A Silent Pursuit

A Silent Pursuit Lynette Eason She'd been told her fianc? died in a military training accident, but Gina Santino's gut told her otherwise.Still, she never imagined his killers would come after her. Now she is dodging bullets and running for her own life, not sure who to trust. Her fianc? had left specific instructions for her to contact fellow U.S. Army Ranger Ian Masterson should anything happen to him.But how could she trust a man who abandoned his team years ago? With no other choice, Gina must place her life in his hands in order to stay alive long enough to find the truth. Ian had envied Mario for a long time, but finally had given up fighting his feelings and had requested a transfer to a different base so he wouldn’t run into Ian and Gina together. Not that he begrudged his friend’s happiness; Ian just had a hard time controlling the ache in his heart every time he saw Gina’s smile. He’d done the unthinkable. He’d fallen in love with a committed woman…his best friend’s future wife. So Ian had left. Run from her and his feelings, honor and integrity more important than his own selfish longings. It was the only way he’d be able to live with himself. Now, she was calling him for help. Someone had tried to kill her. Like she believed someone had killed Mario. LYNETTE EASON grew up in Greenville, SC. Her home church, Northgate Baptist, had a tremendous influence on her during her early years. She credits Christian parents and dedicated Sunday School teachers for her acceptance of Christ at the tender age of eight. Even as a young girl, she knew she wanted her life to reflect the love of Jesus. Lynette attended the University of South Carolina in Columbia, then moved to Spartanburg to attend Converse College, where she obtained her master’s degree in education. During that time, she met the boy next door, Jack Eason, and married him. Jack is the Executive Director of the Sound of Light Ministries. Lynette and Jack have two precious children: Lauryn, eight years old, and Will, who is six. She and Jack are members of New Life Baptist Fellowship Church in Boiling Springs, SC, where Jack serves as the worship leader and Lynette teaches Sunday School to the four-and five-year-olds. A Silent Pursuit Lynette Eason I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. —Psalms 61:4 Dedicated to my daughter, Lauryn, who is growing up so fast. You’re just beginning an exciting journey to discover the amazing plans God has for your life. Live each moment for Him. I’m so proud of you, sweetie! CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE CHAPTER THIRTEEN CHAPTER FOURTEEN CHAPTER FIFTEEN CHAPTER SIXTEEN CHAPTER SEVENTEEN CHAPTER EIGHTEEN CHAPTER NINETEEN CHAPTER TWENTY CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION ONE “Stop!” The voice shouted behind her, spurring speed to her already-flying feet. Stop? Not if she wanted to live. Rasping breaths escaped Gina Santino’s throat as her bare feet pounded hard sand. She squinted into the inky darkness and her heart drummed in her ears, drowning out the sound of the waves crashing onto the beach. She could almost imagine the breath of her pursuer on the nape of her neck. A hand reaching out to spin her around… Goose bumps puckered her skin, but fear and adrenaline heated her body; sweat beaded her forehead. The waves pulsed beside her as she stayed near the edge of the water, desperate to stay out of reach of the lights along the upper end of the sand. Multicolored lights announcing the fast-approaching Christmas season were strung from the roof of the public beach–access restroom and briefly illuminated part of her path. Long dark hair whipped into her eyes, blinding her as terror threatened to knock the strength from her legs. Her large antique locket bounced against her throat, matching the frantic beat of her pulse beneath it. How had they found her? She’d been so careful. Yes, she’d left her house in a rush, but she’d driven a crazy route that had her arriving at the beach house two hours later than the direct approach would have. And they’d still found her. Her mind cramped at the possibilities as she flung a frantic look over her shoulder. Was that a shadow? Were they still chasing her? Of course they were. Fear-induced adrenaline added wings to her fleeing bare feet. Oh, Mario, I need you! But Mario, her fianc?, was dead. Killed six months ago when a bomb exploded during a routine army training exercise. Or so she’d been told. Who knew what the real story was? And now she was facing the holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, without him. Of course, that was the least of her worries right now. Driftwood crowded her path, and she jumped over another fallen piece of debris that had washed in at high tide. Stumbling, she went to one knee, her momentum propelling her into the sand, rolling her over twice before she could push herself back up. Ignoring her screaming, sand-burned knee and oxygen-deprived lungs, she regained her balance, pumping her legs back up to full speed. She couldn’t keep running, not at this pace. But she sure couldn’t slow down. He—they?—would kill her this time. Please, God. Her eyes darted, desperately seeking a hiding place. Shivers danced on her overheated skin as the freezing wind blew. Up ahead, a light flickered. Someone walking toward her? She skidded to a halt, gasping, panting, sucking in much-needed oxygen; her knee throbbing a reminder that she needed to find a place to hide. The light bobbed closer. Friend or foe? Had they surrounded her? Surely they couldn’t have gotten in front of her. But then she wouldn’t have guessed they would have been able to show up on her doorstep either. What do I do, God? What do I do? The safety of her little cottage lay approximately two miles behind her. Thank goodness she’d taken up running every morning for the last year. If not, she’d never have made it this far. The light flickered, then disappeared. A split-second decision had her making a sharp right to trudge through the softer sand. She didn’t even have a cell phone. But the little diner just up the road would have a phone and she could call for help. If she could get there. A gunshot rang out, and Gina flinched when it hit the ground in front of her. A warning shot. That told her one thing. They wanted her alive. And that scared her more than the thought that they might want her dead. She double-timed her struggle through the sand, praying that whoever was chasing her was having the same problems. Finally, her feet hit asphalt. Another gunshot. She cringed, expecting at any moment to feel the pain of a bullet entering her body. She pressed on. She needed a phone. She needed help. Where was Ian? Ian Masterson pressed his foot to the gas pedal. He’d promised Gina he’d be there at 9:00 p.m. It was now 11:45 p.m. and the darkness pressed in on his windshield like dirt on top of a coffin. She’d called him yesterday and asked him to meet her at the beach house. He didn’t have to ask for directions. Gina’s cousin, Antonio Santino; her late fianc?, Mario Anthony; and he, Ian Masterson, had been the Three Musketeers. Best friends and fellow U.S. Army Rangers—no three men had a tighter friendship. Until Ian moved away. Then Mario had died and Antonio had flown off to Iraq on a mission. Ian was home for the moment and would be until Gina’s troubles were resolved. But he’d been held up on the way to meet her. He’d had to request emergency personal leave to get out of a last-minute assignment in Pakistan. Fortunately, a buddy with another unit had volunteered to go in his place. Ian owed him big time. Only now he was almost three hours later than he’d said he’d be, and Gina wasn’t answering her phone. He didn’t like the thoughts crowding his mind. Punching her speed dial button one more time, he offered up a prayer on her behalf. Her voice mail clicked on again. He hung up and clenched his teeth. What were you working on, Mario, that’s put Gina in danger? She hadn’t told him much when she’d called yesterday morning asking him to meet her. Just that some men had tried to kill her when she’d walked in on them tearing her house apart in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Now, she’d fled to the coast and trouble had followed her. His gut clenched as he pictured her face. Dark hair, with upturned black eyes that hinted at Asian ancestry somewhere back in the Italian family line. He clearly remembered those eyes, which hid her innermost thoughts but could flash with compassion or laughter at the drop of a hat. The next-to-the-last time he’d seen her had been about eight months ago, when he’d stopped in to see his old commanding officer and had overheard her in the hallway. She’d been moaning