Staring at his clenched fists, Kaleb forced himself to remain calm. Charlotte’s story was far worse than he’d imagined. He wasn’t a violent man by nature, but if Jerry walked in now, he would be tempted to slug him, hard, just so that the lowlife jerk would understand exactly how it felt.
Violence wasn’t the answer. Jesus would not condone that behavior. Yet the images of what Charlotte described flashed over and over in his head, filling him with a helpless fury.
He couldn’t help but wonder if the reason she’d cut her hair was because of what that jerk did to her. Sierra bumped her head against his side, looking up at him. She could sense his tumultuous emotions, so he leaned over to reassure her.
“I’m fine.” He wasn’t, but he did his best to let go of the anger. There wasn’t anything he or Charlotte could do to change the past. Admirable that she’d turned around to dedicate her life to helping other women.
Women and children who’d suffered what she had.
Kaleb rose and headed into the living room. If he kept thinking about Charlotte lying unconscious on the floor, he’d never be able to sleep. Or to focus on the dark-haired guy who had been outside.
When Sierra had alerted near the palm trees, he’d wondered if it was a false positive. He knew Sierra wanted to please him, and the possibility of the gunman finding them all the way out here seemed impossible.
He hadn’t rewarded her but took her around the other side of the house, where the pool and patio were located. He gave her the scent bag again, telling her to seek the bad man, and she eagerly went to work. But she did not alert in that area.
Working their way around the house, Sierra had alerted near a window looking into the office and then again near the palm trees. He’d rewarded her with the tennis ball, his mind whirling.
He hated thinking he may have inadvertently led this guy here. Although he really didn’t see how. Charlotte had a point about them being seen at the pizza joint, but following their rideshare seemed a stretch.
Nothing was impossible, though. His SEAL training had taught him that. The things they’d endured had pushed them to their limits, yet they’d not only survived, they’d thrived.
Never underestimate the enemy.
Okay, then. He’d assume the worst, that the dark-haired gunman had been outside the house. Kaleb and Sierra had chased him off, but he might return. Getting shut-eye was out of the question. He stood and moved from one window to the other, trying to come up with a way to trap this guy.
A house this large made that difficult. There were so many windows he could shoot at. So many places he could attempt to breach. The alarm would put Kaleb and the women on notice, but it wouldn’t provide the specific location since the alarm system wasn’t updated to modern technology standards.
Allowing this guy to breach the house wasn’t an option.
Kaleb rummaged through the kitchen drawers, looking for anything useful. There was duct tape but nothing else. The house had a finished basement, a large recreational room with a large-screen TV to watch movies. He rushed through there to the back utility area and hit pay dirt. There were some tools, but even better, some fishing gear. A tackle box containing several yards of fishing line, fishing hooks, and a large net.
Perfect.
He hauled everything upstairs and quickly cut the net away from the pole. Then he cut several lengths of fishing line, tucked the hooks into his pocket, and grabbed the duct tape.
“Sierra, stay. Guard.” He couldn’t take her outside with him for this job, she’d only get in the way, and he didn’t want to risk her being injured. Kaleb disabled the code, stepped outside, and then keyed the alarm back on.
He worked as quickly as possible. Daylight was only a couple of hours away. Still, he wasn’t going to assume this guy wouldn’t try again. Daytime hadn’t stopped him before, no reason to think it would again. Kaleb set up several low trip wires with the fishing line, then used the duct tape to make a sling, and used two hooks to help suspend the net beneath the broad palm leaves. If the guy looked up, he’d see the net hanging there, but most people didn’t do that. Especially if they were intent on creeping silently toward a house to wreak havoc. The sling would tug the wire that would release the net. Crude, but better than nothing.
The trip wires would be his best bet, so he strung a few more along the back and near the front of the house too. Then he went to the darkest corner of the property, pressing himself against the side of the building, and sat down to wait.
