She twisted the handle.
It was locked, just as she’d expected.
But that couldn’t stop her. This was a matter of life or death.
Using the last of her strength, she kicked the wood above the handle.
Nothing.
She kicked it again.
This time, the timbers splintered.
Giving it her last bit of energy, she kicked once more. This time, the frame fractured. She shoved her non-injured shoulder into it, and the door opened.
Thank goodness.
She stepped inside the cold, vacant house, vowing to fix this damage later.
In the meantime, she ran up the stairs until she reached the first floor. She glanced out the window, still hidden by the darkness inside the house.
The men. She spotted three figures lumbering across the sandy dune.
They were coming this way. Toward the house where she was hiding.
It wouldn’t be long until they found her.
Her lungs nearly froze at the thought.
She rushed toward a wall phone in the kitchen and dialed Ty’s cell.
“Cassidy?” His voice was laced with worry. “Where are you?”
She rattled off the street name. “Please, hurry. Be careful. And bring backup. These men are armed and dangerous.”
As she said the last words, she heard a footfall downstairs. They were in the house.
She grabbed a knife from the butcher block on the counter and then slipped into the master bedroom. She closed the door and locked it before going into the master bath and doing the same.
And then she waited for whatever would happen next.
Chapter Four
Ty’s heart beat in overtime. He hadn’t heard Cassidy sound that scared . . . in a long time. And if she was frightened, then he knew this was serious. Her life was on the line.
He could hardly stomach the thought.
His resolve to find her hardened with determination.
As he sped toward the address, he picked up his phone and asked the officers to meet him there. If these guys were as dangerous as Cassidy said, Ty and Kujo would be no match. No, they definitely needed backup.
He considered cutting his lights as he headed down the lane so he could catch these guys by surprise. But he changed his mind. No, they needed to know he was coming. Maybe his presence would scare them away.
Ty slammed on the brakes and paused, listening.
Quiet answered.
Were the guys here? Did they have Cassidy?
Kujo let out a whine beside him.
“Let’s go find her, boy,” Ty murmured.
He grabbed the gun and held it in his hand as he approached the downstairs door.
He sucked in a breath when he saw the splintered wood. Someone had used force to get in here.
Remaining quiet, Ty crept inside the dark house, Kujo on his heels. He scanned the entryway.
He saw no one. Heard no one. But someone had obviously been here.
The question was: were they still here? Was Cassidy?
Ty was going to have to dig deep and use his SEAL training. The difference was, as a SEAL, Ty had all the equipment and backup he needed. He’d always gone in with a plan.
Right now, he was winging it. And this was the most important mission of his life.
Kujo whined again. What did the dog know that Ty didn’t?
The dog took a step toward the stairs.
Ty followed his canine’s lead and started toward the second floor.
At the top, he scanned the landing. Saw nothing.
As Kujo encouraged him to continue upward, Ty listened to the dog’s instincts. He climbed to the top floor. The stairs emptied at a great room, an open area with fewer places to hide.
He glanced at the couches. The arm chairs. The end tables. Breakfast bar. Dining room table.
He saw no one.
Were the gunmen here? Were they waiting to ambush him?
Ty didn’t know.
Reaching over, he picked up a stack of ceramic drink coasters. Still grasping his gun with one hand, he tossed them behind the couch. They hit the floor with a loud crash.
He held his breath and waited.
No one emerged or moved or reacted.
Good. It appeared no one was hiding here.
Staying near the wall, Ty crept around the room. Once he’d checked each potential hiding place, he temporarily relaxed.
The place appeared clear.
So where was Cassidy?
Had those men grabbed her again? Had they taken her to another location?
Ty’s heart ached at the thought. Cassidy was too smart to allow that. And he would have seen them departing as he’d approached. There hadn’t been that much time.
He headed toward a doorway on the other side. The master bedroom, if he had to guess.
As he reached it, he heard sirens wailing in the distance.
Backup was coming.
Thank goodness.
Ty reached the door, grabbed the handle, and twisted. He held his breath as time seemed suspended.
It was locked.
Kujo pawed at it.
Still gripping his gun, Ty called, “Cassidy? Are you in there?”
He waited as silence drifted around him. The moments stretched into what felt like hours.
Finally, he heard footsteps.
And then the door flew open.
Cassidy staggered forward, a knife in her hands.
“Ty . . .” she muttered, her weapon slipping from her hands and clattering on the floor.
Ty jammed his gun into his waistband and gathered her in his arms. Kujo jumped on them, equally as overjoyed to see Cassidy.
She was beaten-up and bruised, but she was safe.
How would Ty keep her that way?
“Are they gone?” Cassidy whispered, still clinging to Ty. Her gaze skimmed the room, looking for any sign of trouble. Her body still told her to be on alert, that danger was near. But her mind knew that if Ty was here, the coast should be clear.
“I didn’t see them,” Ty murmured. “Neither did Kujo.”
She leaned down and rubbed the dog’s head. “Good boy.”
“You gave us quite a scare, Cassidy.”
