Riley hadn’t known if Ethan lived alone, had a wife or children or had twenty-four-hour bodyguard protection. Guess they’d find out soon enough.
Doubling over, Riley emerged from the bushes again, and this time Amy followed him. He hadn’t trusted her with a weapon since she’d never fired a gun before, but he had his weapon. A big one.
She held her breath as Riley tinkered with the sliding door, slicing out a portion of the glass with a glass cutter. When the door slid open without a clanging alarm bell sounding, Amy released her breath in a gush of air.
They stepped into the kitchen where circles of lights from the various gadgets and kitchen appliances winked at them from the darkness. The ice maker cranked, and Amy clutched Riley’s arm.
He looked at her over his shoulder, raising his eyebrows to the folded edge of his knit cap.
She released her death grip and shrugged as if ice makers terrified her every day.
They tiptoed from the kitchen into the great room where a shaft of light from the entryway beamed across the carpet. An empty chair stood sentry in the foyer and Riley’s brow furrowed as he pointed toward it.
Amy gulped. Looked like a good place for a bodyguard to stand watch but, if the bodyguard wasn’t occupying the chair, where was he?
Riley placed one gloved hand on the banister of the curving staircase while his other hovered over the gun in his waistband. He tested the first step with his running shoe, and meeting no resistance or creaking, he began his ascent.
Amy trailed after him, keeping watch behind them. She didn’t want some thug to come barreling out of the shadows. On the one hand, she wanted to find Ethan home and tucked into his bed so they could question him and get the heck out of here. On the other, she dreaded the encounter and wanted more time to shore up her nerves while they waited for him to come home.
Several rooms lined the hallway upstairs, most with their doors gaping open. The lights they’d seen from outside spilled from two rooms next to each other, their doors ajar.
Would they find Ethan reading quietly in bed? It seemed so out of character for him, and the eerie silence of the house indicated emptiness. Surely they’d hear a cough, the rustle of a page, the clinking of a glass if Ethan occupied one of those rooms.
Riley held a hand out behind him as he crept down the hallway, gripping his weapon in front of him. Her muscles stiff with tension, Amy followed behind him.
Grabbing the doorjamb of the first room, Riley poked his head through the doorway. His shoulders stiffened and the muscles of his back beneath his black T-shirt rippled.
He cranked his head over his shoulder and mouthed, “Wait here.”
Amy’s blood thundered in her ears. Ethan must be in there, but he obviously hadn’t spotted Riley yet. He had to be sleeping.
Riley disappeared into the room and panic washed over Amy’s flesh. She tripped toward the door and grasped the doorjamb. The king-sized bed looked like a raft afloat in the ocean in the cavernous bedroom decorated in dark blues and greens.
Riley’s body blocked her view of Ethan, but a pair of bare feet pointed inward at the foot of the bed. Tilting her head, Amy drew her brows together. Ethan lay on top of the covers not beneath, so maybe he had fallen asleep reading.
Ethan hadn’t yet made a noise. He’d have a nice surprise waking up with a big gun in his face. Served him right.
Riley leaned forward, his weapon dangling at his side. Amy scratched her head beneath the cap and sighed as she drew closer to the bed.
Riley spun around with his arms splayed at his sides. “Stay where you are, Amy.”
Did he think Ethan might wake up with guns blazing or something? She took a few more steps. Suddenly, her nose twitched, and then her nostrils flared. A sickening odor wafted from the bed, engulfing her, invading her nostrils and triggering her gag reflex. Her gut rolled as she clapped a hand over her mouth.
She staggered back and hissed. “What is that?”
Riley stepped to the side, revealing Ethan’s prone form on the bed. Amy’s gaze traveled the length of Ethan’s body, clothed in a blue silk dressing gown splashed with red and black. Her examination ended with his white feet, toes oddly pointing inward.
Something nudged her brain and her eyes shifted direction, gaining focus as she scanned Ethan’s robe with its strange color pattern. She studied his face, his eyes closed and his head resting against a pillow, a pillow soaked in blood.
Chapter Twelve
Amy screamed, the sound ripping through the room and banishing the silence in the house. The scream died in her throat and she gathered breath for another one, her gaze pinned to the deep slash across Ethan’s throat.
Riley lunged forward and pulled her into his arms. He cupped the back of her head with his hand and crushed her face against his T-shirt, now damp with sweat. She inhaled his masculine scent, anything to get the rancid smell of blood and death out of her nose.
He shushed her. “Quiet, Amy. They might still be here.”
His words sent a spike of fear to her heart, and she bucked in his arms.
He clasped one arm around her waist and half dragged her toward the door while thrusting his gun before him. He stalked to the other lighted room, peered inside and cursed.
Amy peeled her head from his shoulder, but he clamped it back down. “You don’t need to see that.”
She licked her lips, her tongue meeting his rough T-shirt. She didn’t need to see whatever lurked in that room, but she prayed to God Ethan didn’t have a family.
“We need to get out of here.” He squeezed her shoulder. “Are you okay to walk?”
She jerked her head up. Did Riley think he needed to carry her away from the carnage? She realized she hadn’t stood on her own two feet since she saw Ethan’s body. She steadied her rubbery legs and drew a deep breath. “I’m okay.”
