I found McKelty in her bedroom, properly bathed and dressed in her nightclothes. She was lying on her bed, her head buried in her pillows.
“Hey,” I said softly, sitting beside her and rubbing her back the way I once did when she was an infant, “what’s going on?”
“I heard that man,” she said, her voice muffled by the pillows.
“What did you hear?”
“The bad men are back.”
I sighed, leaning down so that my lips were close to her ear. “Nothing is going to happen to you, McKelty.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I’m your daddy and I’m not going to let it.”
She peeked at me. “Do you promise?”
“I promise, baby.”
She hesitated, but then she came out from under the pillows and threw her arms around my neck. I held her close, my soul always soothed by the feel of my daughter in my arms. But this time there was an undertone of uneasiness.
Could I keep that promise?
Chapter 14
Joss
The moment Carrington was out of the room, Kirkland came to me.
“Tell me what’s going on here. What are you doing?”
I glared at him. He was the one with the reputation. He had a lot of nerve asking me these kinds of questions.
“David says you turned off the camera in the master bedroom. Why would you do something like that?”
I shoved my finger into the center of the chest.
“I’m not like you, Joss. I know what I’m getting into with these women I protect. Do you know what you’re doing?”
I turned away, my arms crossed over her chest.
“Don’t ignore me! You know I’m right.”
I pulled my phone out of my back pocket. A second later, his phone was vibrating.
Mind your own business!
“You’re my friend. You are my business.”
I shook my head emphatically, turning just to glare at him.
“I’m glad you’re moving past what happened to you, Joss, really I am,” he said, coming to me, taking my arms in his hands. “I’m glad you feel like you’re ready for a new romance. But this isn’t the one. This isn’t the way to do it.”
I pulled free even as he tried to underscore his words with a quick shake. I pushed a button on my phone and his phone went crazy, vibrating ever few seconds with each text message he received.
Mind your own business!
Mind your own business!
Mind your own business!
Mind your own business!
Mind your own business!
Mind your own business!
Mind your own business!
Mind your own business!
Mind your own business!
Mind your own business!
“Do you really want me to just stand by and watch you get your heart broken?”
I shook my head. Yes. That’s exactly what I wanted.
He stared at me, hurt clear in his eyes. I went to him and pressed my hand against his chest. Then I wrote into my phone again.
It’s my life. It’s my mistake to make. You can’t protect me from everything.
“What if I want to?”
I touched his face, so much affection overrunning me that I felt as though my body was turning to mush.
I love you for wanting to, but you can’t.
He read the message, then looked up at me, his warm, hazel eyes filled with more emotion than most people would claim Kirkland was capable of feeling. But I knew that Kirkland was capable of much more than most people believed. Kirkland felt deeply. And when he finally found a woman who would accept that love…Lord, help her!
I reached up and kissed his cheek gently. Then I walked away, going in search of Carrington.
***
McKelty was curled up on the couch, sleeping soundly despite her protestations that she’d never be able to go to sleep. Kirkland was standing at the back windows, looking out over the expansive backyard. Carrington was on the couch, his cell phone on his knee, his eyes glued to it as we waited.
Waiting. Once again I was waiting.
We heard from Ash at about midnight. He said there were enough people at the Port of Los Angeles to take on a small army. All we could do was wait for the Bazarov men to show up. However, I heard the concern in Ash’s voice as I listened to the call on Kirkland’s phone. I knew what everyone was thinking. The attack on the shipping containers sitting on the docks at the Port of Los Angeles was just a rouse. The real attack would likely be here at the house.
But so far so good.
I was behind the bar, watching the camera feed on the front gate. Except for the occasional car going by on the remote residential street, there was nothing going on out there. And Kirkland hadn’t spotted anything in the backyard. If there was something going on outside, David’s system would catch it right away.
Nothing was happening.
I walked over to Carrington, pointed at McKelty, and then at the ceiling. He looked over at his daughter as though he was seeing her for the first time in ages.
“I guess you’re right,” he said.
He sighed as he stood, weariness coming off of him in waves. I watched, as he lifted the child into his arms, admiring the gentleness I saw in the movement. McKelty shifted against his shoulder but didn’t wake.
I caught Kirkland’s attention and pointed to the stairs. Then I led the way, wishing I’d retrieved my sidearm from my nightstand drawer when the thought had occurred to me hours ago. However, I didn’t want to have the gun visible around the child, even though I knew Kirkland had one under his thin, leather jacket.
Maybe he was right. Maybe this whole thing with Carrington was starting to get to me, to soften my instincts. He hadn’t said it, but I knew he was thinking it. Or maybe that was just what I’d been thinking all along.
The wide upstairs landing was dark. I flipped on the light switch and led the way down the long, wide hallway to McKelty’s bedroom door. It was open, but there was only the faintest light coming from the nightlight Carrington kept on for her on the far side of her bed.
The room appeared to be empty. I walked around, pushed open the bathroom and closet doors to be sure. If there was anyone there, David would have caught it on the cameras, but I checked just to be sure. Then I stood back and watched as Carrington lay his daughter lovingly in the bed. He kissed her forehead, the touch gentle and filled with more love than I could imagine.
