This street had neighborhood watch, and even parking in front of Bannister’s house had brought several biddies to their windows this morning when he first cased the place. He parked down the street in the dark and walked toward the house. The street was quiet at this hour, and none of the houses had lights on.
But there were way too many streetlights here, and their glow cast light into the yards. How was he going to enter the house to look around? He couldn’t jimmy the door and slip in with the porch light on either.
She had to have brought it with her. And he had to get it back.
He cut through Bannister’s yard, brushing past a big pine that released its aroma. A motion sensor triggered a light on the corner of the house, and he darted for the darkness under the branches of a maple tree. His heart pounded at the sudden light. Now what? Even if he could get inside, Bannister was home. So was Shauna, because both trucks were in the drive.
There’d been no response from inside so maybe everyone was asleep. He eyed the front door again. Not a good option, but maybe the back would offer more seclusion.
He skirted the side of the house, but his movements triggered more lights. It was bright enough to read out here. The guy must have had professional security installed.
What if Bannister was a light sleeper? The illumination out here might bring him to investigate. He cursed under his breath and scurried for the backyard, but more lights came on. The backyard was surrounded by a six-foot fence. He could scale it, but it wouldn’t gain him much. He wasn’t breaking in here undiscovered. If he chose to do it when Bannister was home, he had to be prepared to take the big man down instantly.
He patted his back pocket and its reassuring bulge. Bannister shouldn’t be a problem, not with the gun and silencer. Better to move now than when Bannister was on his guard.
He stood poised outside the fence, then jumped and grabbed the top with his gloved hands and hoisted his foot up. He balanced precariously, then slung himself down inside the backyard. The space was large, probably half an acre, with steps leading down to the bay. He could have saved himself some trouble by walking to the back.
Jeez-Louise, the place was lit up like Fort Knox. The bright lights illuminated a barbecue and outdoor kitchen with a fire pit in the middle of the yard. Flowers and shrubs were everywhere. It was like a little garden paradise back here.
He moved to the partial darkness cast by a big tree and considered his options. A light came on inside, and he grinned as adrenaline surged. He shrank farther into the shadows. Maybe he should hightail it down the slope to the water. Before he could decide what to do, the back deck light came on, and the door opened.
Bannister flipped off the light and stepped into deeper shadows. “Who’s there?” Dogs barked and snarled as they sprang forward, eager to get outside.
He squinted. Was that a gun in Bannister’s hand? He turned and bolted toward the back fence. The dogs were on his heels by the time he climbed over. Bannister shouted after him, and he thought he heard feet thunder down the deck steps.
A smile stretched across his face as he ran down the slope toward the water. Bannister was making the night interesting. He ran until his chest burned and his head pounded. He fell a couple of times on the shale but sprang back up and continued to rush away.
When he reached the rocky shore, he paused and slanted a glance back up the hillside. Bannister was hot on his trail, but he’d left the dogs behind. Maybe he should just kill the man now and be done with it. Clear out here, the surf would muffle any sound from the silencer. Then he could go back to the house and force McDade to turn over the box. He curled his hands into fists and grinned. This kind of adventure made life exciting.
He ran down the beach a short way and crouched behind a rock. Bannister would follow the footprints right to the ambush. He brought the gun up to wait.
Zach’s chest still pounded from his mad run out the door and down to the water. His feet were bare, and he wore only a pair of basketball shorts. At least he had his Glock, but he didn’t like leaving Shauna and Alex back at the house alone, though he’d put the dogs on alert. They’d tear into any intruder.
But what if more than one man was out here? He’d only seen one in the backyard, but that was no guarantee he was facing a lone adversary.
His feet sank into the cold, wet sand as he stood in the moonlight and tried to decide what to do. The salty ocean air mingled with the scent of fresh-cut grass from the neighbor’s yard. Continuing to search in the dark might be foolhardy, but everything in him wanted to keep tracking that guy. What if he was the one who had trashed Shauna’s house?
But more important, what if he’d been out here to lure Zach away from the house?
Zach whirled around and ran back up the hillside toward the backyard. His bare feet slipped on the rocks, and he went down on one knee, then sprang up and sprinted for the back gate. Something whizzed past his cheek, and he flinched at a sharp sting. He didn’t stop to assess but continued to run for the house. The gate squeaked as he yanked it open, and he raced for the house.
He eased inside the kitchen door and threw the dead bolt behind him, then stopped. Shauna stood there with a butcher knife held in front of her. Ears forward and alert, the dogs stood guard at her feet.
