Without Warning

by Lynette Eason

Katie caught her breath at his look but didn’t ask what he meant. She knew. “Thanks. I think.”

  So he was ready to acknowledge the mutual attraction. Oh boy. Now what? Uncertainty squirmed through her. Did she want to take a chance on him? Yes, her heart shouted. Her head had other ideas, though, and flashed caution signals.

  Daniel walked to the entrance of the restaurant and tested the door. It was locked, but she already knew that. He lifted his nose and sniffed. “You smell that?”

  “What?”

  “It’s faint, but it’s there. Smells like that stuff you use to take off fingernail polish.”

  “The same smell your neighbor claimed he noticed in his Jeep.”

  “Yes.”

  She followed his example and tested the air. Sure enough, she caught a faint whiff of it. “Interesting.”

  “So now we can sort of connect the guy sitting outside in the Jeep to the attempted break-in here,” he said.

  “There’s no proof except our noses, but it’s good enough for me.” One by one the officers exited the area until it was just Katie and Daniel left to lock up and rearm the alarm. Daniel punched in the code and Katie scanned the area, her nerves tight in the sudden, quiet darkness. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

  “You feel it too,” he murmured. He pressed a hand to the bandage on his head and winced.

  “The crickets stopped chirping and the hair on my neck is standing straight up.”

  “Where do you think he’s watching from?”

  “I don’t know. What do you think?”

  “From the graveyard,” he said, not looking in that direction. “Probably from behind one of the bigger markers.”

  “Or that mausoleum.”

  “Or that.”

  Katie felt the comforting weight of her weapon snugged up under her left armpit. Her fingers twitched, wanting to have the gun against her palm where it would be ready should she need it. She pulled it out and held it comfortably, the weapon a perfect fit. “Do you see anything?” she asked, keeping her voice low, her gaze on him. He’d moved, subtle and slow, like he planned to get into the Jeep. However, his actions placed her vehicle between them and the graveyard.

  “No. Do you?”

  “No. It’s too dark.”

  He reached up and pulled the white bandage off, revealing a tan bandage underneath. He tossed it under the car. She knew what he was doing. He didn’t want to open the door and have the interior light come on, and he didn’t want to wear the bandage. “No sense in giving our guy an easy target to find in the dark.”

  “Yep. So, are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?”

  “Probably. How do you feel about going hunting blind?” he murmured.

  “Not my favorite thing to do. Are you sure you’re up to it?”

  “Quit asking me that. I’m up to it.”

  “Then I’m willing.” She paused. “And normally I wouldn’t say that to a client, but you’re not the typical client.”

  His white teeth flashed for a brief second in the darkness. “Glad you understand that. Let’s go hunting.”

  [14]

  Tuesday

  5:15 AM

  Daniel wanted to catch the person causing him so much trouble. And pain. Definitely pain. Wanted it so bad he could taste it. Once again his adrenaline had shifted into overdrive. His head pounded a throbbing rhythm. One he ignored while he focused on the hunt. At least he wasn’t dizzy. He could handle just about anything except being dizzy.

  He moved easily into the shadows, wishing he had a bulletproof vest on. But he didn’t, so he’d have to make sure he didn’t get shot. Which brought his thoughts to Riley. For a moment he hesitated.

  Katie stopped beside him. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  She gestured to her right. “I’ll go this way.”

  He nodded. “Be careful.”

  “Of course. Don’t shoot me. It would really ruin my night.”

  He grunted. “As if.” He wasn’t insulted though. They both knew he’d only pull the trigger if he knew exactly what he was aiming at. But apparently she dealt with stress the same way he did. Through the use of sarcasm, by taking control when she felt it slipping away, stuffing down her emotions so she could think, not feel. Yeah, they were a lot alike. And right now he didn’t have time to figure out if that was a good thing or not.

  She took off across the back parking lot toward the retaining wall. Within seconds, she’d scampered over and was behind one of the larger headstones. He no longer could make out her form. Which was good. If he couldn’t, hopefully whoever was watching couldn’t either. Daniel waited a moment longer to see if he could spot any movement, sense any change in the air.