It was chilly without having Sierra with him, sharing her body heat, but he ignored the discomfort. The neighborhood was surprisingly quiet, or maybe it was just that the properties were spaced far enough apart to make it difficult to overhear any conversations.
He personally preferred to have distance from others. He’d spent over twenty years bunking with teammates and living in what they often called the Sandbox, which was the desert in Afghanistan. He appreciated being back on US soil, but he didn’t particularly want to mingle with a bunch of people.
Ironic, really, that he was here keeping a whole group of women and kids safe.
That thought led him back to Charlotte. His heart ached for her. Easy to understand now how she’d turned from God. It had been a difficult path for him, too, after their last op had gone sideways, killing Jaydon. But Kaleb also knew he wouldn’t be here right now without God’s love and grace.
The hours slipped by one by one. Dawn broke slowly over the horizon, a faint light at first, slowly growing brighter. Still, he stayed where he was, silently willing this guy to return so that he could grab him.
A noise to his right made him stiffen. He slowly rose, his right knee screaming in pain after being in one position for so long. Keeping his back pressed against the wall, he continued to listen.
“Kaleb? Are you okay?” Charlotte’s hushed whisper made him grimace.
“Fine, stay back. I don’t want you to get hurt.” He took a moment to sweep his gaze over the area before carefully making his way to the front door.
“Did you stay out there all night?” Charlotte’s face was pale, dark circles marring her eyes.
“Just since you went to bed.” He urged her inside, then activated the alarm. He bent to pet Sierra, who acted as if he’d been gone for a week rather than three and a half hours. “You and the others can’t walk around outside, Charlotte. I’ve set up some traps in case this guy returns.”
“Traps?” she echoed, her aquamarine eyes widening in shock. “What do you mean?”
“Trip wires, mostly. Nothing that’s going to hurt him.” Not that he was overly concerned about the dark-haired guy possibly being injured. “It’s a way to make sure we can hear him coming before he has time to do something dangerous.”
“Like shoot at us,” Charlotte said grimly. “Smart of you to think of that.”
“I need you to make sure none of the others go wandering around the property.” He hesitated, then added, “I’m sorry, but we can’t allow the kids to swim today either. That’s a risk I’m not willing to take.”
“I understand.” She shook her head. “They’ll be disappointed, of course, but keeping them safe is more important.”
“It is, yes. I just feel bad that they have to suffer because of this guy.” And he was once again mad at himself for letting him get away. “Excuse me while I take Sierra out.”
Charlotte smiled at the dog. “She stood at the front door like a furry sentinel. I was worried she wouldn’t let me go outside to find you.”
“Yeah, we’re a great team, but I left her inside so she wouldn’t get caught in the trip wires.” He went through the alarm routine to take her out for a bathroom break, then brought her inside.
Milly was up, based on the sounds coming from the kitchen. He took the opportunity to shower before returning to grab some badly needed coffee.
“We’re having pancakes today,” Milly announced. “As requested by the kids.”
“No complaints from me.” Kaleb sipped his coffee. “Did Charlotte let you know about the need to stay inside?”
“Yes.” Milly’s expression darkened. “It’s a shame the police haven’t arrested that man yet.”
“We’ll get him.” He injected confidence into his tone. “Soon.”
“Do you think we should continue staying here?” Charlotte asked. “I need to call my donor to make arrangements if we need to relocate.”
He turned to glance at her. She’d showered, too, her short dark hair damp, curling slightly around her face. She was so adorable it took all his willpower not to sweep her into his arms. “I think we stay today. We need to give Detective Grimes the chance to get his hands on Thomas Acker.”
“What about Tom?” Willow asked, coming into the room. Her fearful gaze bounced from him to Charlotte and back again. “You think he’s the one doing this?”
“We don’t know he’s responsible,” Charlotte said firmly. “Trust me, Willow, he’s one of many suspects.” She lifted a slip of paper. “I made a list of more names of abuse victims for the detective to follow up on. Please don’t assume the worst, okay?”