about losing weight so she could fit into the wedding dress she wanted. She hadn’t known he was there. He’d left as quietly as he’d arrived. The last time he’d seen her had been at Mario’s funeral. She’d lost the weight. Ian’s fingers clenched the steering wheel. His molars ground together as he remembered Gina’s devastation at the funeral. He’d gone to her and offered her a hug, but her stares were like daggers cutting through him, the accusation clear in her liquid-chocolate eyes. She might as well have shouted the words, “If you’d been here, he wouldn’t have died.” But she didn’t, just hunched her shoulders against her grief and walked away. And caused Ian a fresh bout of crippling pain. Ian had envied Mario for a long time but finally had given up fighting his feelings and had requested a transfer to a different base so he wouldn’t run into the two of them together. Not that he begrudged his friend’s happiness; Ian just had a hard time controlling the ache in his heart every time he saw Gina’s smile. The way she tilted her head to the left when she really listened to what you were saying. Or the way she pulled her hair back into a long ponytail that revealed her slender neck. He’d watched her pulse beat there one time and had to leave the restaurant they were in because of his overwhelming feelings for her. He’d done the unthinkable. He’d fallen in love with a committed woman. His best friend’s future wife. So, Ian had left. Run from it and his feelings, honor and integrity more important than his own selfish desires. It was the only way he’d been able to live with himself. Now she was calling him for help. Someone had tried to kill her. Like she believed someone had killed Mario. His cell rang and he punched the button. “Hello?” “Ian?” Short breaths rang over the line, as if she was out of breath. Relief flooded him at the sound of her voice, his protective instinct kicking into high gear at the thought of her in danger. “It’s me. Gina.” “I know who you are. Are you all right?” he demanded. “No,” a hitch in her voice clamped hard on his heart. “Someone’s still after me. I’m at the diner on 17.” She didn’t have to explain which one; he’d been there enough times with Mario. “Can you pick me up there? How far away are you?” “Stay put,” he said. “I’m about three minutes from you.” “Oh, thank you,” she breathed. He could almost taste the fear flowing from her as she whispered, “Hurry.” His foot pressed the pedal harder. He’d told her he was three minutes away. He’d do his best to make it in ninety seconds. TWO Gina hung up the pay phone and, ignoring the occasional strange look from the diner patrons, scurried to the window. Her breath still came in pants although she’d recovered from her run. It was the terror still quaking through her that stole the air from her lungs. She’d been so careful. How had they found her? Probably her cell phone. They’d obviously tracked her with no problem and had, no doubt, laughed all the way up the highway. Mario, what were you up to? What did you hide? And where did you hide it? Who were you hiding it from? I don’t even know if you were one of the good guys now. Tears clogged her throat at the betraying thought. But she didn’t let them fall. She never would have thought he’d do something to put her in danger, and yet by dying, he’d apparently done just that. It had taken six months, but obviously he’d led the trail straight to her. Headlights flashed in the parking lot. Bad guys or Ian? She looked at the clock on the wall. About a minute and a half had passed. The lights flashed once more. Then again. Ian. She bolted out the door into the drizzle, which had started the minute she’d entered the restaurant. Her bare feet slapped the wooden porch, then the steps. The door opened from the inside. Throwing herself into the passenger seat, she slammed the door just as a bullet pierced the windshield to bury itself in the backseat. Ian hissed, put a hand on her head and shoved her down in the seat. “Hold on!” “I’m so sorry I had to drag you into this,” she squealed. “We’ll get to that later.” He threw the gearshift lever into Reverse and screeched from the parking lot. Another bullet hit the back windshield and shattered it. Glass flew. Ian drove. Gina prayed. It seemed like hours, but in reality, according to the dash clock, only seven minutes had passed since the last bullet. “I think I lost them.” He grunted and turned left. She pushed herself into a sitting position, brushing stray bits of glass from her legs and hair, careful not to cut herself. Turning to the man beside her, she gasped, “You have perfect timing.” “Actually, I was running late due to an unforeseen circumstance with my commander, but I’m here now and you’re in more trouble than you let on.” “When I called you, I didn’t know how bad they wanted me.” “Why call me? Why not the cops?” “Because they’ll just turn it over to the army.” “And that’s a bad thing?” “It is if there’s a traitor on the base.” That shut him up. Then he asked, “Who?” “I don’t know. All I know is that Mario died during a training exercise. At least that’s what I was told. Who really knows what happened?” Sarcasm dripped. “But if that’s the case, then someone set him up.” “How do you figure?” She remained silent for moment. “Gina?” “I don’t have any proof. Just a gut feeling. And I know you’ll think that’s crazy, but someone has tried to kill me twice, so I’m leaning on trusting my gut at this point in time.” This time he paused as he glanced in the rearview mirror, then the side. “Sometimes your gut’s the only thing worth trusting.” Tears flooded her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I don’t know what Mario had that these people want. I mean, I’m just a real estate agent from a small town in South Carolina who happened to fall in love with a guy who had a lot of secrets—ones he didn’t bother sharing with me. Or couldn’t share. Who knows? I don’t know anything except that they think I have whatever it is they’re after. Which means I need to figure out what it is and find it before they find me. And I think I need your help to do that.” The words spilled from her in one breath. She finally paused and drew in some air. “I would say you’re on the right track.” He gave her a gentle smile, and for the first time since her mad dash into the car, she noticed his rugged good looks. She’d always thought him a handsome man, had actually been attracted to him, but had been so committed to Mario, she’d ignored those feelings. Tonight they returned with a rush. Wow. Immediately, she felt guilty. As if she’d just betrayed Mario in some way. It must be the terror-induced adrenaline spiking her senses into hyperawareness. She looked away. Forcing her thoughts to focus on the important thing—like getting away from a killer—she said, “I had to slip out of a back window at the beach house. I’ve got nothing on me. I don’t know whether to go back to the house and try to get my stuff or have my parents wire me some money. I’m sure they’re already worried enough. I don’t want to add putting them in any kind of danger.” He placed a hand over hers. “I’ve got you covered. Let’s find a safe place to hole up and hash out what just happened. Then we can worry about other necessities.” Ian found a little out-of-the-way hotel room and asked for two rooms. Gina stood beside him, shivering, her bare feet probably frozen. He had one person in mind to call whom he trusted, no questions asked. Jason Sutton. A man whose skills as a Ranger had saved Ian’s hide on more than one occasion. A onetime fellow Ranger in the same unit Ian and Mario had served in and a good friend to them both, Jase would come through for him—he hoped. Finally, they made it to the rooms. Gina entered hers and Ian followed her in. He chose the desk chair, while Gina sat at the table, hands clasped in front of her. Wild dark curls had found freedom from the pink scrunchy that now encircled the lower portion of a ponytail gone bad. She didn’t seem to notice. “First,” he said as he set his bag in the second chair, “I’ve called my sister, Carly. She’s a U.S. marshal who’s going to come stay with you tonight to protect you while I focus on looking for the guys who just tried to kill us. The faster I’m able to get on this, the faster we’ll figure it out. Now, the marshals aren’t officially on this case, you understand? She’s just doing this because I asked and should be here in a few minutes. But for now tell me everything you can, Gina. Who’s after you?” She lifted burdened shoulders. “I don’t know, Ian. All I know is that they want something and haven’t found it, yet.” “Which means they’ll keep coming back until they do.” She grimaced, rose and walked to the sink. The sound of running water