  Katie stayed put and he knew she was listening and waiting as well. When nothing happened, Daniel left the car and headed for the opposite end of the retaining wall. Just beyond it, near a large mausoleum, under the glowing single bulb, he saw a shadow slink past and disappear behind the large oak tree that grew next to a well-manicured hedge.

  Satisfaction filled him. He had this guy now. Stealthy and silent, he skirted the wall. Crouching low, he stepped lightly, headed to the tree where he’d seen the figure vanish. He looked to his left and saw Katie’s dim shadow, also approaching, quiet and slow. What he wouldn’t give for an earpiece to be able to communicate with her right now, even though he knew he wouldn’t speak and take a chance on revealing himself. He could tap codes though. He moved closer.

  Closer.

  His head pounded and a sudden wave of nausea swept over him, but he pressed on. This guy wasn’t getting away again.

  The sliver of a moon didn’t give off much light, but enough that he knew the man was still behind the tree. Daniel’s heart pounded a steady beat in spite of the adrenaline rushing through him. He stayed cool, his combat training surfacing. His prey was just ahead. Katie closed in from the other side.

  Daniel pulled his weapon, stepped up beside the tree, then slightly past it.

  He turned, weapon held straight out and ready.

  And froze.

  He lifted his gaze and snagged Katie’s. She shook her head.

  The shadow was gone.

  Vanished.

  “Where’d he go?” Daniel whispered. He pressed a hand to his head and just stood still for a moment.

  “I don’t know, but he couldn’t have gotten far.” She studied the terrain. “He could have used that hedge for cover.”

  “But if he’d have gone over, I would have seen him.”

  “Maybe not.”

  “He was right there and then disappeared. How’d he get over the shrubs and the fence without me spotting him?”

  She stared at the area. “What if he didn’t go over?”

  He looked at her.

  “What if he went under?” they said simultaneously.

  He blinked. “Of course,” he muttered. “I’m not thinking straight.”

  “At least you can blame it on the concussion.”

  “I have a slight concussion.”

  “The headache then.”

  “That works.” She gave him a small smile, turned and started walking. Daniel followed, wanting to replay what had just happened in his head. Instead, he focused on what he needed to do for now. Katie slipped up to the hedge and looked over. “Could have climbed the fence, but . . .” She knelt and disappeared into the shrubbery.

  “Katie?”

  “Over here.”

  He spun and saw nothing. “Where?”

  She popped back into view and stood up, favoring her injured knee while brushing the debris from her clothing. “There’s a hole in the fence. Excellent little escape route.”

  “He knows this area, he knew this would be a good exit,” Daniel said.

  “And it looks like he’s gone. I recommend we get out of here while he’s not flinging bullets at us.”

  Daniel nodded. “Good idea.”

  They made their way back to her Jeep and he climbed in. His h
ead pounded and he was having a hard time ignoring it. He pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes for a moment, wishing the headache away. Unfortunately, it didn’t go anywhere.

  Katie shut her door and started the vehicle. Within seconds, she’d merged onto I-76 and was headed toward his home. “How’s the headache?”

  “Fine.”

  “There’s a bottle of Tylenol in the glove box. You could alternate with the ibuprofen.”

  He shot her a glance. It rather unnerved him that she could read him so easily. He tried to decide if he wanted to be stubborn and hold out until he got home. Then decided pride was overrated and dug out a couple of the little white pills. He downed them and offered two to her. “For the knee.”

  She gave a low laugh and took the pills. “Thanks.”

  He leaned his head back but watched her out of the corner of his eye.

  So, okay.

  He was attracted to her. She was a strong woman who didn’t let her weaknesses hold her back. He liked that about her. Admired that.

  She handed him her phone. “Text Haley for me, will you? I don’t want to show up at your house unannounced and scare everyone to death.”

