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Foster nodded toward the corridor. “Hallway and back rooms.”
“I’ve cleared the perimeter. I’ll check upstairs.”
Then Kash was off, keeping his back snugged to the wall as he climbed the stairs, disappearing down the hallway a moment later.
Mac gave Foster a slight shove. “Despite my initial reaction, I don’t need a babysitter.”
Foster snorted, not budging an inch. “Good because I’d prefer a partner. And we’re staying here in case someone was looking for one of us. And yeah, I know that sounds crazy but…”
But he’d lived crazy for twenty years. And he wasn’t about to ignore all his training now.
Mac stiffened behind him, her breath feathering across his back and shoulders as she inched a bit closer, her small hands landing on his waist. He smiled and eased back just enough to increase the pressure — calm the pounding in his chest.
While he wasn’t as skilled as his buddies in ground combat or hand to hand, he could more than hold his own. Had faced off against a variety of threats when missions hadn’t gone as planned. Or he’d had to break ranks in order to rescue a fellow soldier. But this was different. Knowing some dickhead might have been targeting Mackenzie — had followed her here in the hope of catching her once she’d left. Just thinking how she would have been exhausted and alone, possibly missing the fact she was being tailed…
Foster gave himself a mental shake. They didn’t have any proof she was being targeted. In fact, it made more sense that if this wasn’t some kind of sophisticated crime ring, the men had come gunning for him or one of his buddies. But he’d plan for every contingency until they’d put them all to rest.
Rain pattered against the window and roof as they stood there, waiting, until Chase and Zain reappeared, their guns no longer at the ready. They headed for the counter just as Kash came trotting down the stairs, Nyx still alert at his side.
His buddies converged on Foster’s location, scanning the room one last time before relaxing slightly. Not enough they wouldn’t respond to any sudden threat, but a few notches down from their DEFCON 1 state when they’d entered.
Zain arched a brow. “Everyone okay?”
Foster glanced back at Mackenzie. “Why don’t you tell them what you saw.”
She pursed her lips then repeated the story — a man with NVGs standing in the doorway. At least one more outside the window.
Zain frowned. “So, what are we thinking? Tech savvy burglars or something more sinister?”
Foster shrugged. “Hard to say, though the fact they were wearing NVGs is a bit… concerning. And with all this rain, any footprints or other evidence will be long gone by morning.”
Zain nodded, still scanning the shadows. “Okay. Time to cut through the bullshit. We’ve all mentioned how we’ve come home a few times over the past six weeks and felt as if objects had been moved slightly. Nothing taken and nothing overt but…” Zain motioned to Kash. “Kash’s mug incident with the handle facing the wrong way or my photo that was turned to name a couple. And we keep blaming each other for pulling a prank but the buck stops here. Beckett? You’re our prime suspect and let’s face it. It’s the kind of crap you like to pull, so, have you been jerking us around or…”
Foster palmed his face, shaking his head. “I told you it wasn’t me.”
“You also said you weren’t the one who’d wired all our headsets to blast Baby Shark every day for a week in Kandahar.”
“And you claimed it wasn’t you who put those Whip snakes in our sleeping bags in Serbia.” Chase crossed his arms. “You know I hate snakes.”
“Let’s not forget about when we came back from the mess hall, and someone had nailed everything inside our tent to the floor.” Kash arched a brow. “We know for sure it wasn’t Zain, now.”
Zain groaned. “I’m really not that bad with tools. And we also haven’t missed how it all abruptly stopped as soon as we called you on it. Until now.”
Foster sighed. “Fine. I’ll admit. The headsets and the creative use of nails was me, but Sean put the snakes in everyone’s sleeping bags, including his. Bastard excluded me because he knew you’d jump to conclusions. But I get your point. Except where I’m telling you I haven’t been messing with you, and I haven’t been moving stuff around.”
Zain muttered under his breath. “Well, crap. You know I hate getting caught with my junk hanging out and I feel like I’m giving everyone a real good show right now. Though, it doesn’t really make any sense. Who breaks in and only moves a mug or a photo around?”
Foster sighed. “I don’t know but we definitely need to find out.”
Mac moved out from behind him, giving him a guarded smile as she blew out a rough breath. “I should have noticed the guy sooner. Maybe I could have gotten a photo of him or watched to see if he jumped into a car — written down the license plate.”
She coughed. “And while I’m not proud of how I reacted, for a split second, I honestly thought it was a monster. Or maybe a ghost. Something other than a creep wearing goggles.”
Foster gave her shoulder a nudge. “We’ve all been caught by surprise and it’s definitely not something you’d expect to see. Besides, you should hear Zain during a horror movie. It’s tragic.”
Zain rolled his eyes. “Shut up. I don’t scream that much.”
Chase gave Zain a slight shove. “Brother, you sound like Kash does when he sees a spider.”