NICK FLIPPED OFF the porch light and gazed into the darkness around the house. Logan and Kim lived in a home much like his and Micah’s; the neighborhood remained still and quiet with the occasional barking dog or car traveling down the street. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. And yet it seemed that Janus may have invaded his world yet again.
She’d crossed a line entering Logan’s home, terrorizing Molly. Rolling his eyes, he sighed. As if she hadn’t already crossed a dozen lines. He stepped off the porch and tucked himself close to the stucco wall, creeping around the corner to where he knew he would find Molly’s window. One thing concerned him. Janus hadn’t demonstrated carelessness, and a shoeprint was just that. If it was her, had she done that on purpose? Or did she escape right before Kaylan came in the room and hadn’t had time to erase the evidence? That thought chilled him. If Janus had been that close to Kaylan with an open window, she’d chosen not to act yet. Which meant she had a plan later if Nick and the SEALs didn’t stop chasing her. They couldn’t and wouldn’t, but neither could they live with the repercussions to their families.
Nick stopped short of Molly’s window and crouched low, searching for footprints in the dust. None, not even a broken branch or crushed leaf on the bush growing right next to the window. He was almost sure of it. It’d been Janus.
A flash of white caught his eye, tucked near the root of the bush. He reached for the paper, the beading sweat on his brow chilling at the familiar Russian scrawl. All doubt receded from his mind. A known terrorist stalking American families on American soil made his blood boil. Time to take this up a notch, lock Kaylan away or something. He inwardly groaned. Although if they did that, it would ruin the internship she’d worked so hard for, the one she had almost missed because of Haiti. But her life was far more valuable. He wished he could do something about it, but unless Janus left for overseas and he was tasked with the mission, he could do nothing. Unless . . . there was one other option. But his heart couldn’t bear it.
He turned the card over. “I know where you live. I have easy access to those you love. Catch me if you can, little SEAL.”
He called Micah. “I got another letter at Logan’s.”
“Is Kaylan all right? The kids?”
“I’m outside now. They’re fine. I don’t know what to do. If being close to Kaylan means I put her in danger, then . . . ” He stopped short. He didn’t want anyone who might be listening to know she’d rattled them. But if she’d lurked near the window as Kaylan calmed Molly, she knew enough.
“Don’t go to the absolute extreme yet, Hawk. The Feds are on it. Let’s talk this through before you do what I think you are thinking.” The dial tone sounded.
Nick skirted the perimeter of the house, pausing to listen now and then. A car rolled up to the house, lights off and deadly quiet. He sent up a silent prayer of thanks. No use alerting the whole neighborhood. This was a one-time break-in arranged for one sole purpose—creating fear to gain control. She’d only shown interest in Logan’s family because she knew Kaylan was there and most likely suspected Nick wouldn’t be far behind. Logan couldn’t chase her even if he wanted to.
Kaylan stepped from the house to meet the two federal agents coming up the sidewalk. Nick instantly appeared at her side, greeting them and filling them in. He wasn’t sure of the next steps, but of one thing he was absolutely certain—his team was ready to make war.
Janus lurked in the shadows of the neighbor’s house. Two men scanned the perimeter as Nick and Kaylan stood close, talking in the light streaming from inside.
She’d scared the little girl. She’d made just enough noise to wake her and stayed far enough out of the light to frighten her and make her doubt. That is until that nagging cough.
Nikolai had found her note. She chuckled quietly to herself. She hadn’t had this much fun in years. She quite enjoyed this little game of cat and mouse. The cat always won. She relished the victory. Fear remained a worthy and effective tool in her arsenal. If she controlled their emotions, she controlled the chase.
Soon she would leave for a major deal that the boss had thought big enough to appear for. She wondered at the risk. He remained anonymous because he remained hidden. Her alias kept her hidden, and her clients feared to reveal her identity once business was complete. But this meeting had the potential to wreak havoc on everything they’d built. If only he trusted her.
She shivered in the evening air. Fear became a weapon against her, and she determined to double her efforts to make sure her boss was caught if she was. It seemed ironic that the thing that had almost ruined her life so many years ago had chased her down to try and ruin it again. She could run, leave well enough alone. But they would chase her, and she couldn’t let that go—not at the expense of her life, her freedom.
The Feds slipped into their car as Nick and Kaylan went back into the house. She shook her head. Her first impression had been right. He could do better. The meddlesome fool would get herself killed if she kept trying to help. The more Kaylan interfered, the less Janus cared what happened to her. At least that is what she would continue to tell herself. Feeling anything different was simply out of the question.
Her little game was all too real. If Nick wouldn’t be intimidated, then the stakes rose. If he played to win, she would have no other choice.
Nick closed the door to the Feds, alone with Kaylan for the first time in weeks. His heart told him to take her in his arms and hold her until this mess ended. But logic told him they needed to address some things. He looked up to find Kaylan watching him and realized his hand rested over the lock on the door.
He dropped his hand and approached her, his lips finding hers. Some kisses made him ready for the wedding. Yesterday. But some, like this one, reassured him that he could spend a lifetime with this woman, not caught up in passion alone but because she symbolized home to him and all the things that lasted long after the fireworks faded.
“Welcome home.” She pulled back and rested her hands on his arms. “I missed you.”
“Missed you too. Looks like you couldn’t stay out of trouble for a few weeks. What in the world am I going to do with you?”
“Me?” She stepped away, laughter and warmth filling her eyes as the threat of danger faded for the moment with him near. “It’s not my fault.”
He joined in her laughter but couldn’t escape the gravity of the situation. “Kaylan, I can’t leave you defenseless.”
“So leave me your pistol next time you go out of town.”
“What?”
“C’mon, darlin’.” He grinned as her accent thickened. “I grew up in the South with three rowdy brothers, a dad, and a granddad close by, and you don’t think I learned a thing or two about guns?”
Nick crossed his arms and tried to picture his sweet girlfriend staring down the barrel of a gun. “I can’t see it.”
“Well, I didn’t say I actually shot at anything living. But I am a pro with old Coke bottles.”
“Now that image makes more sense.” He reached for her hand. “Seriously, though, Kaylan. If I gave you my gun, could you use it if you needed to? If you or someone else was in danger?”
Nick watched her wrestle with the reality of his words. Her eyes drifted to Molly’s door and her grip tightened in his. When she looked him in the eye again, he saw no doubt, only a measure of sadness. “If there is no other option, then yes. I would pull the trigger.”
“Kayles, anything around you can be a weapon. Look for a way to leverage your body and your environment to get the upper hand on someone. When adrenaline gets going, you will only have time to react, not think, so make your actions count.”
She nodded. “Do me a favor?”
“Anything.”
“Please don’t let it come to that.”
He crushed her to his chest, his fingers running through her hair. “I’ll do my best.”
But his heart sank to his feet. He was fighting a ghost and could only pray she made a mistake.