For a moment, Kaleb felt like he was back in the Afghan desert as he crept along the side of the house. Images of Afghan soldiers popping out from behind dwellings and shooting indiscriminately flashed in his mind. He shook off the memory, unwilling to allow the past to distract him.
He listened intently but only heard the occasional car engine chugging by. There was very little speeding along the residential streets of this neighborhood.
Then he heard leaves rustling. Had the dark-haired guy fallen into one of his traps? He prayed that he’d finally get his hands on this guy. More thudding sounds spurred Kaleb to quicken his pace.
Off to the right, a flash of movement caught his eye. Jumping over one of the trip wires, Kaleb tried to catch up. But just like the night before, the guy somehow managed to disappear out of sight. Still, how far could he have gone? Kaleb moved onto the neighbor’s property, searching for evidence the guy had been there.
There was an indentation of a footprint in the ground near some decorative shrubs. He made a mental note to take a picture later for evidence as he continued moving forward.
He went through yet another neighbor’s backyard before he heard the sound of a car engine. Sprinting across the terrain, he reached the road just in time to see the taillights of a black truck disappearing around the corner. The license plate had been covered with mud, so he felt certain the driver had been the intruder they were searching for.
Kaleb rubbed his right knee for a minute, then turned back. He retraced his steps slowly, hoping to find more evidence. But he didn’t find anything else by the time he ended up back at the footprint next to the shrubbery.
After taking several photos, using his own foot as a reference, he went back to check on his trip wires. It didn’t take long for him to find that the wire closest to the edge of the property had been snapped.
The guy had gone down, but he still managed to get away.
The wire had protected them, but he’d really hoped the guy would come toward the trio of palm trees. If he’d have done that, the net might have held him up long enough for Kaleb to get there.
He took a moment to check the rest of his trip wires. All were good. He debated whether or not to replace the one the guy had snapped. Leaving it broken might encourage the man to keep going all the way to the trio of palm trees where he had the net suspended.
Then again, the trip wire had put the guy on notice. Would he be doubly careful next time? Very likely, at least in searching for more trip wires, but maybe not in looking up over his head. Kaleb decided to leave everything as it was. He stood near the corner of the property and called Grimes.
“Now what?” The detective sounded more tired than annoyed.
“I chased off another intruder out here. I’m sending you a picture of a footprint I found.” As he spoke, he sent the photographs. “Figured this might come in handy when you get your hands on Thomas Acker.”
“Where was this found?” Grimes asked.
“Near some decorative shrubs in the yard next door. Hold on, I know what you’re going to say,” Kaleb interrupted. “Yes, it could belong to anyone, including the property owners or a hired landscaper. I get that, but you have to admit it would be a giant coincidence if this print is the same size and has the same tread as Thomas Acker’s.”
Grimes made a grunting noise that Kaleb decided to take as agreement. Then he asked, “You didn’t see him?”
“Only his back after he took off running. I set up trip wires, which stopped him from getting too close.”
“Trip wires?” Surprise echoed from Grimes’s tone.
“Yeah. Unfortunately, it didn’t work as well as I’d hoped. He ran through several neighbors’ yards, then escaped in a black truck with mud-smeared license plates.” He paused, then added, “It may be time to bring in the local police.”
“I’m happy to make the call as soon as you tell me which jurisdiction you’re located within.”
He holstered his weapon, moved around the corner of the house, stepped over his trip line, and went up the steps. “Give me some time to talk to Charlotte about that.”
“All right, I’ll wait to hear back from you,” Grimes said. “Good work on keeping them safe, Tyson.”
Kaleb didn’t respond because a failed mission was not something to celebrate. Yes, Charlotte and the others were safe, but they were still being actively stalked by this dark-haired guy.
And so far, he and Grimes were no closer to catching him.
After keying in the code, he stepped inside the house and activated the alarm. “Charlotte? It’s safe to come out. Everything is fine.”
Charlotte stepped out into the great room, coming from the door that led down to the rec room. He grimaced when he saw the gun in her hand. “He got away?”
“I’m afraid so. He broke through a trip wire, and that scared him off. He had a truck parked on another street. I saw his black truck, but mud covered the license plates, making it impossible to get the number.”
She gave a curt nod. “Nice to know your trip wires worked.”
“Yeah.” He gestured to her gun. “I’m sorry you were scared enough to grab that.”
“No way was I going to allow him to get past me.” She grimaced. “I need to put this away before any of the kids see it, especially Tommy.”
“Charlotte.” He crossed the room to pull her into his arms. “You are the strongest, bravest woman I know.”
