Page 12 of Girl Betrayed

“Freeze!” Dana shouted.

The same word was echoed back to her, followed by, “FBI! Lower your weapon!”

Dana blinked in disbelief. Her eyes adjusted to the dark enough to make out the unmistakable face she hadn’t been expecting.

10

Stunned,Jake stared at Dana over the barrel of his Sig Sauer. She held her own weapon trained on him like a pro.

Since when did Dana have a gun?

“Jake?” Her voice snapped him from his trance.

He holstered his weapon, crossing the room in a few quick strides only stopping when his chest struck the nose of Dana’s Ruger Max .380. “You gonna keep aiming that thing at me?”

As if just remembering she was holding a weapon, Dana expertly switched on the safety and tucked the gun into her waistband before throwing her arms around Jake. “What are you doing here?” she asked into his neck as he crushed her against him.

“I got your messages,” he said, unwilling to let her go just yet.

“I’m sorry,” Dana whispered, her voice muffled against him. “I didn’t mean to pull you away from your family, but Claire…”

Unease rolled through Dana in a tremor and Jake tightened his hold. “Claire’s family, too.”

“I didn’t know what else to do.” Dana pulled back and looked up at Jake, her bright brown eyes filled with concern. “I can’t get anything out of Jenkins. Did she tell you what’s going on?”

Jake shook his head. “She was tight-lipped. National Security issues.”

Dana threw her hands up and paced away from him. “I wish people would stop saying that like it’s an excuse! A prominent politician was murdered with a scythe. That’s not going to stay secret for long. Jenkins should just read us in so we can help!”

“Did you sayscythe?”

Dana stopped pacing and faced Jake, her mind elsewhere. “Why are you bleeding?”

Rolling up his sleeve, Jake reexamined the gash on his forearm. It was superficial, but a bleeder. Adrenaline does that. Shrugging off the pain, he grabbed a kitchen towel and applied pressure. “It’s nothing. I cut myself breaking in. By the way, I noticed you didn’t install that security system yet. And when did you get a gun?”

Baffled, Dana blinked. “After our last case.”

“Please tell me you have a permit to carry.”

“Of course. Now why did you break into my house?”

Jake hesitated, not sure if telling her he’d seen someone in her home was the best idea at the moment, but Dana knew him too well.

“What aren’t you telling me, Jake?”

“I got your voicemail on my flight back and came straight here after talking to Jenkins. I was banging on your front door when I saw someone inside with a flashlight.”

Dana paled. “What?”

“I swept all the rooms, but they were gone by the time I got in.”

Taking a step back, Dana sagged against the kitchen counter. She pushed her glasses into her thick brown hair, giving Jake a glimpse at the weariness she normally masked. “I thought this was behind us.”

He was across the kitchen again, pulling her back into his arms. “Hey, it is.”

Dana pulled back. “You don’t know that. Someone was in my house. Claire is missing. It’s starting all over again.”

“This isn’t Vega or Fuller,” Jake said. “We put those monsters to rest.”