reached his ears, as did the crinkle of plastic covering being torn from a glass. She filled the tumbler and took a long drink. Sighing, she placed the glass by the sink and paced back to the table. She looked him in the eye. “You knew Mario. Probably better than anyone. He trusted you enough to order me to contact you should something happen to him—and weird things start happening to me. Someone tried to kill me—not once, but twice.” She held up two fingers for emphasis. “I’d say that qualifies as weird enough. You’re here. Now what?” Nothing like being put on the spot. Ian stood and paced from one end of the room to the other. Then he turned and said, “Tell me about the first time someone tried to kill you.” She shuddered and his heart pinched at the distress on her pretty face. A face strained and drawn with the stress that had become her life. “Not my favorite topic of conversation.” “Come on. I need to hear the details.” He gestured toward the other chair and said, “Have a seat.” Gina rubbed her eyes, gathered her strength and started. “I had just gotten home from work, having closed on a great house. Everything had gone smoothly, and I was feeling better than I had in months. When I got to my house, I didn’t notice anything wrong. My neighbor pulled into his drive about the same time I did, and I remember waving to him. He waved back and walked to get his mail. I walked up to the door and it was locked. I had to use my key like always.” She swallowed, closing her eyes as she visualized each detail of that day. “I opened the door, stepped inside and someone grabbed me from behind. He put something over my head.” Her breathing became shallow pants at the remembered terror. She had been certain she was going to be raped and killed. Ian’s hand reached over and grasped hers, holding it in an almost painful grip. She flexed her fingers and he let go. “Sorry.” Clasping her hands together between her knees, she hunched her shoulders, took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. Leaning back and staring at the ceiling, she said, “I managed a pretty good scream before they stuffed a rag in my mouth. If they were going to kill me, I was going to make them work for it. I kicked one, got my hand free and managed to get the rag out of my mouth. I remember screaming again.” This time his hand squeezed her shoulder, and she could feel the tension emanating from him in waves. “I’m sorry to make you recount this, but I’ve got to hear it.” “I know. It’s all right. It’s just…” She shook her head and he encouraged her with the compassion in his eyes. “Then the one who had me from behind whispered in my ear, ‘Scream again and I’ll slit your throat. Now, where is it?’ He pulled the rag from my mouth and I asked him what he was looking for. He said, ‘Mario stole something from my boss and he wants it back.’” “What did his voice sound like?” Ian interrupted. “Did he have an accent?” Gina scrunched her nose as she tried to remember the voice and not the fear. “Maybe a slight one. He whispered so I can’t…no, he didn’t have any kind of distinguishable accent.” Then her head shot up to look him in the eye. “But the other guy did. In fact, I think he spoke a couple of Spanish words.” Ian raised a brow. “Spanish, huh?” She shrugged. “Maybe.” “Then what happened?” “I screamed that I didn’t know what he was talking about, that Mario never told me about anything he stole. Then my neighbor was banging on my door, yelling my name and asking if I needed help. That’s when we could hear the sirens coming down the street. The man holding me shoved me to the floor, and then they all ran out the back. At about that time my neighbor kicked the door in and said he’d called the police when he’d heard me screaming and through the window could see me struggling with someone.” Ian ran a hand over his face. “Thank God your neighbor was home.” “I know. He was early that day and so was I. I usually go to the gym around that time, but in spite of feeling so great about the sale, I had a headache and wanted to go home and lie down for a bit.” “So you changed your routine that day.” “Just a little, yes.” “They probably weren’t expecting you to show up.” “You mean I surprised them?” “Yeah. If they wanted to get in your house to do a search, most likely they’d been watching you for a while to get a good idea of your routine.” “And I picked that day to alter it.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Unfortunately.” Ian stood and paced to the other end of the room, then back. “And that started it. They may have been trying to find whatever it was that Mario had without involving you, but once you walked in on them…” Gina nodded and frowned. “So that’s why it took them six months to come after me?” “Maybe. And yet why let on that they were looking for something specific? They could have just acted like it was a robbery and left without saying anything.” Silence descended, surrounding them as they lost themselves in their thoughts. “They’re out of options,” Gina stated quietly. Ian focused in on her. “What do you mean?” “They’ve probably been looking for whatever it is that Mario took since the day he died. Six months later they still haven’t found it. I’m the only link left.” An almost imperceptible nod came from Ian. “You could be right.” “So what do we do now?” “Well, we keep searching and keep avoiding whoever’s after you until we find it.” “I have a feeling that’s going to be easier said than done.” Ian shrugged. “Guess we’re going to find out. I called a buddy of mine, Jason Sutton. He’s going to bring us some supplies. Stuff my sister can’t get her hands on or I’d have her bring it.” Recognition lit her dark eyes. “I know Jase.” Then a frown formed between her brows. “But I don’t know that Mario trusted him anymore. I know they had some kind of conflict going on shortly before Mario died. Unfortunately, I don’t think Mario trusted any of the guys from his unit.” Her gaze softened as she stared at him, and a flicker of confusion passed over her pretty features. “Just you. He trusted you. Why?” Discomfort made him turn from her straightforward look. He couldn’t share that information with her—yet. Under the guise of checking the street, he walked to the window, stepped to the side and pulled back the curtain a mere centimeter. Nothing. He turned back to her. She still waited for his answer. “Mario knew I’d never do anything to hurt him. Ever. I guess he realized that in time and—” he paused and shrugged “—sent you to me. Also because…” He stopped, the rest of his answer hovering on his lips. A knock at the door sounded. Pulling his gun, he checked the peephole, then returned the weapon to its holster. “That’s Carly.” Relief at the reprieve filled him, and he opened the door. A young woman in her early thirties, with the same blue eyes as her brother, stepped into the room. Ian shut the door and gave her a hug. “Thanks for doing this.” Carly grinned up at him. “Always loved the night shift.” She turned her gaze to Gina, studying her. “Hi.” “Hi.” Ian stepped to the door. “I’ll let you guys get acquainted, but I’d make it short if I were you.” He looked at Gina. “Get some sleep, it’s already almost 2:00 in the morning. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.” Gina blinked at Ian’s sudden departure. Well. Then she narrowed her eyes. He was getting out while he could, avoiding any more questions he didn’t want to answer. She let him go, moved to the bed and sank onto it. Carly settled herself into a chair, facing the door yet away from the window. “So, you’ve got someone after you, huh?” “To say the least.” Compassion softened the features she shared with Ian. “Why don’t you get some rest? No one will bother you tonight.” Fatigue hit Gina like a truck, and instead of getting up and taking the shower she’d planned on, she fell back to stare at the ceiling. “Thanks, I appreciate that.” Then she sat back up. “I think I’m too exhausted to sleep.” Silence reigned for a moment; then a sympathetic Carly asked, “How did you and Mario meet?” Gina smiled at the memory. “He wanted to buy a house.” “Ian told me you’re a Realtor.” “Yep. Mario wanted to buy a house in North Carolina. I was working with a firm there, and he got put through to me. We met and the rest was history as they say.” “Did he ever buy the house?” Gina chuckled. “Not in North Carolina. He eventually bought the one near Myrtle Beach. The whole thing in North Carolina was an undercover deal. The president was going to be at the Charlotte Coliseum. There had been reports of a terrorist attack there, and Mario was assigned the case. My real estate office was right across the street from the Coliseum. It made for a good cover.” “And he called you after the mission was