Page 16 of Kane (Ghost Ops #4)
“You can stay with us,” Emma said, and Kane wanted to elbow her for it.
Blaze took one look at his face and knew that wasn’t going to fly. “You can,” Blaze said. “But if you want to be away from the building, I think going to the farm is a good idea. There’s plenty of room. You won’t have to even look at Kane’s ugly face if you don’t want to.”
“That’s true,” Emma said, catching the drift. “You’re welcome to stay in our guest room, but Sassy likes to yowl at the top of her lungs around three in the morning. It might be quieter at the farm.”
Daphne sniffed. “I want to be somewhere other than here. If I’m downstairs, I’ll lie awake and think about somebody creeping around up here.”
“Ethan’s on the way with the bug sweeping equipment,” Kane said. “We’ll make sure it wasn’t some perv planting cameras, then we’ll head back to the farm for the night.”
“Should we call the police? Get this on the record?” Emma asked.
“No,” Daphne blurted before Kane or Blaze could chime in.
Kane blinked at the vehemence in her voice. “It’s not a bad idea, Daph,” he said.
“No.” She shook her head back and forth until it was a wonder she didn’t make herself dizzy. “I don’t want the police. Please.”
Blaze shot him a look. Kane lifted his brows in acknowledgment before focusing on Daphne again. He didn’t know if the Scotch had gone to her head that fast or what, but he thought she was even more spooked by the idea of the police than the intruder.
“We don’t need to get them involved,” Kane said. “Yet. Nothing’s missing. If we find spy gear, or if they return, might be a good idea. Until then, we can handle it.”
Daphne seemed to sag a little. “Thank you.”
He really, really wanted to know what she was scared of. Wasn’t going to push her right now, but it was coming. Because he wasn’t letting her keep all this fear and worry inside. Not when she had six special operators to keep her safe and secure.
Ethan arrived about ten minutes later and they swept the apartment for listening gear and cameras. There was nothing, which was a good thing but also curious, because if the dude hadn’t stolen anything and hadn’t left any listening gear, what the fuck was he up to?
Emma must have had the same thought because she took Daphne’s hand. “Honey, I hate to ask this, but have you checked to make sure you don’t have any missing, um, underwear?”
For fuck’s sake. Kane’s head was going to explode at the thought of some dude stealing into Daphne’s place to pilfer panties. Not that there weren’t sick fucks like that out there, because there were, but why the fuck was she so spooked?
“I didn’t, no,” Daphne said. “That’s disgusting.”
“I know. But trust me, they’re out there. Want me to help?” Emma looked sympathetic and concerned, and Kane was happy she was there. He wouldn’t have thought of that option, and he damn sure wouldn’t have offered to help go through her panty drawer.
“Might as well get it over with,” Daphne said. The two of them disappeared into her bedroom, leaving Kane, Ethan, and Blaze in the kitchen.
“I don’t like it,” Kane said, voice pitched low. “If it was an opportunistic burglar, why didn’t he take anything? And why didn’t he try the apartments downstairs while he was on his breaking-and-entering spree?”
Blaze looked thoughtful. Ethan seemed troubled, though Kane didn’t think it was about Daphne since he kept looking at his phone.
“Good questions,” Blaze said. “Emma might be right and he could be a panty thief. He might even be somebody from the range who’s fixated on Daphne.”
Kane didn’t like that idea. It made him think about Hannah, about what had happened to her when a man became too fixated on her. Panty theft wasn’t funny when seen in that light. It was downright terrifying.
He was ready to crawl out of his skin at the mere thought of someone taking too much interest in Daphne. He’d much rather it was a crime of opportunity, someone looking for money or valuables. But what if it was something more?
“What do we really know about her?” Kane threw out the thought that’d been bugging him. “She had a clean background, but that doesn’t mean she wasn’t running from something. Or someone.”
“Possible,” Ethan said, catching up to the conversation. “Has she told you anything?”
“Are you kidding?” Kane said with a snort. “Daphne is tight-lipped about most things if you hadn’t noticed.”
“Huh, really? She’s always pleasant to me.”
“Pleasant and forthcoming are not the same things, brother,” Kane said. “And have you ever really asked her a question about her past?”
“That’d be a no.”
“Yeah, well I have. And you know what she told me?” He paused. “Absolutely nothing.”
Emma and Daphne walked into the open living area again. Emma looked concerned. Daphne had a pink overnight bag slung over her shoulder and looked like she’d already known what she would find when she’d agreed to look through her drawers.
“Well?” Kane asked.
“Nothing missing,” Daphne said. “Not a pervert who wanted my panties.”
“This time,” he replied, because it wasn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility that some jerk—Fader?—was obsessed with her. He might break in again, steal panties or bras, plant cameras. Kane didn’t know what motivated sick fucks like that and he didn’t want to know.
All he wanted was to keep Daphne safe. He hadn’t been there for Hannah because he’d had a job to do on the other side of the world, but no way was he letting the same shit happen again.
He wasn’t married to Daphne, wasn’t in love with her, but the idea of some asshole snuffing out her spark made his gut clench into knots.
“Can we go now?” Daphne asked, her gaze on him.
“Yes. You got what you need in that bag?”
“One-hundred percent. I’m ready.”
“Then we’re going.”
Blaze and Emma said they’d lock up, Ethan said his goodbyes, and Kane took Daphne’s bag before wrapping her cool hand in his and leading her to the parking lot.
She wasn’t unaware of her surroundings. He watched her carefully, saw the way she scanned the parking lot, the way she stuck close to him.
She wasted no time getting inside the Yukon, slouching down in the seat almost immediately.
Everything about her reactions surprised him and bothered him.
As if she knew to look out for trouble, to not make herself a target, to move fast and stealthily.
It was more than the safety training from the range.
It was the kind of wariness that came from experience.
Something bad that stuck with someone, made them wary of everything.
He didn’t comment as he got into the driver’s seat and started the SUV. But when they’d left the lot and turned onto Main Street, he couldn’t keep it to himself any longer.
“Daphne, I say this with all the concern of a friend who cares—what the fuck is going on?”