Still holding his gun, Riley grabbed her hand and charged downstairs. They flew across the great room, burst through the sliding door of the kitchen, and stumbled into the backyard. Their soft shoes squished against the damp grass as they made a beeline toward the foliage ringing the yard.
They scrambled through the bushes and hopped over the fence of the next-door neighbors. Amy had been so worried on the way over about meeting a pit bull in this yard; now she’d take on five pit bulls just to get away from that grisly scene in the house.
When they made it to Riley’s car, they both sat panting in the front seat. Amy’s heart pounded in her chest like she’d just made an ocean rescue. Except this time she hadn’t rescued anybody.
She gripped her bouncing knees with gloved hands. “Riley, what was in that other room? N-not his family?”
He slipped off his cap and bunched it in his fist. “No, thank God. His bodyguards—two of them.”
Amy choked and covered her face. “Why?”
“His attackers must’ve figured he knew something.” His fingers inched inside her cap and massaged her scalp. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”
She peeked through her fingers, the streetlights blurring through her tears. “Do you think Ethan told them anything? Maybe he did know where Carlos stashed the money. If so…”
“If so, then they’ll have what they want and leave you alone.”
“And if Ethan didn’t know anything, they killed him anyway. I don’t know anything.” Amy pulled off her gloves and hugged herself against the cold fear that touched the base of her spine.
“They won’t get to you, Amy. I won’t let them.”
She met his eyes and, even in the darkness of the car, she could see the fierce protective light gleaming from their depths. Dropping her eyelids, she rolled her shoulders. She had faith in Riley.
He picked up her hand and traced the lines of her palm with his fingertip. “I think it’s time for you to leave.”
She curled her hand around his finger. “Okay. Let’s go back to your place. Should we call the police or something?”
“I have someone I can call at the sheriff’
s department. I know Ethan’s your brother, Amy, but the police aren’t going to be choked up over his death.” He slipped his hand from hers and cranked on the car’s engine.
“He wasn’t a good person, even as a teenager. I suppose the authorities will notify Dad. I’m not going to be the one to tell him his favored son is dead.”
“I’m sure your father will be notified. It’ll be reported as just another murder due to drug trafficking.”
“Now I’ll never get any information from Ethan. I hope his killers had better luck and they have what they want now. Otherwise, we’re back to square one trying to figure out where Carlos hid that money.”
“Didn’t you hear me?” Riley cocked his head as he took the next turn.
“You think Ethan gave it up?”
“No, not that. I said you need to leave.”
Her nostrils flared as she studied his profile, the ends of his long, sandy blond hair highlighted by the headlights from the oncoming cars. “You mean leave leave?”
“Yeah. Leave the area. Where’s that EMT school you were going to attend?”
“Right here in San Diego.” She sat up and yanked off the itchy cap. “Where do you propose I go and for how long? If the client never gets his money back, they’ll never leave me alone. What am I supposed to do, join the Witness Protection Program?” She slammed her hands against the dashboard. “I already went through a similar experience when I was ten years old—uprooted, taken away from everything I’d ever known and loved, thrust into an alien environment. I’m not doing that again.”
He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. “It won’t be like that, Amy. I can send you to stay with a friend, Ian’s ex-wife in Colorado. They wouldn’t be able to track you there. When all this blows over…”
“How’s that going to happen?” She ducked out of his reach. “Carlos left the means to that money with me, somehow, somewhere. How are you going to find it without my help? And if you never find it, they’ll never stop looking for me. I don’t want to permanently settle in Colorado. I don’t like the snow.”
Tears pricked her eyes, and she turned her head to rest her forehead against the cool glass of the window. She’d been an idiot to expect Riley to whisk her away to his dive boat in Cabo. The excitement and the thrill of the chase had fueled his attraction for her. Nothing more. Maybe he wanted to prove to himself that he could protect someone and do it right this time.
And what did she want to prove?
She’d been fooling herself all these years thinking she could settle down with a stable man—no excitement, no drama. Then this situation had fallen into her lap like a ripe fruit, and she’d grabbed it with both hands and sunk her teeth into it.
Riley swung into his parking slot and cut the engine. “I have to call my friend at the San Diego Sheriff’s Department to report that carnage.”
“Will you tell him the truth?”
“As much as I can. Ethan Prescott was involved in a drug deal that took a wrong turn, and he paid with his life.”
After they’d locked the doors behind them in Riley’s apartment, Amy watched Riley end his call to the sheriff’s department. “No questions asked?”
He shook his head as he pocketed his phone. “That was my contact, Walt. He’s a former Navy SEAL and he doesn’t ask questions.”
“Why’d they do it, Riley?” Amy twisted her fingers in front of her. “Why would a bunch of terrorists kill Ethan?”
“He was involved in the drug trade. He had bodyguards living in his house. He knew the risks.”
“But the day before he was throwing a dinner party. It doesn’t seem as if he was in fear for his life.”
“Then he was a fool.”
Amy pressed the heels of her hands against her temples. “Do you think they killed him because of me?”
“What do you mean?” Riley shifted his gaze away from her to study the newspaper on the counter.
