hard breath. “You’re right. I’m just trying to cover all the angles.”
“And what if I’m not the target? What if you are?”
“I’ve considered that, but I’m coming up blank. I can’t think of a single reason why anyone would want to kill me. Plus, this is your family’s house.”
Holly shuddered. “God, this is so creepy.”
“We can still leave.”
The thought of Shane walking out to the barn where the family kept the Jeep unnerved her. Even if he succeeded in getting the vehicle running, they still had a mile of dark, isolated road to traverse before they would reach the main road and anything resembling civilization. They would be an easy target for someone who might be lurking in the nearby woods.
“I think we should stay here tonight. We can make a final decision in the morning,” she finally answered.
Shane glanced at the bedside clock. “It’s been a long day, and you didn’t get much sleep last night. Why don’t you turn in?”
“What about you?” She had hoped that he would stay with her. She wanted to feel his solid presence beside her, to know that he was safe and would keep her safe.
He rose to his feet and indicated the overstuffed chair in one corner of her room. “I’ll be right here.”
“You can’t sleep in that chair, Shane,” she protested. He was still recovering from his injuries. He needed sleep as much as she did, but knowing he was so close would ensure she’d be awake the entire night.
“I don’t intend to sleep. I intend to watch over you.”
9
HOLLY AWOKE WITH A start to find Shane bending over her, his fingers pressed lightly against her lips. Despite her efforts, she had fallen asleep and now the bedroom was so dark she could barely make out
his features.
“Shh,” he breathed in her ear. “There’s somebody in the house.”Panic swamped her and she tried to sit up, struggling against Shane’s restraining hands.
“Listen to me.” His voice was hushed, but there was no denying the authority in it. “I want you to go into the bathroom, very quietly, and stay there until I tell you that you can come out.”
He removed his fingers and pulled back the sheet, urging her to her feet. Holly felt him press something cold and hard into her hands. “Take this, and if the intruder gets past me, use it.”
Holly curled the fingers of her good hand around the gun, testing its weight. “What about you?” she whispered.
“I can take care of myself and the bastard downstairs,” he hissed. “C’mon. Very quietly, now.”
Holly let him guide her across the bedroom and into the adjoining bathroom, where he pushed her against the wall beside the door. There was a night-light on over the sink and by the dim glow, she could see Shane’s face, all sharp angles and dark shadows. From somewhere in the house below them, Holly heard a noise. As noises went, it wasn’t much, no more than a soft footfall, but the very furtiveness of it caused the short hairs on the back of her neck to stand up. Her eyes flew to Shane’s.
“No matter what happens, or what you hear,” he whispered, “do not leave this position until I tell you to.”
“Be careful,” she whispered back, and watched as Shane melded into the gloom of the bedroom. She stood with her back pressed against the wall, holding the gun with two hands as she had been trained to do. She had no desire to use it, but if it meant her life or Shane’s, she wouldn’t hesitate. Her heart hammered in her chest, but she felt oddly calm. They had the advantage of surprise, and they were armed. There was no question they would prevail.
How had the intruder gotten past the security system? Or maybe he hadn’t and even now, the sheriff was on his way out to the lake house. Holly fervently hoped that was case. She desperately wanted to peer around the doorframe and into the bedroom, but she wouldn’t do anything that might betray their position or put Shane in danger.
Keeping her breathing shallow, she tensed when she heard a floorboard depress in the hallway outside her bedroom. Her fingers tightened around the pistol and she waited. She was familiar enough with the sounds of the house to know when the bedroom door opened, very slowly. Then all hell broke loose.
SHANE WAITED JUST INSIDE the bedroom, behind the door. He had a gun, but he didn’t want to kill the bastard; he wanted him alive. He held his breath as the door to the bedroom swung slowly inward and a dark shape moved stealthily through. Even in the darkness, Shane could see he wasn’t a big guy, but he was thick set through the shoulders and chest. He wore a black cap pulled down low over his eyes, and as moonlight filtered through the overhead skylights, he distinctly saw the gun that the other man held in his hand.
Shane waited until the man fully entered the room and then brought his fisted hands, holding the gun butt, down on the back of the man’s head. The man grunted but instead of going down, he staggered and then turned, swinging his weapon up. Shane drove his elbow into the man’s face and at the same time, used his own weapon to strike the man’s wrist. With a pained cry, the other man dropped the gun, but used his body as a battering ram, lunging at Shane and using his momentum to send them both crashing into the nearby dresser.As Shane struggled to keep his balance, his attacker swung at his face. Shane twisted his head at the last minute, but the man’s meaty fist caught him on the temple, causing brilliant sparks to shoot behind his eyes. With an enraged roar, he got the man in a bear hug, ignoring the punishing blows pummeling his sides.
“Stop, or I will kill you,” came a calm voice, in the same instant that the lights flicked on. “I have a gun, and I will shoot.”
Over the attacker’s shoulder, Shane saw Holly standing in the open doorway to the bathroom, pointing a handgun at them with both hands. The interruption distracted the intruder, and as he turned to face Holly, Shane pistol-whipped him across the side of the head and watched with grim satisfaction as he crumpled soundlessly to the floor.