“Okay.” Willow’s gaze remained skeptical, and Kaleb couldn’t blame her.
“Don’t say anything to Tommy,” Kaleb added. “He doesn’t need to worry. I’m here, and I promise I won’t let anything happen to either of you.”
Willow nodded again, then turned away, no doubt to find her son. Kaleb could tell she was shaken by the news of her ex-husband being a likely suspect. The only positive side of the situation was that if Acker was responsible, he wouldn’t get off with a slap on the wrist.
Kaleb would push hard to make sure he was charged for attempted murder.
“I wish I could believe Acker was the one responsible,” Charlotte said in a low voice. “I know I only caught a brief glimpse of his face, but he didn’t match up to the mug shot Detective Grimes showed us.”
“I know.” He was bothered by that too. “Maybe Acker did something to subtly alter his looks.”
“Maybe.” He could tell she didn’t believe him. Kaleb wasn’t entirely sure he believed it either.
He wanted, needed to get this guy.
“Breakfast will be ready in five minutes,” Milly announced.
“Thanks, Milly.” Charlotte stared at him for a long moment before joining her in the kitchen.
Kaleb walked from window to window, searching for signs of the intruder. But the area around the safe house remained undisturbed.
As he made his way back to join the group, he silently prayed for strength and patience, sensing he would need large doses of both to get through the rest of the day.
Physically and emotionally exhausted, Charlotte did her best to put on a brave face for the women and children who were counting on her and Kaleb to keep them safe.
But it wasn’t easy. Those moments she’d thought Kaleb had been hurt, or worse, had ravaged what little composure she’d had.
Logically, she should have expected him to be waiting outside for the dark-haired man to return. But the thought of losing him had struck hard.
Forcing her to realize how much she cared about him. Not just as someone who was kind enough to offer his protection but on a personal level.
Shaking her head at her own foolishness, she tried to focus on their next steps. Obviously, Kaleb wouldn’t be heading back to their old safe house with Sierra to find more video of the gunman.
Yet depending solely on Detective Grimes didn’t sit well either. He was doing his best, but he didn’t have much to show for his efforts.
Charlotte barely remembered Kaleb saying grace or eating Milly’s pancakes. There had been a series of protests after she’d informed the group there would be no swimming, but the kids had quickly agreed to Willow’s idea of a movie session instead. It was a good plan to have the kids and the women stay down in the large rec room, away from the main level.
After breakfast was over, Milly nudged her out of the kitchen. “It’s Tina’s turn to wash dishes,” Milly said firmly. “No offense, but you look awful. I know you didn’t sleep much last night. You should take a nap, get some rest.”
“Yeah, okay,” she answered absently. But rather than heading back upstairs, she went in search for Kaleb instead.
“Something wrong?” He seemed concerned.
“Will you call Grimes? I’d like an update, and I have those additional names he’d asked for.”
“Sure.” He drew her into the study. “Although I don’t know that he’ll have much to tell us.”
“I know.” She rubbed her bloodshot eyes. “I need him to get to the bottom of this mess. The pressure is wearing me down.”
“Hey, I’m here for you.” Kaleb’s dark gaze held sympathy. “I know how difficult it is for you to trust me, but I would die before I let anything happen to you or the others.”
“I trust you, Kaleb. But I’m sure you can’t just hang around here indefinitely.”
“Yeah, I can.” He drew her to the small sofa. “I’m here for as long as it takes.”
Until the next guy comes after us, she thought on a sigh. Then she realized she was behaving badly. It wasn’t like her to wallow in a puddle of self-pity. She lifted her chin and drew in a deep breath. “I need to give him the names I came up with.”
Kaleb drew the phone from his pocket, found Grimes’s number, put the call on speaker, and balanced the device on his thigh.
“Tyson, are you calling with new information?” Grimes asked.