  He did as she requested and set her phone in the cup holder even while he noticed the tension on her face. “What are you thinking?”

  “That we’re missing something. Something so obvious I’m going to feel stupid when I finally realize what it is.” She scowled. “I hate feeling stupid.”

  “I can’t imagine you ever feeling stupid.”

  She shot him a dry look. “It’s happened.” She tapped the wheel while she drove. “Okay, so why would someone have that smell? What is it? Acetone?”

  “What if it’s a woman? Someone who used the stuff before going out to do her dirty work?”

  “Could be. If you’re around it enough, I would imagine you’d get used to the smell. Wouldn’t notice it or think about it being something that might be used to catch him or her.”

  He nodded. “Or someone uses it for their work?”

  “The guy who put my prefinished hardwood floors in used it to clean some dull areas. Worked great.” She pulled her phone from the cup holder and handed it to him. “Do you mind sending a text to Olivia, asking her to get someone to research the commercial uses for acetone?”

  He did so and then continued to watch her until she pulled into his driveway and parked. “We seem to be doing this a lot. You chauffeuring me around.”

  She smiled. “I don’t mind.”

  “Katie . . .”

  “Yes?” She turned toward him, one hand on the door handle.

  “At the risk of sounding like a high schooler, I want to kiss you.”

  She blinked. “Why?”

  He let out a low laugh. “Ouch.”

  She didn’t look away, her steady gaze making him want to squirm. But he didn’t. He simply kept his eyes on hers. She slid closer and stopped. Stared at him while he wrestled with the desire to take control of the situation and just kiss her. But he waited, let her decide what the next move would be. A small smile curved her lips just before she pressed them to his. Surprise held him frozen for all of a second—then he kissed her back. The spark he knew was there now flared into an electrical storm. He pulled back and stared at her. “Wow.”

  She bit her lower lip, then gave him a wicked smile. “In case you didn’t notice, I wanted to kiss you too.”

  “Why?” he mocked with a gentle grin.

  She lightly punched his arm. “Because.” She turned serious. “You’re the first person I’ve connected with in a really long time on a basis that isn’t surface or shallow—other than the ladies I work with—and I don’t want to kiss them.”

  He snorted a surprised laugh. “I’m glad.”

  She lifted her hand and pressed it against his cheek. He relished the contact. “I think you get me. And I like a lot of things about you. You’ve got integrity and that’s important to me.”

  His eyes clouded. “It’s important to me too.”

  She dropped her hand. “Why the sudden frown?”

  “Because my integrity is being questioned. That bothers me. A lot.”

  It was her turn to frown. “Quinn said your financials came out clean.”

  “I know, but the murder of my former cook isn’t sitting well with some people. I saw the news in the hospital. They’re speculating that Armstrong was part of a gang, that I murdered him, staged it to look like a suicide, and the gang retaliated by burning my restaurant down.” He clicked his tongue. “I see why Quinn is against speculation.”

  Katie shook her head. “That’s ridiculous. The timeline doesn’t even fit that theory. The media just needs a bone to chew on. Once this is all resolved, they’ll move on to a new story.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t have to like it while it’s happening.”

  “True.” She sighed. “And we probably should keep things from getting too personal while you’re a client.”

  “I don’t know if I like that.”

  “I don’t know if I do either, but I think that’s what we need to do.”

  “Hmm. We’ll see.”

  He punched another sequence on his phone and the garage door rose. She pulled the car in, opened the door, and climbed out.

  Daniel did the same. He used the button on the wall to lower the door behind them, then led the way inside. Once he stood in his kitchen, he drew in a deep breath. “What time is it?”

  “Six fifteen,” Haley said from the other side of the room.

  “How’s Riley?” Daniel asked.

  “Riley is just fine, thank you very much.” His niece stepped in front of Haley, then crossed the floor to hug him. “Who’s doing this, Uncle Daniel? Who’s causing all this trouble?”

  He sighed and kissed the top of her head. “Still working on that one.”