For a covert ops guy, his lying skills needed work. “Come on. Don’t pretend with me. Do you think the terrorists went after Ethan to find me?”
He folded the newspaper, running his thumb along the crease. “They probably don’t even know about the relationship between the two of you. But they probably do know about his connection to Carlos. When he couldn’t tell them anything about the money, they killed him.”
“If Ethan had known where Carlos had hidden the money, he would’ve told them. My half brother had a keen sense of self-preservation.”
Riley snorted. “Most criminals do.” He took two steps toward her and grabbed her hands. “Put it behind you, Amy. Get some sleep. You’ve had a shock today.”
“That’s three dead bodies in as many days.” A half smile trembled on her lips. “That’s gotta be some kind of record.”
He cradled her face in his large, comforting hands. “That’s too much for anyone to bear. You need to get out of this, and I’m going to help you.”
“Before you do that, can you help me with one more thing?” She turned her head to kiss his palm, fluttering her lashes against his fingers. She wasn’t above using her feminine wiles to get her way.
“Anything.” He dropped a kiss on top of her head.
“Get me in to see my father tomorrow.”
He gasped against the top of her head, a gush of warm air hitting her scalp. “Why do you want to see your father? The police will notify him of Ethan’s death.”
“Now that I know Ethan was responsible for involving me in a crime, I want to find out what else my father knows about it. Maybe Ethan confided in him about Carlos. Maybe my father has some ideas about the money.”
“I thought you’d given up on finding the money.” Riley gripped Amy’s shoulders and pushed her away, intently studying her upturned face. “You gave up on finding the money. I never agreed to that, Riley. I want to find it, turn it over to the proper authorities and get my life back.”
“What if it doesn’t work?” His fingers pinched into her flesh through the black sweatshirt. He continued, his tone harsh, his words brutal. “What if you find their money, turn it over, and they kill you as a reward for your efforts?”
She hunched her shoulders, twisting out of his grasp. “That was supposed to make me feel better? That’s your way of protecting me?”
“That’s my way of talking sense into you. Don’t play this game with terrorists, Amy. You’ll lose.”
“Even with the all-powerful Navy SEAL, Riley Hammond, at my side? You said you’d protect me from anything.” Amy ground her teeth together after the childish words tumbled from her mouth. Riley had hurt her by not offering to take her back to Cabo with him, and now she wanted to hurt him in return.
“I will, Amy.” He dragged her back against his chest, wrapping his arms around her body like a protective shield. The stubble on his chin caught the strands of her hair. “God knows, I will protect you from anything and anyone. That’s why I want you out of here.”
She sagged against him. “Do this one thing for me, Riley. It’s not a regular visiting day tomorrow, but you can get me in. Do it and I’ll leave San Diego. I’ll go anywhere you want.”
Especially Cabo.
He hugged her tighter. “I’ll get you in to see your father tomorrow and when he doesn’t come through for you, we’ll get you the hell out of Dodge.”
She turned in his embrace, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek against the steady, sure beating of his heart. She’d made a promise and she’d stick to it, but if her father gave her information—the game changed.
RILEY HADN’T SURPRISED the warden at the San Miguel Federal Pen with his request to visit Eli Prescott. They’d already gotten word of Ethan’s murder. The warden figured Riley’s visit might be part of the ongoing investigation. Riley felt no inclination to correct the warden’s impression.
He glanced at Amy in the seat next to him, humming and tapping her sandaled feet together to the beat of the music on the radio. The sight of Ethan with his throat slit had done he
r in last night, but she’d made a miraculous recovery. Nothing fazed this woman for long. She had the resiliency of a rubber band.
He pitied her for it.
She must’ve endured a lot as a kid to have built up that hardened shell. She needed his protection less than he cared to admit to himself. But she did need his contacts, and he’d been happy to accommodate her—especially since she’d agreed to leave town.
“So what’s on the agenda?”
“What?” She turned her large, liquid brown eyes on him and he wondered how old Eli Prescott could refuse her anything. He sure as hell couldn’t.
“What do you plan to ask your father?”
Her brows shot up. “The obvious. Did he know Carlos? Does he know about the money?”
“And even if he does, why should he tell you?”
She blinked her eyes rapidly. “To save my life.”
He opened his mouth and then snapped it shut. He didn’t need to explain her father’s character to Amy. He couldn’t help her if she refused to open her eyes.
She laughed, a hard, bitter sound. “I know what you’re thinking. Why should he care about me now? Granted, if it came down to choosing between his life and mine, his choice would be a slam dunk. But if he could help me without hurting himself, he just might sign up for that.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“I have to be.” She lifted a shoulder and her long hair slid forward. “It’s all I’ve got.”
He made the turn onto the property of the prison and pointed to the right. “We have to park over there today since they’re holding some kind of event in the administration building and the prison is closed to visitors.”
He pulled his car into a slot near the front and cupped Amy’s elbow as they strode toward the gate that led to the prison.
The guard checked their IDs. “Good thing you came early. That lot’s going to fill up, and we’re not letting anyone past the gates later today.”
“What’s going on?” Riley glanced back at a news van trundling up the drive.
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