The men shared a look, each pulling out his own handgun. Ian brushed past her. “Where was it coming from?”
“Back there. The hallway that leads to the kitchen.”
“Stay here,” said Sloan, following the other man. She nodded, pulling the front door closed and leaning back against it. She was no longer certain of exactly what she’d heard, the noise having been nondescript and possibly even a figment of her imagination. She had nearly convinced herself of this when Ian returned.
“Did you leave your office window open?” he asked.
She frowned. “No.”
“You sure about that? Because it’s open now.”
An icy heat spread from the base of her neck over her shoulder blades, goose bumps covering her arms. “Positive. I made sure everything was locked up.”
Sloan reentered the room. “There’s no one in here, but the alarm system sensor on the office window has been tampered with. Wire’s cut.”
“That can’t be. Bill checked the alarm system after the attack.” Her eyes darted from one man to the other, understanding slowly dawning, dragging fear in its wake. “Someone did it after that.”
Again Ian ignored her. He gestured to Sloan. “Let’s check outside.”
“But what if there’s somebody in here?” she blurted.
Ian was already heading for the door, but he stopped and turned back to face her. “It’s clear. We checked. Stay put.”
She nodded, sinking down onto a wooden bench in the foyer. The man who’d attacked her had barely been dead twenty-four hours, but someone else was already on her trail. She brought a trembling hand to her mouth, her fingers lightly skimming her bottom lip.
The men returned a few minutes later. “Tracks in the sand leading to and from your office window. Did you make them?” asked Sloan.
She shook her head, feeling faint as the remaining blood drained from her head. “No.”
“Looks like we got here just in time,” said Ian. “We’re going to search the rest of the grounds. Lock this door.”
She sat for what could have been an hour, but she wasn’t sure. Her sense of time was off, the events of the last day circling through her mind like a hamster on a wheel. The intruder in her house. The attack. Bill killing her attacker. Bill’s heart attack and death. Her heaving a dead man off a cliff into the ocean.
A tear slipped down her cheek and she left it there. She was grateful the SEALs were here, that the men had arrived to protect her and Selena. She just didn’t know what would happen next. Kill another man, toss another body? Or pack up a few things and run for their lives? How could she possibly pick the right course of action when she didn’t know what had changed, putting her in danger once more?
This time when the bell rang, she was not surprised. She let the men inside. “Coast is clear, as far as we can tell,” said Ian. “We used night vision goggles with thermal imaging. Nothing.” He unstrapped his pack from his back and set it heavily on the floor. “How about you bring us up to speed on what’s been going on here?”
She told them about the intruder and subsequent attack, wondering just how much of the truth she should share with these men. Bill trusted Mac O’Brady, but these men were strangers. She opted to keep her attacker’s demise to herself, at least for the time being, instead telling the SEALs Bill chased the man away.
“Looks like he isn’t giving up so easily,” said Sloan. “Don’t worry. We’re here now, and we’ll protect you.” He turned to Ian. “You got first watch, man? I’m starving.”
Ian nodded. “Sure.” He eyed Jackie. “Sloan’s an eating machine. A bottomless freaking pit.”
“I can make you something,” she offered, coming to a stand. “You, too, Mr. Rhodes.” She forced a smile to her face, attempting to make up for her initial reaction to his appearance.
“I’m not hungry.”
His tone implied he’d rather starve than eat her cooking, and she frowned. She didn’t know how long the men were going to be here, but that time would have been easier for all of them if she and Ian Rhodes had gotten off on the right foot. He went back outside.
“Razorback’s like that with everyone,” said Sloan. “Don’t let it get to you.”
“Razorback?”
“Yeah.” He gave her a conspiratorial grin. “Suits him, don’t you think? Like an old boar living alone in the forest.”
“Maybe he’ll warm up to me as I get to know him.”
Sloan shook his head with a chuckle. “I wouldn’t count on that. But you go ahead and try if it will make you feel better.” He rubbed his hands together and grinned. “Now, what do you have to eat?”