Pushing his weapon into the waistband at the back of his shorts, he didn’t wait, but immediately bent over the man and flipped him onto his stomach, pulling his arms behind him.
“Quick, get me something to restrain him,” he ordered.
Holly, wide-eyed and pale, jerked open the top drawer of a small dresser and pulled out several pairs of sheer stockings. “Can you use these?”
“Perfect,” Shane said, using the filmy material to bind the man’s wrists together, before moving to his ankles.
Only when he was satisfied that the intruder couldn’t free himself, did he roll him onto his back. He was semi-conscious, his eyes fluttering weakly as he muttered something unintelligible. Shane glanced at Holly, but saw she was already calling the police, speaking quietly into her cell phone as her gaze flicked involuntarily to the man on the floor. She looked shaken.
Reaching down, Shane dragged the hat from the bastard’s head, noting with satisfaction the nasty gash over his ear that oozed blood. He guessed the intruder was in his late twenties. He was Hispanic, with dark, curly hair and black eyes and a short, stocky build.
“Who the hell are you and what do you want?” Shane snarled, half-lifting the man from the floor by the front of his shirt.
“Go to hell,” the man said weakly, but his dark eyes blazed with fear and resentment.
“Holly, do you recognize this man?”
Holly snapped her cell phone shut and came to stand several feet away as she studied the man’s face. “No,” she finally said, shaking her head. “I’ve never seen him before in my life.”
Shane dropped the man back against the floorboards and systematically began patting him down and searching his pockets.
“Shouldn’t you wait for the sheriff?” Holly asked, watching him.
“This man wanted to kill us,” Shane said. “I want to know why, and I want to know now.”
Reaching into the man’s pockets, he pulled out several folded papers and a set of keys, but no wallet or identification. Unfolding the papers, Shane scanned them quickly and felt his rage grow. Written on the paper was Holly’s address in Chatham, and some notes about her recent activities. Beneath that were written directions to the lake house, and a crude diagram of the property, complete with access roads and buildings.
Pulling his gun free from his shorts, Shane thrust the barrel beneath the man’s jaw, enjoying how the other guy’s eyes popped open in terror. “Tell me who you are and why you’re here, or I will kill you right now.”
“Shane, no!”
Shane ignored Holly’s alarmed protest.
“Tell me,” he ground out, his face scant inches from the other man’s, “or I’ll tell the sheriff you were unfortunately killed during the break-in. Who do you think they’re going to believe?”
“Go ahead,” the man sneered, his face twisting. “Kill me. But it won’t end. There are others like me who will come after her.”
Her. As in Holly.
“You son of a bitch,” Shane growled, shifting the gun to the base of the man’s neck. “Tell me why you’re here or I swear, I’ll sever your spinal cord and you can live the rest of your life eating, breathing, and pissing through tubes.”
“Shane.”
Shane’s gaze flicked to Holly’s, and he saw the deep disquiet in her eyes. He had to draw on every ounce of training and restraint he had not to make good on his promise right then and there. The only thing that stopped him was the expression on Holly’s face, and the fact that until he learned what the man’s motives were, her life would continue to be in danger.
Reluctantly, he withdrew the pistol from the man’s neck and set it on top of the dresser. Rising to his feet, he swiped a hand over his face. He’d never felt so helpless in his entire life as he did at that moment.
“Come here,” he said roughly, and extended a hand to Holly. She came to
him immediately, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her face against his chest. “I don’t want you to worry. This guy is nothing, okay? Nobody is going to hurt you, not while I’m here.”
She nodded. “I’m not afraid for myself. Only for you. I thought he was going to kill you.”
In the distance, they heard the sound of police sirens drawing closer. “Go downstairs and let them in,” Shane advised. “I’ll stay here with our guest.”
Holly pulled away. “You’re not going to hurt him, are you?”
Shane wanted to beat the man bloody, but he shook his head. “I’m not going to touch him.” At her doubtful look, he sighed. “I promise, all right?”
He listened to her footsteps recede and heard when she opened the door to admit the sheriff and his men. His eyes shifted back to the man on the floor.
“I will find out what you’re after,” he said grimly. “And then I’ll make you sorry you were ever born.”
IT WAS SEVERAL HOURS before the sheriff left with the intruder, and even after intensive questioning, the man had refused to divulge his name or his reason for breaking in. In fact, he’d been stoically quiet, refusing to provide even the most basic of information. Shane would have been happy to spend the rest of the night interrogating the man the good old-fashioned way, but the sheriff had decided it was time to get him to a hospital and have his head injury treated, after which he would be transferred to the county jail. Shane had pulled the sheriff aside and had repeated what the man had said about there being additional men who would come after Holly if he failed in his mission to kill her.
“Well, he could be bluffing, of course. But if I were you, I would think seriously about returning her to her father’s house in Chatham. The sheriff’s office there can provide her with the kind of around-the-clock security that she needs until we get this thing straightened out.” He’d paused. “I know you think you can keep her safe, but the reality is that this might be bigger than you. She’s made some enemies, and if what this man said is true, they’re not going to stop until they get rid of her. And anyone who stands in their way.”After they were gone, Holly poured herself a small glass of whiskey and Shane watched with a mixture of amusement and concern as she quaffed it in a single, long swallow.