She lowered the knife. “Someone’s out there, isn’t he?”
“Yes.” He touched his cheek, then looked at his finger.
“You’re bleeding.” She grabbed a paper towel and doused it under the sink, then wiped his face. “It’s like a crease on your skin. How’d it happen?”
“A bullet.” When she winced, he wished he’d kept his mouth shut. “I’ll look around when it’s daylight.”
“Did you see him?”
He shook his head. “Just the shape of a man. I chased him down the steps to the water. Did you hear anything else outside?” He didn’t wait for an answer but rushed to the front door and checked it. The alarm was engaged and the dead bolt in place. He closed the blinds, then went back to the kitchen. “We’d better call the dispatcher and let the sheriff know what happened.”
She huffed out an exhale. “No going back to bed for us then. Deputies will be crawling all over the yard.”
“We wouldn’t sleep anyway. We’d be watching for the lights to go on or for someone to break in.”
“True.”
“I’ll grab my phone.” He strode down the hall and across the living room to his bedroom and retrieved it from the bedside table. He relayed what had happened to the dispatcher, but then declined to stay on the line. Still carrying his phone, he returned to the great room, but Shauna wasn’t there. He heard noises in her bedroom, so he went down the hall and found her packing.
He felt like he couldn’t breathe when he was near her. What was up with him that she set his heart to racing? It had to stop. She had no interest in him romantically. She hardly even considered him a friend. And that wasn’t what he was feeling either, was it? It would be very inconvenient if he developed feelings for a woman who couldn’t stand him.
“What are you doing?”
“I can’t drag you into danger too, Zach.” Her voice was choked. “I was only thinking of myself and Alex when I agreed to come here. I don’t want to be the cause of your death.”
He took the suitcase out of her hand. “You’re not going anywhere. Where else would you be safe, Shauna? At least here we have the dogs, good security, and my gun. This place gives us the best chance of staying safe until they catch that guy. You have to think of Alex. I’m fine, and I’ll stay fine. Just trust me.”
A tear tracked down her cheek, and she swiped it away, then sank onto the edge of the bed. “I hate this.”
“I do too, but we’ll be okay. Think of what might’ve happened if you’d been somewhere with no security lights and no dogs.”
She nodded and looked up at him. “You’re still bleeding. At least let me put a bandage on it.”
“Okay.” With law enforcement on its way, he followed her to the hall bathroom. He inhaled the clean scent of her while she tended to his cheek. Her hair was a bit damp from a shower, and he liked looking at the gold flecks in her eyes.
Her gaze flickered to his bare chest, and he took a step back. “I should probably start wearing more at night. I get hot.”
“Jack always did too.” Her smile came, and she sounded a little breathless. “He even had those same shorts.”
Best not to go there. “Let’s wait in the living room.”
She followed him down the hall, and the dogs greeted her with excitement as she went to the sofa. With Apollo’s head in her lap and Artemis lying across her feet, she looked completely at home. And cute. Very cute.
He dropped into the armchair across from the sofa. “What did you hear?”
She absently rubbed Apollo’s ears. “I didn’t hear anything except you running across the wood floor. I wasn’t sleeping, and I saw the lights go on outside. I told myself it was a raccoon or a deer that had triggered the motion sensors, but I was still worried. Then I heard you.”
He jumped up. “Let me check on Alex.”
“I did before I came to the kitchen.”
“I want to make sure.” He hurried to the boy’s room and peeked inside. Alex lay snuggled up to his favorite stuffed animal, a blue bear named Blueberry that Jack had gotten him the last Christmas he was with them. He backed out into the hall, pulled the door partly shut, and bumped into Shauna. “He’s asleep.”
She moved out of the way. “Sorry. So what do we do now?”
“How about some coffee?”
“We might as well have some help keeping our eyes open. I’m hungry too. I think I’ll have an omelet and a piece of toast.”
Lord help him, he couldn’t stay away from her and found himself moving to join her. Anything to be near her and catch a whiff of her lemon-scented hair. “Sounds good.”
She opened a loaf of bread and popped two pieces into the toaster. “Are deputies on their way?”
“Yep, but it’s going to be fifteen minutes or so.” The aroma of coffee began to fill the air. “Dispatch wanted me to stay on the line, but I wanted to watch things here. So far the lights have stayed off so I think the guy is gone.”
She chopped peppers and vegetables with practiced precision, then poured the omelet into a hot skillet. What had it been like for her with Jack gone? He wished he’d been allowed to be there for her and Alex. With every fiber of his being he hoped things stayed good between them once the danger was gone.