Page 38 of Protecting Lainey (Broterhood Alliance #7)

Three houses down, Travis sat in the darkened truck, eyes locked on Lainey’s house. The engine had cooled hours ago, but the cab still held the stale scent of coffee and grease from the sandwich he had eaten earlier.

He’d been parked here since midafternoon, ever since she brought the kid home from school.

He watched the taillights disappear and waited another two hours until he saw the bedroom light go off.

Travis slipped out of the truck. Sticking to the shadows, he cut between the yards, moving low. He knew how to be quiet. The military had taught him that much. He wasn’t here to hurt Lainey. Not tonight. Hopefully never.

This was just reconnaissance. Getting the lay of the land. Making a plan.

He crouched beneath the kitchen window and peeked in. The light over the sink gave him enough to see. He pulled out his phone and snapped a picture. Just in case Mr. C. thought he was goofing off.

He pulled a tiny camera, smaller than a matchbook, and a mic from his back pocket and glanced around. He stuck it in the eaves above the patio door. It had a clean shot through the open-concept layout. Kitchen to living room. Nothing blocked the view.

Travis had followed Lainey to the school earlier. Now he knew what school the boy went to. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do with that information, but still it was good to have options.

He slipped back into the dark, vanishing the way he’d come.