I remembered that feeling. I used to give Isaac the same kiss every night before I placed him in his crib.
Carrington slid his hand into mine as we stepped out into the hallway. I stopped before we’d gone far, gesturing to the door. I was going to stay with McKelty.
“You’re going to make me go back downstairs alone? You’re not afraid your friend and I will kill one another?”
I could hear the amusement in his voice, but I was pretty sure he was partially serious, too.
I touched a single finger to his chest, then lifted my hand above my head.
“Be the bigger man?” he asked, actually chuckling this time. “Easier said than done.”
I shrugged.
He pushed me back against the wall and stole a kiss, his lips lingering for a long moment. Then he sighed.
“We’ve been spending too much time together,” he whispered against my ear. “Your improvised sign language is actually beginning to make sense to me.”
He walked away without looking back, but I couldn’t help the smile that slipped over my lips. He was right. He understood me more than anyone else seemed to be able to manage, with the exception of Kirkland, of course.
When Carrington was gone, I slipped across the hall and took my gun and holster from the bedside drawer where I’d left it the last time I slept in that room. I slipped it over my shoulders, buckling the holster so that it was snug, but not too tight, allowing for easy retrieval of the gun. I normally felt secure with the gun on, like I was connected to a pa
rt of me that had been missing for a long time. But now it felt a little heavy, a little uncomfortable. I frowned as I returned to my position outside McKelty’s door, wondering why that would be.
Kirkland thought I was acting out, that I was having a rebound relationship that would end with my heart broken. He was probably right. But what was wrong with that? Why couldn’t I have a little fun like he did so often? Why was it okay for him to be a male slut, but not okay for me to do it? Why couldn’t I have a little fun for once?
Was he jealous that I hadn’t chosen him to be my first out of the gate?
Maybe.
I tried to think of Kirkland that way. He was a good-looking man, there was no doubt in my mind about that. But Kirkland came with as much baggage as I did. I mean, Carrington had a troubled past. But he seemed to have handled it with grace and strength. He was a difficult man, but he had a big heart that he clearly had no problem sharing with his little girl. Whether that would eventually transfer to a healthy adult relationship, I wasn’t sure. Yet, he made it clear what he wanted from me, and that made it easy for me to do what I’d so wanted to do anyway. Neither of us wanted a relationship. When this was over…I didn’t know what would happen when this was over. But Carrington had gotten past my walls, doing something no one else in my life had been able to do. I would forever be grateful for that.
I didn’t want to think about these things, and I resented Kirkland for pushing the subject. He had no right to judge me. He was my friend. I wished he would just stick to being my friend.
I pulled out my phone, thinking I’d text Kirkland and tell him exactly that. But just as I opened the lock screen, my phone lit up. Red. An alarm had been triggered outside the house.
I could hear footsteps on the stairs. I didn’t know if it was Carrington, Kirkland, or the bad guys. I ducked into McKelty’s room and shook her shoulder, putting a hand over her mouth to silence her the moment her eyes popped open.
She was scared. I could see it in her eyes. I wanted to explain, to say something that would calm her, but I couldn’t. All I could do was trust that she trusted me enough not to scream when I removed my hand from over her mouth.
I moved my hand, and McKelty sat up, reaching around me for her little doll. Carrington told me it was a ragdoll she’d been given as an infant by her mother, and that she once carried with her everywhere she went. She’d recently begun carrying it again, and he was pretty sure that was because of the attempted kidnapping last week at her school.
I nodded, a finger pressed to my lips to remind her to be quiet. I led the way into the bathroom and gestured for her to get into the bathtub. I folded my body to make it as small as I could, then turned to her, gesturing for her to do the same. She did, curling her small body into the fetal position. I pulled the shower curtain closed, then slipped out of the room.
I’d left the bedroom door partially open. I stood at the crack, watching the brightly lit landing. Whoever had been coming up the stairs had already reached the landing. The fact that no one had come directly to this room told me it wasn’t Kirkland or Carrington who’d managed to get up the stairs. That made me wonder what had happened downstairs that whoever was in the house had managed to get past the two men.
I didn’t have time to worry about my friend or my lover. I had to concentrate on what was happening here and now.
I saw a shadow, someone moving near the master bedroom door. The intruder was searching the rooms one at a time, clearly unsure which room McKelty would be in. That told me more about my enemy than he probably intended. This meant he was sloppy. Any kidnapper worth his salt would have made sure he knew exactly what room the child would be in. It was too risky to have to search the house to find the target. They should have been quickly in, quickly out.
This gave us the window I needed to get McKelty out of the house.
I backtracked, returning to the bathroom. I took her hand, trying to ignore the little jump she made when she felt me reaching for her in the dark. I led the way to the door, pausing again to make sure the intruder was still occupied. I could hear furniture being overturned in the master bedroom. He was not leaving any leaf unturned. Stupid on his part. Good for us.
I led the way silently across the wide hall, heading for the back stairs. I heard voices about halfway down. I had a split second to decide if I should retreat, or if I should continue down. I decided to leave McKelty on the narrow landing halfway between the second and first floors, pressing her hard up against the wall, my finger on my lips again. Her eyes were wide, but she nodded.
