Once inside, I locked the door and sauntered into the kitchen since the light was on. She stood with her back turned to me and I instinctively knew something was wrong.
When she heard me, she spun around, placing her finger across her lips before pointing toward the partially open door, shaking her head.
I knew exactly what she meant. I’d watched her close the door before we’d left given my insistence. Instantly I pulled out my weapon and of course she was already reaching for the one in her purse.
Without hesitation, I pointed for her to get away from the glass door while I flicked off the light. I checked the pantry and the small utility closet, finding nothing. There was no other sign that anyone had been in the room other than the point of entry.
While keeping the weapon in both hands, I moved quickly toward the back door, standing off to the side. I slowly opened it, listening for any unusual sounds. Unfortunately, with the location of the house, there was extensive noise coming from the surrounding area. Traffic. Music. People laughing.
She faded into the shadows of the room, but I noticed the outline of her weapon. At this point, nowhere was safe inside the house. This was why her leaving New Orleans without taking securitywith her was a bad idea. I had no way of knowing what we were dealing with, the disadvantage dangerous.
I moved onto the deck, remaining close to the wall. The lights in the pool provided enough contrast that after a few seconds I was able to get a clear view of the area below. If there was anyone outside, they were hiding in the shrubs. Very possible, but my instincts told me they’d prefer getting the jump inside.
Back inside, I noticed Emmeline was already standing near the kitchen door. I moved quickly, pulling her away and whispering harshly, “You’re going to remain right here.”
“No. I’m coming with you.”
“No, you are not. Do not move. Scream if anyone comes in. Do you hear me?” Yes, my voice was much harsher than perhaps she deserved, but I knew exactly what she would do as soon as my back was turned. If something happened to her now, I’d not only need to burn down all of Rio to find the person responsible, I’d take my rage back to New Orleans with me and God help anyone who stood in my way.
“Fine. I’ll stay here.”
“Good girl.” Backing away, I darted my head out the kitchen door, seeing nothing in the darkness.
After taking a deep breath, I moved stealthily through the darkened house, stopping every few seconds to listen. There were always telltale signs when someone had entered a location that they didn’t own. No matter how professional the perpetrator, little things were missed such as the fact the pillow on the couch had been turned over. Given Emmeline was a neat freak, she never left a room without ensuring everything inside was just so.
Whoever had passed had been heading into the bedrooms.
Hugging the wall, I inched forward slowly down the darkened hallway. A single sound caught my attention. While very subtle, I knew it well. A weapon being prepared to fire. That meant whoever was inside hadn’t broken in with theft in mind.
Emmeline’s location in Brazil had been compromised.
How the fuck had she been found unless something she’d brought with her had been bugged?
This was a way to change plans. Already in a surly mood, I moved forward quickly, reaching into the room. With ease, I grabbed some asshole by the shirt, yanking him closer just as a light was turned on.
Well, it would appear there was more than one asshole. While I had one in my hand, another came from inside another room where he was hiding, prepared to fire. I swung around just in time, his buddy taking the first two bullets while I fired off one of my own toward the one across the room.
Pop!
The single bullet was a dead hit, right between his eyes. But the asshole in my hands wasn’t dead yet, the fucker managing to elbow me. While he broke free, I wasn’t interesting in fighting the son of a bitch, firing off two shots in a row. That should kill the bastard.
While two were down, I heard additional noise, catching movement out of the corner of my eye.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Diving behind the couch, I rolled toward the end, able to see around the corner just as two more of them came rushing into the room.
Pop! Pop!
One ducked, the other flinging himself toward the kitchen.
Emmeline.
Anger rolled through me like a tidal wave. I wasn’t hesitant, firing off several shots in a row. The one asshole was peppered with bullet holes, his body pitched backward from side to side until he thumped onto the floor.
Emmeline’s scream yanked at everything inside of me, the need to protect her overriding everything else. When I threw myself over one body, I was shocked when he reached out, grabbing me by the ankle.
I went down hard, my gun knocked from my hand. Somehow, I was scrambling alongside the other asshole to get to my weapon. I managed to kick him in the face, which offered enough leverage I lunged forward, grabbing my gun. Spinning around, I fired indiscriminately, catching the fucker in the face.
