Page 9

CHAPTER 9

W hen Jake pulled back up at the scene, Ty Chambers, Cassidy’s husband and one of Blackout’s leaders, was on site.

Ty, a former Navy SEAL and one of the most outstanding men Jake knew, gave him a nod.

“What a day, huh?” Ty started.

Jake let out a small laugh. “You can say that again.”

“I’m glad you’re here. I didn’t anticipate having to assign you to a case here on Lantern Beach, but they could really use your expertise right now.”

“Happy to serve however I can.”

They began walking the area.

“Have you seen anything of interest yet?” Ty asked. “Cassidy said you’ve already examined the site.”

“Whoever is behind this is sophisticated,” Jake told him. “And I believe they’re playing games with us. It’s the only reason I can think of that they’d add the ticking sound to the bomb. Also, this person was watching, almost like he wanted to see the fruit of his labor.”

Ty grimaced. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Believe me, I don’t either.” He paused. “I’m going to keep examining things here.”

“Let me know if you need anything. In the meantime, I’ll stay out of your way.”

As Jake wandered the scene searching for more evidence, his mind drifted back in time to the day he first met Raven.

He’d been assigned to rescue and then protect her—an ambassador’s daughter. The ambassador himself had a target on his back, and he was afraid those opposing him would make good on their threats.

From the moment Jake had laid eyes on Raven, her beauty captivated him. He’d known that protecting her would be a difficult assignment—difficult because he would need to keep his professional boundaries in place.

She was, however, an adult. She’d been twenty-one at the time—and he’d been twenty-six. Her mom had been killed three years earlier in a car bombing.

Though they’d kept things professional between them, neither had been able to deny their attraction. He’d craved spending time with her. He’d known he would give his life to protect her.

The feelings had been there. They just hadn’t acted on them.

Until his assignment was up.

He just needed to escort Raven back to the States.

So he had. And as soon as they stepped foot on US soil and his job was over, they’d had a whirlwind romance.

The two of them hadn’t been able to resist their feelings for each other.

They’d spent five blissful days falling in love.

Then he’d had to go back. His assignment had been over, and they needed him back in Iraq.

They’d parted with promises of staying in touch.

But Jake hadn’t been able to fulfill his promise.

Would Raven ever understand why?

His throat tightened. Probably not—and he really couldn’t blame her.

He glanced down at the rubble beneath him and paused.

What was that?

He moved a metal box aside and saw a partially burned picture beneath it. After pulling on a glove, he picked it up.

A picture of the US Embassy in Syria.

The place where Raven’s dad had been stationed.

The place he’d met Raven all those years ago.

Why would this picture be here? Unless . . .

His breath caught.

He grabbed his phone to call Raven. She needed to be on guard.

But the phone didn’t ring.

It didn’t even go to voicemail.

What? The bad feeling in his gut continued to swell.

If she wasn’t answering, then Jake needed to go back to her place. He needed to see her with his own eyes. Talk face-to-face.

Wasting no more time, he jogged to his truck and took off.

Raven stared at the evidence in front of her.

If this bomb was made to look like an old bomb, then someone’s reasons for doing so would have to be criminal.

She needed to call Jake.

No, Raven corrected herself. She needed to call Cassidy . Why would she call Jake over the police chief? Cassidy was in charge of this investigation.

She practically rolled her eyes at herself.

But just as she grabbed her phone, a sound caught her ear.

She glanced at the window, where the evening hung dark with an almost inky black.

The muscles in her back tightened.

What was that? The noise was slight, and if it hadn’t been so quiet in the house, Raven probably wouldn’t have noticed it.

A small tremble began in her hands as she stood.

This could be nothing. The wind blowing a branch against the siding. A loose shingle even.

But given everything going on, it would be prudent to check the noise out and know for sure.

She didn’t have a gun. But even if she did, she wasn’t about to go check this out on her own. Not after everything that had happened.

She spotted a butcher block on the kitchen counter and quickly grabbed the largest knife she could find.

The noise sounded again. It came from the other side of the house.

Her heart pounded harder in her ears.

Then she grabbed her phone. She stared at the screen, wondering if she should call 911.

But what if this turned out to be nothing? Then she’d just look paranoid. That wasn’t what she wanted either.

Women in her profession already had a disadvantage. She didn’t want that reality to be true, but it was. If she acted like a scared little schoolgirl, that would only cause her to lose some of the respect she’d been trying so hard to establish.

In many ways, it was still a man’s world.

She shoved her phone back in her pocket and then turned toward the hallway and glanced at the front door.

A shade was pulled over the glass on the top half of the door. But a light was on outside, and a shadow moved beyond the window.

A silhouette.

Raven realized what the sound was—the door handle jiggling.

Someone was trying to get inside.

That did it. She’d call 911 after all.

As she grabbed her phone and dialed, she realized the call wasn’t going through.

She squinted. Tried again.

Nothing.

What was going on? She hit Jake’s number next.

That call didn’t go through either.

The door handle twisted again. This time it was louder. Whoever was there wasn’t trying to be stealthy anymore.

She was running out of time.

Raven stashed her cell phone in her pocket and clutched the knife with both hands.

She realized with sickening clarity that she was on her own right now.