I turned and silently descended the rest of the way, taking the chance that the intruder upstairs would continue to search the bedrooms. As I reached the tread of the bottom step, I could hear two men speaking quickly to one another in Russian.
The idiots were standing to the side of a mirror. I could see them as clear as day.
For a drug cartel, these people certainly lacked training.
I slipped around the corner and took out the first man with a swift kick to his knees and a chop to his throat. The other was forewarned, but rather than run, he pulled his gun from its shoulder holster. That gave me enough time to land a kick right to his solar plexus, causing him to bend over, presenting the back of his neck to the butt of my gun. He was out before his partner, on the floor, realized they’d just been taken out by a girl.
I popped the first guy on the temple with the heel of my gun, knocking him unconscious just as he opened his mouth to warn his friend upstairs.
I’d taken both men out in less than ten seconds.
I rushed back up the steps, grabbed McKelty’s hand, and rushed back down, lifting her into my arms as we reached the bottom of the stairs. There was nothing I could do to stop her from seeing the downed men, but I hadn’t expected her to scream when she did. The high-pitched scream was deafening next to my ear. I tried to cover her mouth, but it took both hands to keep her in my arms as she struggled, trying to go somewhere. I had no idea where.
I could hear yelling upstairs in response to her scream. The intruders all knew where we were now.
I ran to the side door, rushing through the kitchen and out into the garage. That beautiful Mustang was still there, but there was no time to look for keys. We ducked out a second door, this one at the back of the workshop that led into the backyard. McKelty was still screaming, a little siren letting the whole world know where we were. I stopped for the briefest of seconds, set her down, and covered her mouth. She stared at me, the doll she’d been clinging to falling from her hands, her eyes still wide with fear. But the screaming stopped.
I pressed a finger to my lips. She nodded.
I picked her up again and ran, crossing the open backyard in a move that was not ideal but seemed like my best option at the moment. I heard the distinctive hiss of a gun equipped with a silencer. I took the chance and looked over my shoulder, catching sight of a tall shadow standing on the balcony that hung off the back of the second floor, opening from French doors at the back of that wide, square hallway.
The intruder.
I picked up my pace, hoping the man was as good a shot as he was a prepared kidnapper.
A row of bushes hid the low fence that surrounded the pool. I pushed into the bushes, praying they covered us enough as I searched for a way out. McKelty pointed, but it took me a moment to realize what she was showing me. Beyond the pool was a tennis court. Behind that was a tall gate that led into a wooded area that grew wild behind the house. We were in one of those canyons that went from dessert to forest in the blink of an eye. And it was forest in this section.
Thank God!
I tried to stay as deep in the cover of the bushes for as long as I could, grateful for once that I was short and the tall bushes easily kept us hidden.
My phone buzzed in my back pocket, but there was no opportunity to pause and see who it was or what they wanted. We had to keep moving.
Even as that thought crossed my mind, a chunk of the closest bush burst into
tiny pieces right next to my head. We needed to get out of here.
I managed to get to the far side of the pool, now hidden behind the bushes that grew all along the fence line. I took a chance and ran, crossing the tennis court just as another bullet ricocheted off the brilliant green surface of the court. McKelty reached for the lock on the gate as we approached, quickly tugging at it just as my body fell into it, allowing it to fly open and for my momentum to take us flying into the woods, hidden by several stands of trees before I was finally able to catch myself and slow down.
We were out of the house and out of sight of the shooter for the moment. But what now? Where did we go? I had no idea. I just kept running. And I was glad I’d made that decision because less than a minute later I heard footsteps crashing through the underbrush behind us.
He was following.
My arms ached. I was in fairly good shape, but McKelty was a good seventy, eighty pounds. I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d be able to carry her, but I was sure she wouldn’t be able to keep up with me for more than a minute or two. We needed to find a place to hide.
Kate had climbed into a tree when her stalker was after her. Donovan led the stalker off, deeper into the woods while Kate managed to get out of the tree and go for help. But that plan wouldn’t work for us for a million reasons, not the least of which was that I wasn’t sure McKelty could climb a tree in bright sunlight with jeans on—so how was she going to do it in the darkest hour of the night wearing a nightgown?
I just kept running, trying to ignore the ache in my arms.
I continued to hear noises behind us. I couldn’t be sure because my own heavy breathing and the low whimper issuing from McKelty’s lips made it hard to hear, but I was pretty sure I heard more than one set of footsteps behind us.
I couldn’t go much further. I had to stop. I had to put McKelty down.
I had been zigzagging through the trees, trying to confuse my pursuers. I decided to run straight, to get as far ahead as I could. Then I ducked behind a particularly large tree and pressed my back to it, setting McKelty on her feet. I rubbed my arms, stretching them to try to work out the cramps that had settled in my muscles. I leaned around the edge of the tree trunk to try to pinpoint where my pursuers were. I couldn’t hear them anymore, but I knew that didn’t mean anything. Maybe they’d realized we’d stopped, so they slowed down to hear us better.
JOSS: A Standalone Romance (Gray Wolf Security) Page 9