“Detective, it’s Charlotte. I would like to send you the names of the residents who stayed here over the last six months.”
“That’s fine. Can you take a picture and text it to me?”
“Of course.” She looked at Kaleb who nodded encouragingly. “Do you have any news on Thomas Acker?”
“No.” The blunt response made her cranky. “I told you I’d let you know when I did. Calling me every few hours isn’t going to make things happen any faster.”
“The guy was here last night,” Kaleb said. “I think it’s reasonable to understand these women and children are afraid of what he’ll try next.”
She heard Grimes sigh. “I get that, but I’m doing my best. The BOLO has gone out, and the cops are actively looking for him.”
“We know you are,” Kaleb assured him.
“If you want to give me your address, I can let the locals know to keep an eye on your place,” Grimes offered.
Charlotte locked her eyes on Kaleb and shook her head vehemently. He nodded in agreement.
“That’s okay, I’ve got things covered here,” Kaleb said. “Besides, technically, the only law he broke is trespassing on private property. I don’t think that will be enough to convince the local police to do frequent patrols past the house.”
“Up to you. Let me know if you change your mind,” Grimes said. “Anything else?”
“Nothing from me,” Charlotte admitted. “Thanks for your help, Detective.”
“You’re welcome.” Grimes abruptly disconnected from the call.
She rubbed her aching temples. “I knew he wouldn’t have any new information to share.”
“Let’s see that list of names.” Kaleb held up his phone. “I’ll text him the info.”
After handing it over, she rose and crossed to the window. “I’m starting to wonder if we’ll ever be safe again.”
“You will be.” Kaleb took the photo, sent the text, then came to stand beside her. “Whoever that guy is, he’ll try again. And this time, I’ll be ready for him.”
“Okay.” She told herself to get a grip. “Thanks, Kaleb.”
“Anytime.” There was a moment’s pause before he asked, “Charlotte, I don’t want to pry, but can I ask you something?”
Her stomach knotted as she lifted her gaze to his. She’d been wondering when he was going to ask again about why she didn’t press charges against Jerry. She steeled herself to face his disappointment. “Of course.”
“Does Jerry have dark hair?”
“Dark hair?” She frowned. “What? Oh, no.” She flushed, belatedly realizing what Kaleb was getting at. “He has bright red hair, and I’m sure he’s still in Minneapolis. The last time I looked him up, I discovered he’d gotten married.” She couldn’t help but grimace as the old familiar guilt kicked in. If she’d have stayed to press charges, Jerry may not have married Darla.
But, at the time, it had seemed like disappearing from the area, leaving the apartment where she’d lived for three years, was the only way to survive.
“He could have dyed it dark,” Kaleb said.
A cold chill snaked down her spine. But then she shook her head. “He could, sure, but how would he have found me here in Los Angeles? It’s not like I left a forwarding address. Minneapolis is thousands of miles away from here. And living at a safe house provides me additional cover.”
Kaleb frowned. “Maybe.”
“Really, it’s not him. Why would Jerry bother to come after me? He’s got a woman in his life to control, to abuse. There’s certainly no need for him to track me down after all this time.”
“How much time?” Kaleb pressed.
“Five years.” In truth, it seemed like much longer. As if her life before California was nothing more than a foggy dream. And maybe it was. Charlotte knew she wasn’t the same woman she was back then.
Thanks to Jerry, she’d morphed into someone else. Someone who knew the ugly side of life, faced it every day, and worked hard to protect others the way Sally and the women at the safe house she stayed at had protected her.
“What’s Jerry’s last name?”
“Schubert. But I truly don’t think he’s our guy. I’m sure I would have recognized him, even if he had dyed his hair.”
“You’re probably right, but I appreciate you giving me the information anyway.” Kaleb’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “In case I happen to end up in Minneapolis at some point.”
“Don’t, Kaleb.” She frowned, lightly touching his arm. “You’re a good man. Don’t stoop to his level. He’s not worth it.”
