Evie wasn’t answering her phone.

After numerous phone calls, he discovered that she’d resumed the MedTour but after finishing up with the patients she’d returned to Steele Ridge. He stopped by all of her known haunts—Tupelo Hill, wildlife center, and a handful of other places.

He finally got a short-lived break after running into Reid at the training center. According to Reid, she’d planned on running into town to say hello to a few people before heading back to Niles. The whole time Deke was in her brother’s company, he sensed the Green Beret had something sizzling beneath the surface.

Cutting the corner of the training center’s drive too short, his tires chewed into the gravel shoulder before climbing onto Cloverdale Road and barreling toward Steele Ridge’s downtown. He pushed back the panic burgeoning within his chest. Being off-the-grid didn’t always equate to danger. Her phone battery could be dead. She might have left her phone at home. Maybe she was driving with the music too loud or the windows down. She could have made an unexpected trip to Charlotte.

Still, he called Jax. “I need you to track down someone.”

“Shoot, boss.”

“First, I should to tell you that the director has shut down our operation on Dylan.”

“How the hell did he find out?”

“Headquarters is monitoring us.”

“You’re shittin’ me.”

“Nope.”

“What do you need?”

“Evie Steele is missing. Or could be. No one has seen her for several hours. Can you ping her vehicle’s GPS?”

“Sure thing.”

“I want to reiterate—”

“This has nothing to do with Dylan, so we’re in the clear.”

The vice around his chest loosened. “Thanks, Jax.”

“You got it.”

“Be careful.”

“I’ll ping your girl and then track down who’s spying on us at headquarters.”

“Thatta nerd.”

“Nerds rule. Give me five. Jax, out.”

Taking up Reid’s suggestion, he made his way into town. He’d make a quick stop at his apartment to grab his phone charger before heading to Brynne’s.

As he passed Mad Batter Bakery, he read the chalkboard sign propped outside the entrance. His vehicle slowed to a halt. He read the baker’s assistant’s words again.

Life’s too short to let the sweetest pastry slip away.

“Whoa.” He’d heard folks swear that Jeanine Jennings’s unusual sayings held prophetic meaning. But he’d never had one hit so close to home before. All in all, he didn’t much care for the experience.

His phone rang, and he tapped the talk button on his steering wheel. “Deke Conrad.”

“Found your girl.”

He tore his gaze away from the bakery sign and let his foot off the brake. “Where?”

“Is there an alleyway behind your apartment?”

“Yes.”

“Makes more sense now. That’s where you’ll find her vehicle.”

“Great job. I’ll check in later.”

“Much later, I hope,” she said in a sly voice. “Be bad, boss.” Her laugh echoed through his vehicle before she cut the line.

Deke smiled at Jax’s antics. His good humor lasted another block before questions started pelting him. Why would Evie park around back? Were all the stalls in the front filled?

Even in a small town like Steele Ridge, he didn’t like her parking in an alley. Undesirables spent time in secluded, shadow-filled places. What if she’d been mugged? Or worse, rape—? Deke couldn’t finish the thought.

He made it to Triple B in record time. Pulling down the alleyway, he spotted Evie’s vehicle right away. He parked two doors down and checked his Glock before striding toward the back entrance to Triple B.

After scanning the area, he glanced inside Evie’s vehicle and found a half-empty water bottle, phone cord snaking out of the console, and an umbrella in the back floorboard. Everything looked normal.

Testing the handle to Triple B’s back door, he found it unlocked. It usually was until about ten o’clock at night. He’d accessed this entrance a few times when he wasn’t in the mood for socializing.

All seemed quiet inside, though he could hear the drone of conversation coming from the common area. He stood still for a few seconds after the door closed to give his eyes time to refocus. He debated where to go first. To the bar? His apartment?

Randi’s sudden appearance decided his next step for him. “Hey, Deke. Avoiding my customers?”

“Not this time.” He nodded toward the alley. “Saw Evie’s vehicle parked out back. Have you seen her?”

She sent him a knowing smile. “Try the landing.”

He glanced upward as if he could see her camped out on the small five-by-five platform. “How long?”

“Awhile.” She winked. “Good luck.”