She rested against him for a long minute before pulling back far enough to gaze up at him. “I’m not. Don’t you remember what I told you? I ran away from Jerry like a coward rather than standing up to him.”
He frowned. “Taking care of yourself is not cowardly. You needed time to regroup. To get back on your feet. I admire you for what you’ve accomplished here.”
His heart wept at the uncertainty in her gaze. “You don’t think I should have stayed in Minneapolis to press charges?”
“I may have felt that way once, but not anymore. Not when I see what you and the other women are facing every day. Now I blame our flawed legal system, one in which a guy can do something so awful as abusing a woman and child yet be out on bail in a matter of hours.”
“That certainly doesn’t help,” Charlotte agreed.
He slowly drew her closer. “You are an amazing woman, Charlotte Cambridge.”
A reluctant smile tipped at the corner of her mouth. “Thank you,” she murmured. Then she rose onto her tiptoes and kissed him. In some part of his mind, he knew the gesture stemmed from simple gratitude, but that didn’t stop him from drawing her close, savoring her sweet kiss, relishing every moment of their embrace.
His world felt stable when he had Charlotte in his arms. He did his best to keep his desire in check, slowly easing back on the kiss until they were both able to breathe again.
“Don’t you dare apologize.” Charlotte’s voice was muffled against his chest.
He grinned, smoothing a hand down her back. “I won’t. As much as I’d rather stay here kissing you, we should probably tell the others they’re safe now.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, yes. How could I forget?” She stepped away from him, looking flustered. “Ah, you do that while I put the gun away.”
He’d be lying if he didn’t admit how much he enjoyed making her forget where she was or what she was doing. Kaleb pulled himself together and opened the door to the rec room. “Milly? It’s Kaleb coming down.”
“Kaleb!” several of the women called his name in obvious relief.
He quickly joined them, raking his gaze over the group huddled together on the large sectional sofa. “Everyone is safe, there’s no threat.”
Willow stared at him for a long moment before kissing the top of Tommy’s head. “Thank you.”
The reality of the grim situation weighed heavily on his shoulders. Not only had he failed to apprehend this guy, but he’d also failed in his goal to provide a safe place for the women and children looking back at him.
He desperately wanted to go on offense, the way the Navy SEALs had approached every single one of their ops.
But he couldn’t leave them alone either. Not to mention, he had little to no intel to go on.
Should he call Mason Gray, his former team leader? San Diego was a solid four to five hours from here, but he knew their Senior Chief wouldn’t hesitate to hit the road first thing.
Then again, adding another strange man to the mix might be pushing things with the women and children who were huddling together in fear already.
He needed to discuss their next steps with Charlotte. He offered the group another smile. “Keep watching your movies. Charlotte and I need to chat with the detective on the case.”
“I need to prepare lunch,” Milly announced.
They’d only finished breakfast ninety minutes ago, but he understood Milly took her role of feeding the group seriously. “Sure thing.”
He followed Milly upstairs. When he saw Charlotte coming down the grand staircase, his heart squeezed in his chest. Keeping her at a safe distance was a losing battle. Still, he forced himself to concentrate on their next steps.
“Charlotte?” He gestured toward the study. “We need to talk.”
She joined him in the room, her gaze going to the window that overlooked the spot where the dark-haired guy had been. Then she turned to face him. “We should let Grimes know what happened.”
“I did that, but the bigger question here is whether or not we put the local police on notice.”
She grimaced. “Only if we’re planning to stay. I think it’s obvious we should relocate again.”
“We can certainly do that, but only if the new place has some of the same amenities we have here, like the security system and the recreational room.” He wasn’t keen on all the windows, but all private homes in this area would have the same set up. “The trip wires I set up worked in that they prevented him from getting close.”
“Yeah, but now he knows to look for them, right?”
“Yes, but I highly doubt he’d find them all.” He hesitated, then added, “We may want to give Grimes time to get Thomas Acker in custody. Adding the local police in this area would help in that respect.”
She sighed and rubbed her temples. “I honestly don’t know what to do, Kaleb. Normally we would relocate, but clearly having a bus show up here to get all the women and children out would be noticeable, especially in this neighborhood. What if the dark-haired guy is positioned somewhere nearby, watching for us to do exactly that?”
He’d had the same thought. “If he is hiding somewhere nearby, I’ll find him. I just need to get one of my former teammates here to keep an eye on the house.” He hesitated, then added, “No one is close, though. Which is why I keep going back to the idea of getting the local police involved. For all we know, one of the neighbors has already filed a report about seeing a trespasser.”
“Okay, let’s do it.” She drew in a deep breath. “And if you want to head out to look for him, I can stay here alone. We managed while you were outside earlier. Having an alarm system helps. We can stay down in the rec room while you’re gone.”
