Natalie had found her rhythm. This was the part she’d always loved about running. The in-between. The speed after the warm-up, the cool night breeze against her skin, the steady rise of her heart rate as her feet flew along the trail. The gardens had always been one of her favorite parts about the property. She imagined that decades ago a homeowner had dreamed up an elaborate garden that simply couldn’t transfer from conception to soil. Weeping willows fought with apple and pear trees that never produced edible fruit; lilac bushes grew tall and overbearing, crowding out blackberry bushes and the occasional stray tomato plant that would pop up in the hot summer months. No matter what was going on at home, at school or at work, a walk or a jog through the gardens never failed to boost her spirits, different blooms and the mixed fragrances of flowers and fruit surprising her throughout the year.
She wouldn’t be able to maintain this speed, but that was okay. She’d just cut back on the return loop. Music blasting through her earbuds, she could almost pretend it had been a normal day. That her missing ex had not showed up at her apartment, pleading for a second chance. That she had not shared a kiss with Luke that had ruined her for any other kiss. But as the song she was listening to slowed and quieted to an end, another sound rang through. An echo, high-pitched and squealing. Natalie yanked the earbuds from her ears, slowing her pace to listen.
An alarm, echoing from the main house and all around the property. Natalie stopped and whirled around, half expecting someone to emerge from behind a nearby tree. She turned in a quick circle, searching the shadows of the trees and bushes for anyone who might be lurking. Had something happened back at the house? Or was the alarm for her?
Suddenly extremely aware of every sound and shadow, Natalie started to jog back toward the house. Afraid to run at full speed on the chance that she might run directly into someone who didn’t belong, she squinted into the dark, unable to hear anything beyond her footsteps, her breathing and the wailing alarm.
In her runner’s belt, her cell phone vibrated. She yanked it out and saw a message from Luke.
Come back now. Run.
Phone clutched in her hand, she took off then. Luke could see the monitors. If he said to run, he must know something she didn’t. She trusted him implicitly.
“Natalie!” a voice called from her right, and she jumped, slowing as she tried to make out the speaker. It was too dark to recognize the person, but she recognized the uniform. Black suit, black tie, white shirt. Relief poured over her as she switched direction.
“What’s going on?” she asked. “Luke texted me—”
The man’s arms came up then, a dark object in his hands, aimed at Natalie. She stumbled, heart tripping at the narrow gleam in his eyes. Whirling around, she took off toward the house again. She ran like she had never run before, gasping for breath as flashes of light followed her. A silencer? She zigzagged away from the path, cutting through the gardens, anticipating the strike of a bullet.
“Natalie!” Voices beckoned her from up ahead. Footsteps. Safety. Bryan and another Shield agent she didn’t recognize emerged from the shadows ahead almost simultaneously. They motioned her back toward the house where Hunter was running toward her, and they took off after the intruder. This time, whoever was after her wouldn’t get away. There was no way the Shield team would let that happen. But she hoped no one would get hurt in the process.
Ahead, her father held the back door open, his stance rigid with anxiety. Hunter ushered her inside, and her father bolted the door behind her, wrapping his arms around her. “You’re okay, you’re okay,” he whispered in her ear.
The assurance was meant for her, but she was certain by his tight grip that it was also for himself.
“This way.” Hunter gestured toward the security office. “We’ll secure you both,” he said as he stepped inside with them and locked the door. Safe, but tense, Natalie watched the monitors. It appeared that the intruder had already been apprehended—two agents were forcing him through the gardens and back toward the house.
“Police are on the way,” Hunter said. “Can’t wait to find out who this guy is, and—”
He tensed and grabbed his radio.
“Luke. We have movement in Natalie’s bedroom.”
“Ten-four. We’ll check it out.”
Natalie stood, still recovering her breath, moving next to Hunter. “What’s going on?”