finished?” “Yeah.” Her eyes grew heavy and she gave in to the desire for sleep, murmuring, “I think I might be able to get a little rest, if that’s okay.” “Go right ahead—that’s why I’m here. I brought a book to read.” With that she opened a thick novel and conversation ceased. While Gina’s body demanded rest, her mind wouldn’t shut off. What had Mario been thinking? What had he been involved in that would cause someone to come after her? Racking her brain produced nothing but a headache, so she turned her thoughts to Ian—what was it about him that caused Mario to trust the man? Why, of all the people Mario knew, did he practically order her to contact the one person who—in his eyes—had betrayed the unit by leaving? Okay, if she was honest with herself, she’d have to admit betrayed might be too strong a word. Deserted? Bailed on? Abandoned? Whatever the word, he’d left the unit and, as a result, disharmony had ensued. The team recovered, of course, but it was never the same. And while Mario had not shared the details of everything, she knew he blamed Ian for the fallout. He’d been quite vocal about that because the guys had never really liked Robbie Stillman, Ian’s replacement. She rolled to her stomach. Lord, I need you. Please help me figure out what I’ve gotten myself in the middle of. And take away this weird attraction I feel for a man who has as many secrets as the one I lost. She must have slept, because the next thing she knew, she awakened with a start, heart pounding, at the click of the door closing. Who was there? Where was Carly? THREE Ian paced in the tiny area between the two beds and the small bathroom, glancing at his watch again. Carly had just knocked on the door to let him know Gina was still asleep and she had to get going to report in to her day job. He regretted her lack of rest, but it couldn’t be helped. As for himself, he’d slept a little, dozing until Jase called to say he was on his way. Night had passed without incident. He could only hope the day would go as smoothly. Something told him not to hold his breath. He pushed the curtain aside just enough to see out. Where was Jase? Jason Sutton and Ian had served together under Commander Mac Gold. Jase was a dedicated man and in love with patriotism; Ian couldn’t remember the guy ever making a mistake on his watch. Three short raps swiveled his attention to the door. Crossing the room in three long strides, he knuckled back two short knocks. One tap answered. Ian opened the door. Jase, tall and dark as midnight, slipped into the room, silent as mist. “I made it as fast I could.” “Thanks, buddy.” “Haven’t heard from you in a long time.” Ian picked up on a coolness in the man’s voice that hadn’t been there before he’d left the unit. “I know. I’m sorry.” He left it at that. Jase grunted. “Whatever.” A rap on the door brought both of the men’s attention to it. Ian walked over, peeped out and then opened the door, pulling Gina inside. “Gina, what are doing? You don’t need to be out in the open like that.” Spying Jase, she drew up short, her eyes taking on a wary look. “I heard the door shut and it woke me up. I thought…” She shuddered. “Anyway, Carly left me a note saying she had to leave and that you would be over shortly.” “Yeah, you should have waited on me.” “I’m sorry. I’m just ready to get back to work on this.” She looked away and over at Jase. “Hi.” Ian saw what she didn’t offer. She was scared to be alone. He didn’t blame her. Laying a hand on her shoulder, he said, “You said you knew Jase. We were all in the same unit once upon a time. Jase transferred out right before Mario was killed to be closer to his extended family. I asked him to bring me some things. I also told him what was going on with you. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know much more than we do at this point.” “But I told you…!” Panic glistened in her dark eyes even though she’d known he was going to make the call. “I know, Gina, but Jason’s okay. He’s not part of that unit anymore. He was gone before Mario died.” She wilted back onto the bed. “I didn’t mean any offense by my reaction, Jase. It’s nice to see you again.” His lips quirked as he nodded his bald head in Gina’s direction. “Don’t worry about it. It’s nice to see some things don’t change,” he teased softly. Gina never had been very good at hiding her feelings, and Jase had gotten to know her pretty well. She flushed and looked away only to appreciate it when Jase said, “Mario was a good guy. I’ve got some contacts I can ask to put out some feelers about him, if you like.” “Thanks.” She bit her lip, then seemed to make up her mind. “Do you know anything he might have been involved in? Anything that he might have had that someone would be after?” Jase shrugged. “No. There’s no telling. We go undercover all the time. Sometimes as a whole unit, sometimes as a partial. And we don’t always get filled in on what the others are doing unless there’s a need. There’s just no way to know. I saw him several times over a period of a few weeks before he died and thought he was acting strange. But when I asked him about it, he shrugged it off and never let on he was having a problem.” “Strange how?” Jase shook his head. “Nothing I can really put my finger on. Withdrawn, moody, quick to anger—and late to a lot of meetings. Just—stuff that was unlike Mario.” She nodded, and Ian wanted to put his arms around her; then he caught the sheen of tears in her eyes and decided he might need to offer her his shoulder to cry on. Instead of doing either one, he held a hand out to Jason. The man looked at it for a moment, then slowly reached out to shake it. Ian couldn’t read Jase’s expression but thought he saw something soften in the other man’s eyes. Jase offered, “Call me if you need anything else. I’ll keep after the other guys in the unit to talk to me and see if any of them know what Mario was doing right before he died.” “I’d appreciate it.” Jase’s eyes flicked to Gina, then back to Ian. “Take care of her.” Then he was gone like smoke on a breeze. “He’s a little different than I remember,” Gina murmured. Ian turned to Gina, who sat on the bed. “What do you mean? Different how?” She shrugged. “Of course I never saw him in the field, just when we would all get together and have cookouts or eat out or whatever. But I seem to remember that he was always the life of the party, the prankster.” “Yeah. I remember that. But you’re right. In the field, he’s like a different person, rarely cracking a smile unless the situation calls for it. Total professional.” “So, what did he bring?” She gestured to the backpack. Ian looked inside. “A high-security laptop, night-vision goggles, an assortment of weapons, a GPS and—” he reached in and pulled out a device “—an encrypted cell phone.” “We’re going to need all of that?” “I sure hope not.” “Huh.” She seemed to lose interest in the topic. He lowered himself into the chair across from her. “Are you okay?” She blinked. “No, but that doesn’t matter. I want to go back to the beach house and search it. I got interrupted before I had a chance to do anything. I…didn’t exactly start searching the minute I got there.” “Was that the first time you’d been there since Mario died?” Lips tight, she nodded. “Yes. I just walked on the beach for a long time, remembering the good times, the fun we’d had. By the time I got back to the house, I was hungry. I fixed a sandwich and went back into Mario’s little home office. I’d just opened the desk drawer to start searching when I heard the front door squeak. It only took a moment to realize it wasn’t you.” She closed her eyes at the memory, and Ian clenched a fist, wanting to pound those responsible for her fear. Opening her eyes, she said, “So, I climbed out the window and took off down the beach. I must have made some kind of noise—I think I knocked something over—and they were after me pretty quick. Luckily, it was dark. I think that’s the only thing that slowed them down. That and the fact that I knew the beach and where to cut through to get to the diner.” Regret filled him. “I’m sorry I was so late. I should have been there to…” “It’s all right.” She stood. “But now, I’m going back to the house to see what I missed—and what damage those goons no doubt did to it. Mario willed it to me, you know. I was his beneficiary for his estate. Everything.” “He didn’t have any other family?” “Just a mother out there somewhere. He hadn’t seen or talked to her in years. He finally decided she was dead.” “That’s a shame.” “I know.” Ian rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “You know, they may have found what they wanted back at the house. If they found it, you may be safe and they won’t have any reason to come after you again.” She looked up