“Yeah, that was definitely a good scare.” She shivered and touched her ribcage, remembering the gun pressing into her flesh. “They came into the house—I heard them—but your truck must have scared them away.”
Cassidy had thought she was going to die. It wasn’t the first time she’d been in that position. But something about tonight’s events had shaken her to the core.
Maybe because tonight the crime was random. She hadn’t seen it coming. And she hadn’t been the premeditated victim but an innocent bystander.
“Police!” a deep voice yelled downstairs.
At the sound of someone racing up the steps, Cassidy stepped from Ty’s arms and composed herself. Officers Leggott and Dane, along with Dane’s dog, Ranger, appeared at the top of the steps, guns drawn. The men’s faces went lax when they saw Cassidy.
“Chief, you’re okay,” Dane said.
“I am. But you two need to go after these guys,” Cassidy said as the urgency of the situation hit her fresh again. “They’re not far, but they’re dangerous and they’re armed. We have to find them. Now.”
“We’re on it,” Leggott said.
Just as quickly as they’d appeared, Leggott, Dane, and Ranger disappeared back down the steps.
These criminals couldn’t be left on the streets to do this again. No, they’d be a menace to the island until they were caught—and menace was putting it lightly.
No one on Lantern Beach would be safe until they were apprehended.
“Cassidy, Ty, it’s me. Mac,” a new voice said. “I’m coming up.”
A moment later, a man with white hair and a matching beard and mustache appeared. Mac MacArthur. He paused when he saw Cassidy, and his shoulders drooped with relief.
He shook his
head as he took a step toward her, his concern obvious.
“Cassidy girl . . . you gave me a good scare. Are you okay?”
“I’m alive, so I can’t complain. Thank you for coming.”
“You know I’m here whenever you need me.”
Cassidy had to get her thoughts together. As much as she appreciated everyone’s concern, she had no time to stand here and let people feel sorry for her. Those men were a ticking timebomb.
She turned toward Mac. “Listen, can you scan this house for anything these men may have left behind? I know they came in here, but they didn’t stay long. That doesn’t mean there’s no evidence that might help us prove who they are.”
“Of course. Whatever I can do to help.”
“I need to search the property next door,” Cassidy said. “One of the men fell into the pool. I’m pretty sure he was bleeding.”
Cassidy started down the stairs, but before she even reached the stairway, Ty’s arm tugged her to a halt.
“You need to be checked out by paramedics.” Worry lined Ty’s gaze.
“I’m fine. Just some bruises.”
Ty’s eyes narrowed. “Some bruises? Cassidy . . . half of your face is swollen. You have blood running down your temple. And you’re holding your side. You don’t look fine.”
“It’s nothing that won’t heal. I’ve got to find these guys, Ty.”
He still didn’t let go. “Let Dane and Leggott search. Paramedics should be on their way.”
“But—”
“I agree with him, Cassidy.” Mac appeared beside them. “I don’t think you realize how beat-up you are.”
Didn’t realize it? Every part of Cassidy’s body hurt right now. But adrenaline fueled her, pushing her not to stop yet. Because when she finally did stop, she was going to be in a world of pain.
She knew those realities were true—she just didn’t want to acknowledge them yet.
As she glanced at both Ty and Mac, she knew these two weren’t going to let her go anywhere. Another set of sirens filled the air. The ambulance was here.
Cassidy would let the paramedics check her out.
And then she was going to start searching for these men again.
Chapter Five
Despite her protests, Cassidy had been taken to the clinic. While sitting in a private—but temporary—room, Doc Clemson informed her she had two bruised ribs and she was lucky to be alive.
And she was.
Despite his encouragement to take it easy, Cassidy knew she couldn’t do that. With her midsection iced, three stitches in her forehead, and some medication in her system, she was ready to get to work again.
Her first order of business was getting an update from her people.
She pushed herself off the bed, the plastic mattress cover crinkling beneath her and her entire body groaning.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Ty jumped to his feet and took her elbow. Kujo joined him.
Dogs weren’t normally allowed in the small island clinic, but Kujo was an exception. Perhaps it was one of the perks of being police chief, having a doctor who was like a long-lost uncle, and small-town life in general.
Cassidy grabbed her coat and pulled it on, trying her best not to show her pain across her features. But every movement hurt, and it wasn’t going to get any better for a while.
“I need to go back to the station,” she told Ty through clenched teeth.
Getting back to work was all Cassidy could think about. She didn’t have time to waste with trivial things like staying here at the sterile-smelling medical facility and having people fuss over her. There were dangerous men out there, and time was of the essence.
“I’m going with you.” Ty and Kujo walked in step with Cassidy as she headed toward the door.
“You don’t have to do that, Ty.”
Though Cassidy appreciated Ty’s protectiveness, she didn’t want her husband to think he needed to babysit her. She preferred to think of herself as a strong, capable woman. Besides, how would it look if the police chief had a bodyguard? Even if it was a bodyguard who was as handsome as they came . . .