After Randi departed, he continued to stand near the door, staring in the direction of his apartment. Evie was safe—and here. Waiting for him to return home. Why? After their disastrous conversation at the coffee shop, he wouldn’t have blamed her if she never spoke to him again.

Being alone had become an “other duties as assigned” requirement of his job. Few women could tolerate long absences or guys who feared revealing too much if they got too close. It was all damn exhausting and he’d given up on serious relationships after his split with Lisa.

But there were a few who would, and he only needed to find one.

He rolled his shoulders back and cracked his neck before snaking his way through the back halls of Triple B to the staircase leading to his apartment. When he turned the knob, voices above caught his attention.

Male. Female. Something about the woman’s tone conveyed desperation. Anxiety.

He slipped around the door and ascended the stairs. Evie’s voice reached him.

“You want money? Here, take my wallet.”

Something cracked against the wall above him. He increased his speed, though he kept his approach quiet. If he had more time, he would go back outside and taken the fire escape stairs. At least then he could see what the hell was going on.

Material scraped against the floor. A thwump followed. “What is your connection with Deke Conrad?”

So the intruder wasn’t interested in her money.

“Deke? What do you want with Deke?”

“Answer my question.”

“Answer mine.”

He shook his head. What was she doing provoking the guy? He edged farther up the stairs.

“How about I just kill you instead?”

“Then what? Wait for Deke to come home so you can kill him?”

“Maybe.”

“I don’t think so. The first gunshot would alert fifty people that a madman was in their midst.”

“I’ve never strangled anyone before. You could be my first.”

The calm quality in the intruder’s voice shoved Deke’s instincts into hyperdrive. This wasn’t a burglary gone wrong. He was dealing with something far bigger. And he suspected his little brother was in the middle of the mess.

“I don’t think so,” Evie said, satisfaction ringing in her voice.

“Aaahck!” Staggering backward into Deke’s line of sight, the intruder rubbed at eyes. “Fucking bi—”

Taking the final three stairs at a time, Deke bore down on the guy. Before he reached him, a feminine hurricane came out of nowhere and drove a chair right into the intruder’s stomach, forcing him through the window.

“Evie!” Deke grabbed the tail of her sundress a split second before her momentum rocketed her over the edge, too.

Out on the fire escape, metal clanged several times.

After giving her a brief, hard hug, he commanded, “Get downstairs. Now!”

“I’m not going to leave you alone with that maniac. He has a gun.”

“Exactly! Go call 911.”

“But—”

“Go!” When her eyes widened at his tone, he softened his words, even though adrenaline pumped through his body. “Please, Evie.”

She nodded and stormed down the stairs. When he peered out the shattered window, the intruder swung a leg over his motorcycle and zoomed away.

“Dammit.” He slammed his palm against the window frame, causing jagged bits of glass to rain down.

Evie.

His feet barely touched the stairs in his rush to locate her. “Evie!”

She rushed out of Randi’s office, a cordless phone in her hand. “The police are on their way.”

“He’s gone.” He opened his arms, and she fell against his chest. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just shaken.”

He kissed the crown of her head. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. One second I was reading a book, waiting for you, and the next, I had a gun pointed at my head.”

“So you decided to throw your wallet at him?”

“I thought he was a burglar!”

“And when he didn’t take the bait? You challenged him?”

“How long were you listening?”

“Long enough for you to have shaved off a decade of my life.”

“He knew you.”

“I heard.”

“Did you recognize him?”

“I didn’t catch enough of his face.”

“How about his voice? Familiar?”

“Afraid not.”

“What are we going to do?”

“We aren’t going to do anything.”

She pushed out of his arms. “Don’t you dare try to shut me out. Not after what just happened up there.”

“I don’t even know what we’re up against. How do you expect me to protect you from what I don’t understand?”

“In case you didn’t notice, I did a pretty good job of taking care of myself.”

“Evie—”

“No, Deke. Someone wants to hurt you. Don’t ask me to sit back and do nothing. It would kill me.”

“You getting hurt would kill me.”

Her eyes rounded. “It would?”

“Of course.” He frowned. “Why are you smiling?”

“There’s absolutely no way you’re getting rid of me now, Deke Conrad. You’ve got a thing for me, and I’m not going to let you forget it.”