at him, then said slowly, “Or they found it, think I know about it and will want to make sure I don’t live to tell anyone about it.” Ian blew out a breath. He’d thought about that but hadn’t wanted to mention it. But Gina had already analyzed this from every possible angle and come up with some of her own answers. He stood and pulled a pair of shoes from the bag Jase had brought. Handing them to her, he said, “They look a little big, but I guess they’re better than nothing. Come on—let’s go see what we can find out.” Going back to the beach house was fine, but Ian wasn’t going back blind. Grabbing his phone, he punched in Jase’s number. “Hey, you offered to help, so I’m going to take you up on it. I need you to do one more thing for me.” They drove in silence, Gina keeping her eyes on the rearview mirror and the road behind them, although she couldn’t see much in the early morning darkness. “Do you think this is a good idea?” “Probably not, but I think it’s our only option right now. As much as Mario loved that house, it’s probably where he’d stash something important.” “You knew him so well. He loved you like a brother. How could you…” She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence that had his fingers curling around the steering wheel and turning his knuckles white. “Gina…” “Why’d you leave, Ian? I mean, I know people transfer to other units for reasons like Jase’s, but what was your reason? No one understood why you requested the transfer. And Robbie Stillman.” She grimaced. “No one liked him. He was always such a jerk. If you just could have given them a reason…” she blurted out. There. She’d finally asked the question that had been burning in her mind for the past two years. The question not even Mario had been able to answer. Silence greeted her. Just when she thought he wasn’t going to answer, he sighed. “It was a really personal issue I was struggling with, Gina. Maybe one day I’ll share it with you, all right?” She stared at him, catching the inner agony of his blue eyes before he turned them back to the road. “All right. I guess I have to accept that…for now.” “Thanks.” And he said no more. The silence in the car draped as heavy as the flag over Mario’s coffin. Gina shifted in her seat, uncomfortable, worried about what they’d find back at the beach house, yet she couldn’t deny the relief she felt at having Ian at her side. “Why don’t you lean that seat back and shut your eyes for a while?” “I wouldn’t be able to sleep. I can’t believe I actually slept at all last night.” It hadn’t been a deep, restful sleep, but she’d definitely dozed. “You were tired and you’ve had a huge shock, mentally and physically. Sometimes our bodies have to override our brains.” “I guess.” “I asked Jase to go ahead of us and check out the house.” Her nerves stood on end. “First the hotel, now this. I told you Mario didn’t trust his unit.” “I know, but like I said, Jase isn’t part of that unit anymore, and the only way we’re going to figure out what Mario was involved in is to talk to the guys who were the last ones to see him alive.” Biting her lip, Gina looked away, wondering how to say what she was thinking. “What?” his tone sharpened as he caught the look on her face. “What is it?” “Nothing.” “You don’t lie well, Gina. What is it?” “I just…” She blew out a sigh. “I think I know what you’re trying to say.” “You do?” He squeezed the steering wheel again. “Yeah. You don’t think any of the guys in the unit will talk to me about Mario because they consider me something akin to a traitor, right?” Gina blinked against the resurgence of tears and whispered, “Something like that. Although Jase seemed okay with you.” Another moment of silence passed as he concentrated on his driving. Then he said, “I never betrayed anyone by leaving, Gina. Contrary to popular belief, my leaving probably saved the unit.” “How?” His jaw tightened. “It’s not important. What’s important is that we figure out what Mario was involved in and what led someone to come after you six months after his death. If the guys won’t talk to me, maybe they’ll eventually open up and talk to Jase. I’m going to have to trust him until he proves otherwise.” “So, what are we going to do?” He shot her a look. “Bait the trap.” Ian made several phone calls on the way back to the beach house; however, he made sure no one knew where they were going. Using the encrypted phone Jase had supplied, Ian didn’t worry about anyone tracing his calls. At first, Gina listened in; then Ian watched her lids grow heavier and heavier, the restless night taking its toll. Finally, they shut for good and he could see her even breathing indicating sleep had won. He glanced at the clock: 5:30 in the morning on what would be a cold but bright, sunny day. Right now the temperature hovered in the low thirties. Gina’s questions still pounded at him. When he’d said his leaving probably saved the unit, he hadn’t been exaggerating. Mario knew how Ian felt about Gina simply because Mario had a reputation for playing the women. And Ian called him on it. After a mission several years ago, they’d all been out celebrating, and Mario had started responding to a woman’s flirtatious advances. Ian walked up and asked him, “Is Gina so easy to forget?” Mario took a swing, which Ian dodged, then hauled his friend out of the restaurant. Out on the sidewalk, Mario narrowed his eyes. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?” Stunned, Ian hadn’t responded at first. Mario had taunted him. “I see the way you look at her. How your eyes follow her every move. Admit it.” In silence and without responding, Ian had clenched his jaw and his fist—and walked away. For good. His transfer request went through without a problem, and within two weeks he was part of another unit. Forcing his thoughts from the past, he dialed Jase’s number once more. His buddy answered on the first ring. “Where are you?” “About ten minutes out. What’s it look like?” Ian kept his voice low, not wanting to disturb Gina. “Clear for now. Because of Gina’s worries, I came to check it out myself instead of finding someone from the unit. The house is a mess, though. They’re looking for something.” “Has anyone noticed and reported it to the police yet?” “Not that I can tell. It’s pretty isolated out here. Mario liked it that way.” Ian hesitated. “Are you willing to keep helping me out a little more on this, Jase?” Silence on the line. “Jase?” “Whatever it takes to keep Gina safe. She didn’t deserve to lose Mario the way she did. She’s still one of our own.” A pause, then, “So, yeah. I’ll do whatever I can to help her.” “What about me? Do you think I betrayed the unit by leaving?” More silence. “You could have told us why you were leaving. Maybe we could have worked something out.” “Mario knew.” Jase grunted. “He didn’t share.” Ian didn’t think he had. “Yeah.” “Right. See you in a few.” Ian put his own phone away, thinking. He trusted Jase, but it was quite possible Mario hadn’t. Or was it that he hadn’t trusted the unit as a whole? Or maybe he had suspicions about one particular person, but no proof, so he had to isolate himself from everyone until he figured it out? That was probably it. He knew someone was bad but didn’t know which someone. What information had he come across to make him suspicious of one of his team members? What had he seen or been told? And now Mario was dead. Blown away on a routine training exercise. Not that accidents didn’t happen on occasion, but… Hands down, Ian was willing to bet Mario had trusted the wrong person. None of his paranoia about whom he could trust had paid off. He’d died anyway. Possibly killed by one of his own. The question was—who? The possibilities were endless. And Jase had been a member of that unit. Now Ian second-guessed himself. Had he made a mistake in trusting Jase? Surely not. The man had saved his life on more than one occasion. Had saved Mario’s, too. Although he could be a prankster upon occasion, he was definitely a dedicated professional when the situation called for it. And then there was no more time to dwell on it. The turnoff for the beach house came into view, and Ian swung onto the little side road. The driveway needed repaving. Gina jerked awake just as Ian decided to cut a path around to the back of the house and park right at the back door. Jase had assured him the area was clear, but it never hurt to be prepared to leave fast. “We’re here.” She blinked up at him, sleep fading and reality returning—along with remembered fear. His heart thudded as he resisted the urge to grab her up in his arms right that very minute and promise nothing would ever hurt her again. Not a promise he could make. Waves crashing against the shore pounded his ears. That special Christmastime