Ty grabbed her arm and stopped her in her tracks before they reached the hallway. His intense gaze latched onto hers, and he lowered his voice. “Cassidy, these guys know who you are. Know what you look like. They can find you and try to finish what they started.”
Her breath caught at Ty’s words. He was right. As long as those guys were out there, Cassidy wouldn’t be safe. No, she would be a target. They very well could hunt her down and make a statement about how dangerous they were.
Cassidy nodded, hating the weight she felt on her shoulders. “You’re right. Thank you for the reminder. And I’m not going to think of this as you watching over me. As soon as the magistrate is in town, I’m going to get him to swear you in.”
“As an officer?”
She nodded. She’d thought about it before, and now was as good a time as any. “I’m going to need all the troops on the ground that I can get. I’ll talk to Mac as well. We’ve got to find these guys.”
Ty kept a hand on her elbow to steady her as they headed outside. “I’ll drive.”
He waited until Cassidy was snug in the passenger seat of his truck—with Kujo licking her face—before he climbed in.
A moment of silence fell as they started down the road. The darkness stretched like the quiet, almost seeming surreal considering the enormity of what was going on. The whole island should be buzzing with danger, and instead everything almost felt . . . peaceful. Or was this the calm before the storm?
Cassidy cleared her throat, not comfortable with the paradox. “How are Lisa and Skye?”
Ty’s hands had a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel. “I talked to Austin and Braden while Doc Clemson checked you out. They said Lisa and Skye are shaken but okay. They’re worried about you. I think seeing you get abducted shook them up more than anything.”
Her poor friends . . . she’d wanted to protect them. And, in a way, she had. But protecting someone emotionally from the repercussions of a crime was a totally different story. The task was nearly impossible.
Instead of letting guilt plague her, Cassidy tried to focus on what she could do. “Dane’s going to need to get their statement. I’m going to have to alert other state agencies also.”
“Mac already called the Coast Guard and marine police. Agent Gabe Abbott with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is also still in town. He’s going to help out. We’re going to figure this out, Cassidy.”
She stared out the window a moment, images of tonight pummeling her mind. Each one made her flinch.
The feel of the gun across her cheek.
The threats.
Being in the getaway car.
Falling to the side of the road.
Things could have turned out a lot differently.
At the thought, she touched her side and tried to get a deep breath. It was nearly impossible. Every time her lungs expanded, she was reminded of her bruised ribs.
Ty reached over and squeezed her knee. Cassidy appreciated the fact that he said nothing, that he knew she needed her space. Because she did.
As they pulled into the station, Cassidy spotted multiple vehicles in the parking lot. She knew it would be a circus inside and that everyone would expect her to lead them.
It would take every ounce of strength inside her to do just that—but Cassidy could do this. These people had trusted her as their leader, and she wouldn’t disappoint them.
Their very lives were in the balance.
Two hours later, Cassidy had talked over the case with her officers, barked out orders, and followed up with numerous phone calls to other agencies. Every law enforcement officer within every agency within a two hundred-mile radius knew about the merry trio of armed robbers who were called Django, Pork Chop, and . . . the Quiet Man—at least, that’s what Cassidy called him.
The bottom line was that these guys had disappeared. However,
there were a few things they’d left behind.
A trace amount of blood had been found on the bottom of the empty pool. They would log that into the system and check for any matches.
Some tire tracks had also been found in the sand where Cassidy had fled from the vehicle. They’d made a cast of the marks.
A security video at the general store had picked up the license plate number. It turned out that the sedan had been stolen from Asheville two weeks ago.
There had also been security footage from inside the store, but it had shown them nothing different than the information Cassidy had already conveyed about the men.
At least everyone who’d been there during the robbery was okay, Cassidy told herself. It could have ended so much worse. If they’d grabbed Skye or Lisa . . .
She couldn’t stomach thinking about it.
Just as her friends’ images fluttered through her mind, she glanced out the door to her office and saw the two women walking her way.
She stood, moisture rushing to her eyes.
Suddenly, Cassidy wasn’t police chief. No, she was a friend and fellow victim.
She crossed the room and pulled Lisa and Skye into hugs, despite her aching ribs.
“Are you okay?” Tears poured down Skye’s cheeks, her mascara like a dark waterfall coming from her eyes.
Cassidy nodded. “Yeah, I look a lot worse than I feel. Really.”
“I thought those men were going to kill you.” Lisa looked pale, and her motions seemed listless, like she was still coming out of her shock. “I’ve been beside myself.”
“I know,” Cassidy said, keeping one hand on each of her friends and needing that connection with them right now. “It was scary. But we’re all okay now. That’s the important thing.”
Cassidy glanced behind the women and saw that Lisa’s fiancé, Braden, was also there, along with Skye’s boyfriend, Austin, and their good friend Wes. Having close friends in times like these was a godsend on so many levels. Cassidy hadn’t found this kind of support and acceptance until she’d moved here, and it was one of the reasons she never wanted to leave.
No one stands alone. That was their motto—something they’d adopted from a Bible study the group was doing. And the sentiment echoed through all areas of her life.
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