  Riley scowled at him. “Need to work faster. And that Tim Shepherd dude called again. You really need to make time in between getting shot at and hospital stays to call him back.”

  He thought he heard Katie give a light snort. Haley turned her head, but not before he saw her lips curve in a grin. Riley’s sometimes macabre humor was something she’d learned from him. When he’d been in the Marines, among his other coping mechanisms, he’d learned to use dark humor to deal with . . . life. And death. Riley was so much like him. Poor girl. “I’ll call him first thing today.”

  “Thank you. And now that I know you’re safe, I’m going to bed. And yes, I’m sleeping in, so yes, that might be construed as playing hooky.” She scowled and Daniel sighed.

  “You’re excused this time,” he said. “You can start with Martin on Wednesday. I’ll text him, then email the school and let them know.”

  “Perfect. Thanks.”

  He watched her leave.

  Haley rubbed her eyes. “I think I’m off to bed as well,” she said. She looked at Katie. “How’s Quinn?”

  “Out of surgery, in a room, and being ornery. We actually went to see him. We didn’t stay long.” She glanced at her phone. “Bree’s at the hospital and so is Maddy. Maddy’s planning to return to work next week, by the way.”

  “Good. She said she was ready. So what’s the plan for the next twenty-four hours or so?”

  “Let’s stay here and get some rest. Charlie and Lizzie will be on board in two hours. You go ahead and get some sleep. As soon as they get here, I’ll crash. Since Riley’s sleeping in, we won’t have to worry about an escort to school.”

  “I think that’s a great idea,” Daniel said. “There’s plenty of room. I’ll set some things out for you.”

  He started down the hall.

  Katie placed a hand on his arm. “Daniel, we can handle it. Just point us in the right direction and we’ll be fine. You’re hurt and you need rest. Go.” She gave him a gentle shove.

  He gave a careful nod. “I won’t argue with you. All the sheets on the beds are clean. Extras are in the closet in the guest bath. Help yourself. If you
need something you can’t find, just let me know. I don’t mind.”

  “Got it. See you in the morning.”

  “It is morning.”

  “Right. See you later in the morning.”

  Daniel took himself and his aching head and body to his master bedroom and shut the door behind him. He stretched out across the bed, shut his eyes, and fell asleep.

  [15]

  Tuesday

  Around 2:00 PM

  Katie was glad she could sleep just about anywhere. She’d let Haley take the guest room while she waited for Charlie and Lizzie to show. They’d arrived around 8:00 a.m. and Katie had crashed in the oversized, very comfortable recliner. Now her rumbling stomach awakened her.

  She lowered the leg rest and stretched.

  Coffee? She lifted her nose and sniffed. “Oh please, yes.” Yep. She headed for the kitchen while firing off a text to Maddy for an update on Quinn. She followed the blessed aroma that grew stronger with each step into the kitchen where she found Riley watching the dark liquid drip into her cup. “You’re an addict too?”

  Riley glanced at her from the corner of her eye. “Yes. I’ll be human in a few minutes.”

  “Gotcha.”

  Riley reached into the cabinet next to her and pulled down another mug. She handed it to Katie, who took it and wished the coffee to drip faster.

  Finally, Riley moved and Katie was able to fill her mug.

  Neither said another word until they had the caffeine sufficiently flowing through their blood. They sat at the kitchen table and sipped. Finally Riley looked up and sighed. “Sorry. It takes me a few minutes to wake up.”

  “I understand. Although I think you’re too young to poison your system with this stuff.”

  Riley smiled. “I only drink one or two cups in the morning. The rest of the time it’s water.” She took another sip of the brew. “Are we having class today?”

  Katie blinked. Class. “Oh right. I’ll have to think about that one. You won’t be going, though, okay?” She rose, filled her mug again, then came back to reclaim her chair. “What day is it?”

  Riley choked on a laugh. “Oh my gosh. You and Uncle Daniel need serious help.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s Tuesday. Class starts in two hours.”