ocean smell filled his nose, and he breathed deeply while his eyes probed the dark shadows. Uneasiness trembled through him. Too many places to hide. Too many possible dangers could be lurking nearby. Keeping an eye on the surrounding area, he walked around to the other side of the vehicle and opened Gina’s door for her. From the corner of his eye he registered movement at the left side of the house. He shoved Gina back against the seat, ignoring her startled gasp of protest. He slammed the door and grabbed for his gun in one smooth movement. FOUR Heart pounding, Gina froze. What should she do? What had Ian seen? From her scrunched position, which had her halfway over in the driver’s seat, she could see the top of Ian’s head through the window. He’d pushed her back into the car and left himself open. Had her attackers returned to wait for her? Scooting fully into the driver’s seat, she cranked the car and hit the headlights, illuminating the area in front of her. If they had to leave fast, she wanted Ian to be able to jump into the car immediately. She could see a figure on the fringes of the light. He waved a hand and looked like he said something. Ian holstered his gun as the man came toward him. Now she recognized him. Jase. Relief sucked the breath from her. She pushed the door open, gave a shiver as cold wind buffeted the car and climbed out in time to hear Ian say, “Man, you should give a guy some warning before coming out of the shadows like that. I could’ve shot you.” Jase barked a short laugh. “Not you.” “I thought you were gone, and when I saw someone moving around out here…” The man shrugged. “Thought I’d make sure there wasn’t anything that was going to jump out and scare you when you got here.” “Yeah, right.” A ghost of a smile crossed Jase’s face. “From what I can tell, it’s clean. I went inside and looked around a bit, but didn’t want to disturb too much in case you wanted a forensics team to come out here and see what they could find. The rest of the time I’ve been watching. There’s been no movement, nothing. There’s no one here.” “Great. Thanks. What else?” “I made some phone calls.” “To whom?” Gina blurted as she rounded the car to stand near the two men. Ian took her arm and said, “Let’s get inside. I don’t like you being out in the open like this.” She knew Ian just meant to guide her inside; he had no idea that the warmth of his hand through her flimsy sweater sleeve burned like a branding iron. Fire zinged along her nerve endings, and the initial attraction she’d felt for him earlier returned full force. Shivering at another gust of freezing wind, she pulled away and headed for the door of the house. “I don’t have a key.” She’d left the ring on the end table along with her purse, having had no time to grab them before her flight from the house. Nor her coat. She reminded herself to get that before they left. She reached for the knob just to see. It twisted under her palm, and alarm zipped through her. She stepped back—right into Ian’s chest. His hands came up to rest on her goose-pimpled shoulders. “What’s wrong?” “It’s unlocked.” She looked at Jase, who nodded. “Just to be on the cautious side, I climbed in the window you left open when you ran. There really wasn’t any need, though. The guys were gone and didn’t bother to lock the door when they left.” Gina wilted with relief as Ian grunted, “I’m surprised they closed it.” They entered the small foyer and Jase shut the door behind them. Destruction greeted her weary eyes. From the left to the right, debris had been strewn. Her purse had been dumped, but nothing appeared to be missing. She walked into the den and felt despair sweep through her. Sighing, she said, “I had the door locked last night.” She turned and looked at Ian. “I thought you would be here any minute but couldn’t bring myself to leave it unlocked. Not after what happened the week before.” She shuddered at the remembered terror of walking into her house and being threatened. She nodded to the door they’d just entered. “I heard the door squeak and for a brief moment, I thought it was you, then remembered I’d locked it.” She gave a self-deprecating smile as she took in the chaos once more. “Guess a flimsy little lock like that wasn’t going to keep them out, huh?” Her fingers worried the golden locket, still securely fastened around her neck. Ian’s hand came up and snagged hers, stilling the nervous habit. “Don’t worry about it now. In the future we’ll take more precautions.” We. She liked the sound of that. Perhaps too much. Gina pulled her hand from his and laced her fingers together in front of her. “All right.” She sighed. “I suppose the next step is to go through the house and figure out what they were looking for.” Jase gave her a look. “What about the police?” “No, thanks. There’s nothing they can do. These guys go higher than the police. And Mario specifically said not to go to them.” She rubbed her weary eyes. “I just want to go through everything and see if anything looks—” she spread her hands, palms up, and shrugged “—whatever…suspicious? I don’t know. I’m just praying I’ll know it when I see it. I’m going to change into some warmer clothes, then get started.” Jase and Ian exchanged a look, then split up to help search. Two hours later Ian slid another book on the shelf as Jason entered the study. “I need to talk to you about something.” Turning, fatigue gripping him, Ian dusted his hands against his jeans and looked at the man he’d once called friend. “What?” Gina slipped into the room and sat behind the desk. Jase shot a pointed look in her direction and raised a brow at Ian. Ian looked at her and sighed. “You can talk in front of her. Whatever you know, she needs to know, too. These guys aren’t playing around. Tell us what you found out.” Gina’s appreciative glance warmed him even as he worried about what Jase had to say and how it might affect her. Jason hesitated, then said, “I talked to several guys in the unit. Everyone is still together except you, me, Mario, Bandit and Les.” Les Carson had been one of the team, a Ranger who’d taken a liking to Mario and had been one of Mario’s best buds. As had Bandit McGuire. “Where’s Les?” Jase rubbed his face and shut his eyes for a brief moment. “Dead. The official report says he was killed on a mission.” “The unofficial report?” “He was arrested for treason and managed to hang himself in his cell.” Ian flinched. He hadn’t heard this. How had he not known this? He looked back at Jase. Of course, the team would have covered for him to save his family from both the humiliation of having a traitor in the family and possible retaliation from those with a grudge against a man who would betray not just his country but also his team. “What about Bandit?” A shrug. “No one seems to know. He dropped off the edge of the earth about a year ago. If anyone knows where he is, no one’s talking. Not even to me. He’s either so deep undercover he’ll never surface or he’s dead and no one’s talking about that either. I asked Mac about him and got shut up fast.” “And is Robbie Stillman still with Mac?” “Yes. He took your place.” “That’s what I heard.” “He’s all right, I guess. Not the friendliest guy around but does a good job. I’d trust him with my back. Seems like he’s got a lot of personal problems, though.” “Why are you helping us?” Ian stared hard at Jase, demanding a truthful answer, remembering his worry that he was trusting the wrong person. Gina watched them from her seat behind the desk, quiet, almost invisible. Ian hadn’t forgotten her presence, though. Jason paced from one end of the den to the next. “When you called me, I wasn’t sure if I should get involved.” “Again—why?” “Because you and Mario were close, like brothers. Then you disappeared. And then Mario’s behavior right before he died…It was so off.” “That’s what you said. Can you think of anything more?” “After one of our missions in South America, he seemed to withdraw from the rest of us. He would have surges of anger and would disappear for long periods of time…and other stuff. He even requested a leave of absence from the unit, but no one seems to know why.” “Was the leave granted?” “No.” Ian frowned. “Why not?” Jase shrugged. “I have no idea—he never said—but it was right before he died.” Gina intervened. “His grandmother died about a year ago. Maybe he was upset about that. He never really had time to process the loss. The day after her funeral he was deployed to a mission in Venezuela, I think.” “Could be—” Jase paced over to the bookshelf “—but like I said, the guys aren’t talking much. There’s something else going on and they’re covering for him.” “What do you mean?” “I mean the fact they all basically clammed up when I started asking questions about