He hated the idea of leaving them here, yet he also knew Charlotte was used to manning a safe house alone. She was armed and knew how to use a gun.
Yet he still didn’t like putting her in that position.
“Let’s call Grimes first.” He pulled out his phone.
The detective answered on the first ring. “Tyson? Everyone okay?”
“We’re fine,” Kaleb reassured him. “Any news on Acker?”
“Not yet. What did you and Charlotte decide?”
“I’m here, Detective,” Charlotte said, her gaze locked on Kaleb’s. “We’ve decided to let you call the locals. We’re hoping someone may have seen this guy slinking around.”
“I know this wasn’t an easy decision,” Grimes said.
Kaleb rattled off the address. “If you could give the local detective my number, I’d appreciate it.”
“Will do.”
“One more thing, Detective,” Charlotte said. “Will you be on alert for Emma Yonkers? She left the safe house here yesterday, and well, I’m worried about her.”
“Not much I can do about that,” Grimes pointed out. “You don’t think she’ll go back to the guy who hurt her, do you?”
“Maybe. His name is Rodney Jones. And I know there isn’t much you can do, but I guess I’m hoping if a call comes through about her, the officers will take it seriously.”
“We take all abuse calls seriously, but I get what you’re saying.” Grimes paused, then added, “I’ll call Agoura Hills right now.”
“Thanks.” Kaleb pushed the end button on the screen and slipped the phone into his pocket. “I know you’re worried about Emma, but the Los Angeles police department is huge. It’s not likely Grimes will be able to do much.”
“I know.” She shrugged. “It was her choice to leave, but that doesn’t mean I won’t worry about her.”
He nodded, understanding exactly where she was coming from. Didn’t he have concerns about Hudson? He lightly rested his hand on her arm. “I won’t leave until we hear back from the Agoura Hills police department.”
“Okay.” She wrapped her arms around her waist. “I hope we’re doing the right thing, Kaleb.”
Yeah, he thought grimly, me too.
Giving Detective Grimes their safe house location wasn’t as difficult as she’d anticipated. Keeping secrets had been second nature over the last four years. Yet she’d learned to trust Kaleb’s instincts over these past few days.
She hoped he was right about the neighbors potentially reporting him as a trespasser or peeping Tom. It would force the Agoura Hills police department to take this threat seriously.
Kaleb was right, though, about the size of the Los Angeles Police Department. Why had she mentioned Emma? Normally, she didn’t ruminate over the women who decided to leave her safe house. She’d long ago learned to focus on saving those who wanted to be saved.
Like Willow and Tommy. Along with the others currently staying with her.
“We’ll pray for her.” Kaleb came up to stand beside her.
“How did you know I was thinking of Emma?”
“You looked sad.” Kaleb reached out to take her hand. “And I know you asked Grimes about her because you’re worried.”
“I am, yes. She’s young and foolish enough to go back to her abuser.” She looked down at their joined hands. “I think praying is a good thing to do.”
“Dear Lord, we ask You to keep Emma Yonkers safe in Your loving care. Guide her to safety. Amen.”
“Amen.” She managed a smile. “Thanks, Kaleb. I—uh, should go see if Milly needs help.”
“Good idea.” He squeezed her hand, then released her. “I’ll be in shortly.”
“Okay.” She forced herself to walk away from him rather than throw herself into his arms. Kaleb was messing with her head, making her want things she couldn’t have.
Running a safe house was her life. Her mission. She’d chosen to do this work, and that meant there was no room for a relationship.
The sooner she accepted that reality, the better.
Milly didn’t need help, so she went down into the rec room to check on the residents. She stayed with them, enjoying the Disney movie they’d been watching. After an hour, the movie ended.
“There may be time to watch another one,” she told them.
“Why can’t we go swimming?” Tommy asked.
“It’s chilly outside today,” she informed him. “The high temp is only sixty-four degrees, and that’s too cold to be out in the pool.”
“I thought you said we had to stay inside to be safe?” Tommy challenged.
“That too. But it’s also too cold.” She caught Willow’s gaze. “You can stay down here to watch another show, or you can head back upstairs.” She glanced at her watch. “Milly will have lunch ready in about an hour.”
“I think we should stay down here,” Willow said. The other women murmured in agreement.
Charlotte hated knowing how afraid Willow was at the possibility that Tommy’s father had come to find them. She wouldn’t be surprised if Willow and Tommy decided to sleep in the recreation room that night.
It wasn’t a half-bad idea.
