“Need me to send the team?”
“No,” Draco said. “He left. It’s just Cate and me now.”
“Call me any hour,” Hammer said. “I can have people there within minutes.”
“We’re okay for now.” Draco stared across at Cate. “I’ll keep you up to date.”
“Copy that,” Hammer said. “Out here.”
Draco ended the call and glanced around the room.
“This is how Dana’s house looked,” Cate said, staring at the disaster, unmoving. “Like whoever was searching was willing to turn it upside down to find something.” Her gaze suddenly snapped to a stop. She clapped a hand over her mouth, and her eyes widened.
Her face drained of color as she stared at the floor by the bed.
“Cate?” he went to her, his gaze following hers to the source of her consternation.
A dark baseball cap lay on the floor next to the upended nightstand.
“What is it?” Draco asked gently.
“That cap.” She shook her head. “I’ve seen it before at Dana’s house in Virginia. A man was wearing it as he stood across the street from her house. I could see him from the upstairs window. He was there, and then he was gone. I didn’t think it meant anything.”
Draco stood still, studying the cap, his eyes narrowing. “Are you sure it was the same hat? Anyone can own a plain black ball cap.”
“I swear it’s the same one. Even though I only saw the man for a moment, I recognize that cap. It’s not the usual ball cap. It’s different enough to stand out.”
Draco snagged a tissue from the box in the bathroom and lifted the cap from the floor, studying it. It was a little different, the bowl more cylindrical, rising straight up rather than curving toward the center on a gentle slope.
A heavy weight settled in Draco’s gut. “If this belongs to the same man, it means they didn’t find you in London, and the call wasn’t the only thing that led them to zero in on you. They’ve been on you since you visited Dana’s house in Virginia.”
Cate’s chin lifted. Though her hands shook, her voice stayed steady. “Then they know I’m not going home.”
Draco shoved his pistol into the holster and pulled Cate into his arms.
She didn’t argue or pull away. Her fists bunched in this shirt, keeping him close.
He pressed his lips to her hair. “They don’t know who they’re messing with. From here on out, they’ll have to go through me to reach you.”
Chapter 3
As much as she didn’t like relying on anyone, Cate felt some comfort and safety in Draco’s arms. After she stopped shaking, she took a step back.
Draco’s arms fell to his sides.
Cate turned to surveil the wrecked room. In all the years she’d been a private investigator, she’d seen many rooms like this, cataloged items, took pictures, and reported the damage to divorce attorneys, insurance adjusters and juries.
She’d been heartsick when she’d witnessed Dana’s home. However, this was the first time she’d witnessed her own place, her own things, scattered like so much trash.
Despite her desire to look at the damage with a detached, professional point of view, a shiver slithered down the back of her neck.
A stranger—a dangerous one at that— had touched her things.
Footsteps sounded in the hallway. As they grew louder, so did the heavy breathing.
Cate tensed.
Draco spun to face the new threat, crouching, ready to spring into action.