Hunter pointed to a panel of numbers to the right of the screens. Several were lit up in red. The others were black. “Your bedroom is number eleven. Red means occupied. No cameras in private rooms, of course, but motion detectors show us areas of concern if we need to investigate.”
Luke and another agent appeared on the stairwell, heading up to the second floor. Natalie’s dad had sidled up next to her, and they all watched silently, the air in the room thick as they waited for the men to make it to Natalie’s room.
Stealthily, they crept down the hallway, guns drawn.
“Be advised,” Hunter said into his radio. “Door’s locked from inside.”
The men paused just outside the door to Natalie’s bedroom.
“I didn’t lock it when I left,” she whispered, as if she were standing right there in the hall with them.
Natalie stared hard at the screen as the two men prepared to enter.
“He’s with Nick. The guy’s been around since day one. They know what they’re doing,” Hunter said, his voice sure as he pushed a chair over to her.
She took the seat he offered, suddenly feeling unsteady, her emotions hitting every extreme. Who was in her room, and why? And what was going to happen when the door opened?
Luke waved Nick back, standing motionless at the door, listening.
A shuffling movement sounded from within, followed by the definite slide of a drawer opening, then closing.
Someone was in there, all right, and they were about to find out who.
Luke reached for the doorknob, looking to Nick for agreement. He nodded. Swiftly, Luke slid the master key in the knob and swung the door inward—and right into Jordan Skehan’s surprised face.
“Whoa,” Jordan said, putting both hands up in defense.
Luke lowered his gun just slightly. “What are you doing in Natalie’s room?” he demanded, trying to make sense of the situation. He’d imagined several scenarios, but none of them had included a Shield agent in Natalie’s bedroom.
Nick moved closer to Luke so they were shoulder to shoulder in the doorway.
Jordan’s eyes widened, his stance very still. Caught.
“Don’t get trigger-happy now,” he said with a tight smile. “I just thought I’d look around the room. You know, make sure no one’s planted anything dangerous.”
“Like what, Jordan?” Nick asked. “A bomb under our noses?”
“Or a bug or a hidden camera,” Jordan shot back. “I would have thought one of you would have considered that.”
“I didn’t,” Luke answered evenly. “Because there’s no way anyone outside of our firm could have gotten access to Natalie’s room.” He shoved his gun back in its holster and Nick did the same. “You know protocol,” he said. “Entering a client’s private domain without explicit permission is prohibited. And I’m not sure I buy your reason. Let’s go.” He stepped back into the hallway and Jordan followed, looking completely unaffected.
“I was trying to be proactive,” he said smoothly.
“Tell that to Roman, and the police,” Luke said, grabbing his arm and escorting him down the stairs.
“What were you doing in my room?” Natalie’s voice sounded from below, and she appeared at the foot of the stairs, Hunter at her side.
“Natalie, head on back to the security office,” Luke said, but she stood her ground as if she hadn’t heard him.
Jordan stopped and stared hard at Natalie when they reached the bottom of the stairs.
“You had something to do with it,” he bit out, even as Luke and Nick forced him away from her and toward the front door. “He wouldn’t have skipped town on his own!” Jordan’s voice was rising as he attempted to wrench away from their grasp. “And then you go off to some island to enjoy yourself?” He sneered as Nick threw open the front door. “Yeah, I searched your room. You see the reward the police are offering right now? Ten grand for any information leading to Kyle.”
“And you thought you’d find information in Natalie’s room?” Hunter asked, his voice hard.
Jordan shrugged. “Her story isn’t exactly believable. And police’ll have a hard time serving a warrant here,” he pointed out with derision. “Seemed a logical place to look.”
“You sure took a big risk for a quick payout,” Natalie said. “Especially considering that Kyle showed up at my apartment hours ago. Alive and well.”
Jordan hid his surprise and said nothing, spearing her with a cold look of hatred. A challenge, almost. And if Luke weren’t on the job, he would have knocked the look right off his face. Instead, he yanked him forward and out the front door of the house.