Now his smile gentled, and he lightly brushed his finger down her cheek. “Okay, you’re probably right. As much as I want to pummel him, I’ll stay away. For you, Charlotte.”
Her lips curved in a reluctant smile. “I used to imagine taking kickboxing classes just so I could punch him back, then I realized that was the wrong approach. Now I just hope that he’ll do something that will land him in jail.”
“Maybe he already has. We should pray for his wife,” Kaleb said softly.
She was nodded, about to explain about the anonymous notes she’d sent, then she saw something move out the window. She grabbed his arm. “I think someone’s out there.”
“Stay here and keep everyone away from the windows. Sierra, guard!” Instantly, Kaleb had his weapon in hand and was heading for the front door.
Charlotte followed him out of the study. Sierra stayed close to her side as she made a quick detour to the kitchen to find Milly. “We need to get into the basement rec room with the others.”
“Okay.” Milly didn’t argue but thrust the ground meat she was thawing for lunch into the fridge and followed her down the stairs.
“What’s going on?” Willow asked, looking at her sharply.
“Nothing, we’re fine.” Charlotte did her best to reassure them. “Just taking extra precautions. Milly, I need you and Willow to keep everyone down here. I’ll be back soon.”
“Where are you going?” Milly demanded.
She didn’t want to tell them she was going to get her gun. “I need to check the alarm system. Don’t worry, I won’t be long. Stay here, no one goes upstairs, understand?”
Willow nodded, her eyes dark with fear. She tugged her son Tommy close to her side.
Milly eyed her suspiciously, likely knowing full well Kaleb would never forget to activate it, but she held her tongue. Milly was smart enough to figure out what Charlotte intended to do.
Better for Charlotte to be armed than Milly. Not only was the older woman not a very good shot, but she made it clear she didn’t like using a gun.
Charlotte raced up the stairs to the main level, with Sierra accompanying her. Kaleb’s dog stayed close to her side, which was reassuring. She felt certain the dog would attack anyone who threatened her. Maybe she should get a dog like Sierra after Kaleb left. It would be nice to have additional backup. She was sure Kaleb would tell her where he adopted Sierra and even give her tips on training the dog.
Time to consider that idea later. She entered the master suite. Sierra seemed confused; she kept sitting in front of Charlotte as if to force her to stay put.
“This won’t take long,” she said to the dog, hoping the animal would calm down a bit. Apparently, the K9 took her command of guarding her seriously. No matter what Charlotte did, the dog attempted to sit right in front of her. A phenomenon that would have made her smile if the situation wasn’t so grim.
Rummaging in the nightstand, she removed her .38. She always made sure to keep her gun away from the kids, trigger lock securely in place. Deep down, she didn’t like guns either. She and Milly were similar in that way. But the difference was that Charlotte knew having a weapon was necessary. Hadn’t that been proven by this dark-haired guy’s actions? She couldn’t afford to hesitate in doing what needed to be done.
With trembling fingers, she quickly removed the trigger lock and double-checked to make sure the weapon was loaded.
There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that Kaleb would sacrifice his life if needed. After all, she planned to do the same thing. If Kaleb was the first line of defense, she would be the second.
She pulled a sweatshirt out of the closet and tucked the gun inside the pocket. Then she turned, almost tripping over Sierra, to head back downstairs to the rec room.
Rather than going all the way down, though, she lowered herself to the floor, positioning herself so she was in front of the door.
Sierra made a circle, then sat right next to her, facing outward, her ears perked forward.
“Good girl, Sierra.” Talking to the dog helped calm her frayed nerves. She swallowed hard and rested the gun in her lap, holding it in both hands.
It wouldn’t be easy to fire at the dark-haired man, the way she’d shredded a paper target. But she would do whatever was necessary if he made it this far.
Please, Lord, please don’t let him get inside the house!