Charlotte left them to their movie, heading back upstairs. She followed the sound of Kaleb’s voice to the den. “Yes, sir. I served in the navy for twenty-two years.”
Who was he talking to? She caught his gaze and lifted a brow.
“I appreciate you following up on the conversation you had with Detective Grimes.” Kaleb gestured for her to come closer, then put the call on speaker. “Have you had any calls about suspicious men moving around the neighborhood?”
“No, but we did have a call about a young woman who appeared to be a prostitute,” the male voice said. “She was gone by the time officers arrived to talk to her.”
Not a prostitute, Charlotte thought with a sigh. She mouthed the word Emma to Kaleb who nodded.
“That may have been Emma Yonkers,” Kaleb said. “She was one of the safe house residents, before she decided to leave yesterday. She was dressed in rather tight clothing, but I can assure you, she’s not a prostitute.”
“Emma Yonkers, huh? Okay, I’ll make a note that she should not be treated as a prostitution suspect.”
“Detective Wales, I’m more interested in anyone who reports seeing a guy hanging around,” Kaleb said. “I chased someone off the property twice in a matter of hours. Someone must have noticed.”
“I’ll go through the intake calls again,” the detective offered. “Narrowing in on the area immediately around your location.”
Her stomach knotted a bit at that. She told herself to get over it.
“Thanks,” Kaleb said. “I also saw a black truck with muddied license plates.”
“That’s illegal, and our guys would pick up on something like that,” Detective Wales said. “I’ll put out notice for our officers to be aware of that too.”
“Okay.” Kaleb lifted a brow, silently asking if there was anything she wanted to add. She shook her head. “Thanks again, we appreciate everything you’re doing to keep the women and children here safe.”
“Not a problem. We’ll find this guy.” It almost sounded as if the detective relished the task at hand.
Kaleb disconnected. “I think we made the right decision, Charlotte. This isn’t a high crime area like Los Angeles. The Agoura Hills police will be far more likely to pull over someone who doesn’t look as if they belong.”
“No kidding. I can’t believe someone assumed Emma was a prostitute.”
“It’s just that she doesn’t fit in around here, right? She wouldn’t draw a second glance in downtown Los Angeles.” He shrugged. “Personally, I’m glad she left before she could get arrested. I’m sure that accusation would not have gone over very well with her. Hopefully she found a taxi or a bus.”
She eyed him curiously. “You gave her money, didn’t you?”
He flushed. “Hey, I just wanted to make sure she had a way to get back to Los Angeles. I was afraid she’d accept a ride from a stranger, which would not be good.”
“You’re a softie,” she chided, although she was secretly relived that he’d been concerned enough to help her out. “Emma knows how to take care of herself. She grew up in foster care, which is how she ended up with a lowlife like Rodney in the first place.”
“I’m sure she can take care of herself as long as she makes smart choices.” He stood and gestured toward the great room. “I’m going to head out to see if our suspect is hiding out nearby.”
“Now? Why not wait until after lunch?”
“I thought you said you’d be okay being here alone with the alarm system on?” he asked with concern.
“I am, but Milly takes pride in feeding you.” Maybe she was a little afraid, but there was no sense in mentioning that. Up until a few days ago, she’d never had a man like Kaleb watching over her. Especially not a former Navy SEAL with enough knowledge to set up trip wires around the property.
Time for her to grow a backbone. She never should have allowed herself to become dependent on Kaleb’s protection in the first place.
Although she’d never had a former abuser come to shoot at her safe house either.
“Lunch is almost ready,” Milly called from the kitchen. “Char, will you call the women and children up from the rec room?”
“Yes, of course.” She turned away, wondering if Willow would feel safe enough to return to the main level.
Kaleb’s phone rang. He put a hand on her arm to stop her. “It’s Detective Grimes.”
“Let’s go back into the study.” It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Milly, but she wanted to protect the woman and the others from potential bad news.
“Tyson,” Kaleb answered curtly, automatically putting the call on speaker for her benefit. “What’s going on, Detective?”
“Is Charlotte Cambridge nearby?”
“I’m here,” she answered, her stomach knotting with fear. “Sounds like you have bad news, Detective.”
“I need to show you a picture of a homicide victim that was found early this morning.” He didn’t beat around the bush.
“Send it to me,” Kaleb said.
She frowned. “Send it to both of us,” she corrected. “It sounds as if you believe this victim is one of my former safe house residents?”
“Unfortunately, yes. There was no ID found on her, and her prints are not in the system.” Grimes took a moment, then said, “I sent the photos.”
She stared at her phone until the text message popped up on the screen. When she saw Emma’s battered face, she bit back a cry, a wave of grief pummeling her.
The flirty young woman was dead.