It took nearly an hour to file the police report and send Jordan packing. Luke couldn’t get rid of the guy soon enough. It took a lot to rile Luke up, but greed and a disregard for others stirred up his temper. He left Hunter in the security office and headed to the front of the house, where Natalie was waiting in her father’s office.
“Everything under control?” Judge Harper asked as Luke entered.
“Yes, sir,” Luke responded. “A police report was filed, and Jordan’s been escorted from the property.”
“Good.” The judge frowned. “And the man on my property?”
“Arrested for trespassing. He’s a reporter. Tabloid. Paid Jordan a thousand dollars to help him get onto the property.”
“So, the flashes...” Natalie started, realization dawning on her face.
“Camera.”
“I’d like to know how Jordan sneaked him onto my property,” the judge said, his usually mellow expression replaced with a shrewd sense of judgment. And rightly so. Judge Harper was one of Shield’s biggest residential clients. Even after the cutbacks, he still invested a large sum into the security of his property.
“We’re investigating,” Luke said, the weight of the situation heavy on his shoulders. The Harper estate used his security system exclusively. “I’d offer an apology, but no amount of apologizing can erase what happened. The best I can promise you is that we’ll get to the bottom of it, and give you a full report by noon tomorrow.”
“Good,” the judge said again, but he didn’t look at all pleased. “Now, maybe you can help me with another problem.”
“I’ll do my best.”
The judge slanted a disgruntled look at Natalie. “Seems my daughter’s determined to move back into her apartment, get back to work, go about life as if some lunatic isn’t stalking her.”
“First of all, to be fair, tonight doesn’t seem to be related to whoever’s been stalking me,” Natalie began.
She looked up at him, calm determination in her eyes. “Secondly, Roman’s on board and I’m hiring a Shield team myself for my apartment until the guy’s caught. My place is easier to secure, anyway, and I’ve got to find some sort of normalcy.”
“You’ve barely been back two days,” her father pointed out.
“Dad, do you really think I’m safer here, or do you just not want me out of your sight?”
To Judge Harper’s credit, he seemed to consider the question for a moment before answering. “If you’re staying at your apartment, you’re probably just as safe there,” he agreed. “But if you’re traveling to and from work, out and about in public...”
“How long am I supposed to hide?” she countered, frustration edging her voice.
Her father sighed, resigned. “Don’t see why you can’t stay here for a few weeks.”
“I’ll be here a couple more days, until everything’s set up.” She hugged him. “It’s been a long day, Dad. We both need sleep. Things will look different in the morning.”
“Try to get some sleep, okay?” Luke said.
She nodded. “I need to. Tomorrow will be a full day. I’m dropping my ring off with Hannah on my way to lunch with Julianna. Then I’ve got a work meeting.”
Luke had been hoping she’d stick close to home base for a while.
“I can have someone drop the ring off,” he suggested.
“It’s on the way to the Montgomerys’,” Natalie said. “And I haven’t seen Hannah in weeks. I’d rather go myself.”
Judge Harper looked like he was about to argue, but Luke caught his eye. “We’ll take care of her,” he said. He just hoped her father hadn’t lost all his faith in their company after tonight’s incident.
“I’ll be ready to head out at around ten.”
“Sounds good. I’ll have the car out front.” He excused himself and left the house to check the property perimeter and run a test of the security system. He had a feeling he knew exactly how Jordan had sneaked the reporter in, and he was already devising solutions to prevent the same betrayal from ever happening again. Once he got that squared away, he’d need to talk to Roman about stepping away from Natalie’s case. He frowned at the thought, but he knew it was the right thing to do.
Had his feelings for her clouded his judgment tonight? Would he have let any other client take a night run alone? Thankfully, the only surprise waiting for her on the garden trail had been a slimy reporter. But Luke was well aware of the fact that anyone could have been hiding in the shadows tonight—and he would have only had himself to blame.