him. Makes me think it was possible he was into something he shouldn’t have been and no one wants to be the guy to say anything about it.” The bad feeling in Ian’s gut grew to mammoth proportions. “And you’ve no idea what it could have been?” Jase hesitated once more, shot Gina another look then shook his head. “Not a clue.” Narrowing his eyes, Ian studied the man. Was he hiding something or did he just not want to say something in front of Gina? He’d get Gina out of the room in a minute and find out, but for now he followed Jase’s line of thought. “Or, they could honestly not know anything to tell, especially if Mario was keeping his mouth shut because he didn’t know who to trust.” “Yeah, that’s possible, too.” “Hey, look at this,” Gina exclaimed. “What?” Ian strode to her side to look over shoulder. She had a Bible open on the desk. It was the piece of paper in her hand that had her attention. “It’s a letter from Mario.” The words were barely out of his mouth when the window shattered, glass flying. Gina screamed as Ian tackled her to the floor. FIVE A whimper escaped Gina and she bit her lip. Heart pounding, adrenaline rushing, she prayed as she shoved the letter into her pocket with a trembling hand. God, what’s going on? More gunshots sounded from outside, and she flinched at each report. Raising her head above the desk, she saw Ian crouched in front of the broken window, his gun pointed toward the darkness. He clipped off two more rounds. “Jase! Are you all right?” Gina grabbed the phone from the desk and punched in 911. Then realized she had no dial tone. Throwing the thing down, she scrambled across the floor and saw Jason on his back, blood flowing from a wound to his head. “Oh, no,” she whispered and worked her way to his side. She felt for a pulse. Strong enough to reassure her. “Okay, okay, Jase, you’re going to be all right.” Ian fired another shot through the window, then turned to her. “We’ve got to get out of here.” “We can’t just leave him!” “Wouldn’t think of it.” He held up his cell. “I’ve already called for backup and an ambulance.” “What do we do until they get here?” “Hold these guys off. Did Mario keep any guns around here?” “I don’t know. If he did, he never told me where they were.” A groan brought her attention back to the man on the floor. “Jase, Jase, can you get up?” “My head,” he moaned. “What happened?” Another bullet pinged against the old fireplace. Gina ducked, although the bullet wasn’t anywhere near her. “You were shot, but I think it’s just a graze,” Gina whispered. “Hey, buddy, you okay?” Ian asked as he kept his eyes on the action outside. “Yeah. Yeah.” He blinked and Gina watched his eyes slowly focus, although they stayed narrowed against the pain. “Where’s my gun?” Gina scanned the floor. “Over there.” With a wince, he shifted his weight and rolled to go into a position where he could reach the weapon. Then he weaved his way over to the window. “You got a concussion?” Ian asked. “Probably.” “I’ve got help up on the way, but I don’t want to have to take the time to answer the questions I know they’ll have. I hate to leave you but need to get Gina out of here.” “I’m all right. I’ve been hurt worse. Get Gina somewhere safe and let me know you’re okay.” He swiped at the blood trickling down the side of his face and turned back to the window. Ian grabbed Gina’s hand and pulled. She dug her feet in and repeated herself. “We can’t just leave him!” “Jase is a Ranger. He can take care of himself. It’s up to me to take care of you. Plus, the cops will be here any minute. Once whoever’s shooting at us hears those sirens, they’ll disappear and Jase will have some help. He can hang on that long.” A quick glance at his friend resulted in a nod of confirmation. “Now, please, let’s move.” Gina caved and hurried after him with one last glance over her shoulder at Jase, who motioned for them to get out. Sirens sounded in the distance and relief flooded her. Hopefully the sound would scare off the attackers and Jase could get some help. “Go, go!” Ian kept a tight grip on her hand as he led her toward the back of the house. “What are we doing?” she gasped. “Jase will handle the police. You and I are going to find someplace safe.” With a steady hand, Ian cracked the door leading to the outside and peered around it. The gunshots had ceased with the sound of the approaching sirens, but that didn’t mean the bad guys were gone—it just meant they weren’t shooting right now. He scanned the area. All looked quiet. The car sat right where he’d left it. Untouched? Or a trap? They’d have to chance it. Staying here meant talking to the police and having this take forever, trying to answer questions no one had the answers for and not knowing if they could be trusted anyway. Hauling in a deep breath, he said, “Get in on this side. Duck low so you can’t be seen from the other side of the car.” He’d deliberately parked with the driver’s side two feet from the bottom step of the small porch. On the opposite side of the car, at the end of the pier, the sounds of the ocean registered on a subconscious level. Gina obeyed, crouching low, moving fast. Ian crawled in right after her. Finally behind the wheel, he cranked the car and backed up the way he came in. “Stay down, Gina.” “I’m down. Won’t the police stop us?” “Nope.” Five seconds later, he was in front of the house. No gunshots split the air. A police car wheeled past him, then did a one-eighty to give chase. “He’s following us, Ian.” Her voice held a breathless, fearful quality that gripped his emotions. “I’ll either lose him or Jase will radio the guy when he gets a chance and tell him to back off.” For ten minutes, the red and blue lights followed his every move; then they backed off and disappeared from view. Ian relaxed a fraction and drove without a specific destination in mind. Gina straightened in her seat, groaning at protesting muscles. “I have an idea,” Ian offered. “What?” “I think I know a place we can hole up for a few hours to rest.” He glanced at the clock. “Where? I’m almost afraid wherever we go, they’ll find us. How did they know to come back to the beach house?” “Common sense. You didn’t find what you were looking for the first time you were there, so it figures that you’d be back.” “So they were just waiting for us to show up? But why didn’t Jase spot them?” He shrugged. “Maybe they got there after Jase, spotted him and laid low to see how things would go down. Who knows?” “Or maybe Jase called them,” she whispered. Indignation for the man welled up in him, and yet he couldn’t deny a little niggling of doubt tickled his mind. “Jase wouldn’t do that.” “Mario…” “Mario should have let someone know what was going on and that he needed help.” “Maybe he did.” She reached into her back pocket and pulled out the letter she’d found in the Bible. Gina stared at the single sheet of paper containing Mario’s slanting scrawl. She read aloud, “Dear Gina, if you’re reading this, I’ve failed. It wasn’t my plan to die on you, darling, but as you well know, some plans are doomed from the get-go. I guess this was one of them.’” “What plan?” Ian interrupted. “Who knows?” She went back to reading. “‘I’ve got some people after me. Really nasty guys. I’ve got something they want. If they haven’t come after you yet, get ready. I’m sorry, Gina, I didn’t want to do it this way but don’t have time to come up with something better. Something that doesn’t involve you. If I’m dead, they’ll be looking for the next person who might know something, and whoever it is probably knows about you. I promise I did my best to hide your identity, but these guys are good; they’ll find you, simply because I don’t know who’s involved. So, if they’re going to come after you, I’m going to do my best to give you a fighting chance. I don’t want to say what I’ve hidden, because if you know, you have no protection. If they catch you and you tell them, they’ll kill you immediately. If you don’t know, you can’t tell them. That might buy you some time. I hope you’ve called Ian. If you haven’t, do it. You’re going to need him. I love you, Gina….” Her throat clogged on the last part, and she stopped to take in a shuddering breath. Ian clasped her hand, the warmth of his palm searing her, giving her strength to finish the letter. “I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to show you how much. Ian’s a good man. He’ll know what to do. Grandmother thought the world of you. You’re the only woman in her life who didn’t disappoint her. Thank you for honoring her and keeping her memory close to your heart. All my love, Mario.” Silence filled the small rental. Tears dripped down Gina’s chin as she scanned the letter through one more time. Ian cleared his throat. Gina sighed. “You…um…didn’t have to read that out loud.” “I know, but if there’s anything in there that can help us, you need to have the information.” “You were close to his grandmother. Did he have any other family?” “No, just the sister who died. I suppose his mother is still out there somewhere, but…” She trailed off with a shrug and stared out the window. Time for a change of subject. “So, are you going to check on Jase?” “Yeah.” He dialed the number. Jase answered on the second ring. Ian asked, “Are you all right? What’s the situation?” “I’ve got it under control. I’ve also got a slight concussion but was lucky. I’m still alive.” Relieved, Ian said, “Good. Stay that way, will you? Listen, I’m going to take Gina someplace safe. I’ll be in touch.” “Right. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll keep digging into what Mario was doing before he died.” “Yeah, I’m going to do the same. Hey, what is it you wanted to tell me, but…couldn’t earlier?” He let the question hang, hoping Jase would pick up on what he meant. A pause. Then a sigh. “I think Mario was cheating on Gina.” Shock and anger punched him, but Ian kept his voice steady. After all, he’d seen the possibility with his own eyes. He’d just wanted to chalk it up to the alcohol fogging Mario’s brain at the time. “Why do you think that?” “After a mission in Colombia, I saw him with a woman. They were looking pretty cozy.” “Probably just some undercover thing,” he said, trying to justify it. “No, we were done with the mission, coming down off the high that follows success.” “Huh. Then maybe…” He couldn’t think of another excuse for Mario. “I took some pictures of them.” That sparked some interest. “Why?” “I don’t know. Gina was such a great girl and it really bugged me that he would do something like that to her. I’ve been looking for a girl like her all my—” he cut himself off, but Ian felt a pang of sympathy for the man. “Anyway, I walked up and confronted him.” “In front of—” “Yeah, in front of the girl.” Ian winced. “How’d that work out?” “She got up and left. If her words had been a sword, Mario’s head would have been rolling at her feet.” “Ouch.” “Aw, he deserved it. Anyway, I told him I had the pictures and if he ever did anything like that again, I’d give them to Gina.” “Whoa, Jase. Man, that was kind of…” “I know, I know. Anyway, as you can imagine, Mario was furious. Threatened to kill me if I did anything to jeopardize his relationship with Gina. Told me to get rid of the pictures.” “Did you?” Another pause. “No.” “See if you can figure out who the woman was.” “Will do.” “Great. Talk to you later.” Ian hung up. “So, what was that all about? Is Jase all right? And where are we going?” Gina’s voice jerked his attention back to her. He turned left, then a quick right. Ignoring the first question, he pointed. “There.” Then he pulled to a stop in front of a gated home. “Jase is fine and handling the authorities beautifully. If he needs any more help, he’ll call Mac.” Then he nodded toward the house. “The guy that lives here is one of the best friends a guy could have, but best of all—he’s got a top-notch security system.” SIX Ian pulled up to the gated entrance and buzzed the house. “Who lives here?” Gina asked. “Nicholas Floyd. I can’t believe he’s actually home. He’s a family court judge who made quite a bit of money in college when he designed a video game that shot to the bestseller chart and stayed there for years.” “A judge who designs video games?” “Game. One.” “Seriously?” “His passion is the law and helping others. He just happened to have an idea and the skills to implement it. Now he lives like this—and has an awesome security system.” “And he’s your friend. Must be a God thing.” He smiled at her. “Must be.” She was still as strong in her faith as she’d ever been. It was only one of the things he admired about her. “He had a death threat about a year and a half ago. Carly was the U.S. Marshal assigned to Nicholas and his family. Surprisingly enough they never met when Nick and I were roommates. Carly went to school out of state and Nick had his own family issues going on.” “Oh, wow. And he doesn’t mind us just crashing his place?” “Not at all. You’ll understand once you meet him.” The twin gates separated at the middle and swung inward. Ian pressed the gas and drove through. The gates closed silently behind him. As he followed the winding drive up to the main house, he told Gina, “Nicholas and I roomed together in college for a couple of years. He’s always loved the beach and swore he’d have an oceanfront home one day.” Gina gasped as the house came into view. It sprawled over the sloping hill, the picturesque ocean beating against the sand beyond. “It’s beautiful.” Ian nodded. “He designed the house himself.” The two-story brick structure sported white columned posts on the welcoming front porch. Four rockers surrounded a wrought-iron table, and a two-seater swing hung from the ceiling. Christmas lights were strung in massive amounts. “I bet it’s gorgeous at night, all lit up and just glowing.” A drawbridge began its smooth slow-motion descent until it gently touched the ground in front of the car. Ian drove across. A quick glance behind her showed nothing there. No cars bearing men with guns, no popping sound of bullets connecting with metal and glass… He parked in a small area to the right that had been designed to accommodate three cars. The other two slots sat empty. Once out of the vehicle, Ian took her hand. “Nicholas is a great guy, but he’s had a rather tragic life. I’ll warn you, he’s pretty much an extrovert personality, but he can be intense.” Okay, she could deal with intense. Intense had been her middle name lately. But even Ian’s warning didn’t prepare her for the sight of the huge man who burst from the arched, double wooden front doors. At least six feet five inches tall, he was pure muscle, a tower of rock-solid strength. Before Gina could blink, he ran to Ian to embrace him in a bear hug, lifting Ian’s feet off the ground. “Ian, my friend! How are you?” Ian grunted, laughed and pulled out of the man’s massive arms, protesting, “Nicholas, I told you not to do that. I’m fragile, man.” Nicholas punched Ian on the arm and turned to Gina. He’d turned so fast he hadn’t seen Ian wince. But Gina did and she prepared to run should this mammoth decide to offer her the same type of embrace. Golden-green eyes stared down at her, studying her. Then he gave a small bow and held out his hand. Gina grinned at the knowing glint in his eyes and willingly shook his hand. Her fingers disappeared within his paw, and she felt like a toddler trying to play grown-up, shaking hands with the adult she’d just been introduced to. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Floyd.” Shaking his head, he groaned. “I’m not that much older than you. Please, I’m Nicholas.” “Right. I’m Gina.” Those cat-green eyes narrowed, “And you’re in trouble.” She immediately sobered. “Yes, but I don’t want our coming here to place you in any danger.” For a brief moment a hard look flashed across his face. “Don’t worry about it. I won’t say this place is impenetrable, but no one will get in here without me knowing about it well beforehand. Long enough for us to either get out or get help. Okay?” Ian stepped forward. “Don’t worry, Gina. I wouldn’t have brought you here if I thought it would endanger Nicholas or his family.” “Family?” she arched a brow. “My mother, a niece and a nephew. And we don’t have to worry about them. They’re in Switzerland right now. I have a live-in cook and housekeeper, and they’re specially trained in taking care of themselves, so…” An emotion glinted in his eyes but Gina couldn’t put a name to it. Then he looked away from her and over at Ian. “How’s that sister of yours?” “Carly’s great. I saw her just this morning. She offered to come stay with Gina last night to make sure the goons that are after her didn’t get anywhere close. Thankfully, it was a peaceful night.” “Well, come on inside. Let’s get you two settled. Do you have any luggage?” Ian opened the trunk of his car and pulled out a small carry-on-size suitcase. “I have this, but Gina doesn’t have a thing. Maybe your housekeeper could run out to the store to grab some things for us.” Those golden eyes tinged with green flecks turned back to her. “She’s about Miriam’s size. There’s probably something inside she can use.” The three passed through the door and stepped into a large foyer. Antiques adorned the area and Gina sucked in an appreciative breath. “Your home is beautiful.” Nicholas swung his gaze back to her. “Thanks. I built it for my wife.” “Miriam?” “Yes.” “Is she here?” Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». 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