“I don’t know how he got in. He attacked me.”
Zane never took his eyes from the man. “What did he do?”
“Tried to hit me. I dodged. Then he tackled me. Tried to strangle me.”
His gaze flashed to her neck before he asked, “How’d you incapacitate him?”
“Knee to the gut. Foot to the—”
“Yeah. I can see that. Have you called 911?”
“Not yet. I had just taken care of him when you knocked.”
“Do you still have cuffs in the kitchen?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll get them. You good?”
She refocused on the man on the floor. “Yes.”
Zane was back in seconds with the cuffs. He handed them to her. “Want to do the honors?”
“I’d love to.” She trusted Zane to cover her, so she slid her weapon into the waistband of her pants at her back andapproached the assailant. “On your belly. Hands behind your back.”
The man cooperated, albeit with a fair amount of groaning. Once he was prone, she knelt over him, careful not to put herself in a position where he could lash out, and cuffed him. “Stay there.”
She rose and retrieved her phone. Dialed 911. Dealt with the dispatcher. Refused to remain on the line. Called down to the security desk. Explained that the police were en route and that they should allow them access to her floor. Again refused to remain on the line.
Then she called Luke.
“Powell.”
“Luke.”
“Did you shoot Zane? I’m not saying he didn’t deserve it, but it will be messy dealing with the paperwork.” Luke’s brand of protectiveness, for both her and Zane, chased away some of the chill that had set up residence in her bones.
“No. But I do have an intruder in handcuffs.”
Luke was all business when he spoke. “Maybe you should start at the beginning.”
By the time she’d explained the situation, Luke and Faith were in their car headed her way. They promised to fill in the others.
She rejoined Zane and couldn’t resist asking a few questions of the man on the floor. “Who are you?”
Nothing. No surprise.
“How did you get in my apartment?”
Again, nothing.
“Do you realize you’ve attacked a federal agent?” Zane’s question carried far more bite than hers had, and this time the man reacted. It was brief, but there was a flicker of something. Not fear. More like anger? Annoyance?
It was possible he hadn’t known who she was and what she could do, which would explain how he’d muffed the takedown. If he hadn’t made that one mistake, he could have killed her while Zane stood outside begging her to let him in.
A shiver raced up her spine. It was too much to hope that Zane wouldn’t notice. His free arm came around her, and he pulled her toward him until her cheek rested on his shoulder. It was the same position they’d taken in the security office on Saturday.
But then she thought they were moving toward... something. Not what they had, but something more.
