rationalized his presence at Makena’s back door as he walked toward it. He needed to watch over her. No kissing. No fun. Just two old friends talking.
Now if he could only get his brain and body on the same page.
He rounded the far corner of the complex. Heard the crunch of wood just as he saw Makena’s back door implode. Before his mind could process, he took off. He ran along the edge of the hill and sprinted to the porch. Up and inside just as he heard her scream, then voices.
His heart hammered in his chest as he silently hoped he wasn’t too late. He shot through the doorway. A series of grunts and thuds greeted him as he glanced around the small space. His eyes finally focused. It took him until then to realize the lights had blinked out. But he had no time to worry about that now. He had to get to her.
With his gun out, he approached in rapid speed. He was about to call out when something flashed through the air. She had something in her hand and swung it in an arc. It connected with the attacker’s shoulder.
The guy let out a roar. His big body shuddered, but he didn’t fall. Shane took care of that part. He switched his grip on the gun and whacked the guy in the side of the head with all his strength. The attacker dropped in a crumpled heap.
Then Shane focused on Makena. Her eyes wide and glassy. A ripped shirt and her long black hair half-pulled out of her ponytail. He’d never been happier to see her.
He took a step forward and she scooted back on her butt as if fear still held her in its grasp. “Makena, are you okay?”
Some of the haze cleared. She blinked and her shoulders fell. “Shane?”
“Come here, baby.” He stepped over the unmoving body to get to her.
In one lift he had her up and in his arms. His hands shook with relief, but that was nothing compared to the trembling moving through her. Much harder and she’d break apart. His palm smoothed over her hair as he scanned the room. He had no idea what was going on, but the guy on the floor wasn’t exactly dressed for a social visit.
Once he had them out of the immediate grabbing area if the guy should wake up, Shane pulled back from her. As gently as possible, he lifted her head to look into her eyes. “Did he hurt you?”
“There were two of them.” Her voice sounded small and shaky, totally unlike her usual spunky go-get-’em attitude.
The news sent a shot of adrenaline coursing through him. He slipped her behind him and faced the open area. The squeal of tires echoed in the distance. Shane left her only long enough to run to the back door. He caught sight of the back of a dark SUV. No license plate.
When he spun around again, Makena stood right behind him. She rubbed her hands over her arms. “I didn’t want to stay in there with him.”
Shane’s gaze shot past her to the body on the floor. The guy hadn’t moved, but he would, and Shane wanted him tied up and ready for questioning. He took out his cell to call in reinforcements.
She shook her head. “Mine wouldn’t work for some reason.”
Shane got a signal and sent the emergency code to Cameron Roth, one of his teammates, before turning back to her. “Stay here.”
With the order given, Shane headed for the guy. Checked for breathing and was relieved the guy was still alive, because it was tough to question a dead man.
“Zip ties?” He knew she had them, but he asked anyway. No sister of Holt Kingston, leader of the Corcoran traveling team, would have a house without zip ties. The bigger question was why the attacker had stormed in here. He had nailed the door with a determined kick, and Shane wanted to know why. “Did he say anything to you?”
“Barely.” She buzzed into the kitchen and came back with the restraints.
“I’m going to need to hear every word.” Shane went to work on binding the unconscious man. “I’m guessing he was here to rob you, but with your connection to the Corcoran Team, we can’t be too careful.”
“He’s not here for me. They...he...broke into the house next door.” She paced the floor a few feet away from him. “I saw him, he saw me and then he came over here.”
The idea of her being a witness brought him some comfort. Wrong place, wrong time. It sucked, but it meant she wasn’t the target. That would help him sleep again...someday.
“Here.” He handed her his cell. “Call the police. They’ll need to check on the neighbors.”
“I hate to think about what they’ll find over there.”
“You’re not alone on that.” Shane did a quick pocket check of the unconscious guy. He was about to stand up when he touched a piece of paper. Slipped it out of the guy’s pocket and read the message. The words on it hit Shane like a kick to the gut.
She froze while pacing back and forth a few feet away. “What is it?”
“Your name and address.”
She frowned. “What?”
There was only one explanation, and it chilled him straight to the bone. “The men were here for you.”
Makena tried not to throw up. Shane didn’t spook easily. The guy tracked killers and kidnappers for a living. He waded into danger without blinking. But now he was crouched down in her family room, holding that piece of paper with his face turning pale and his mouth flattening into a thin line.
Without saying a word, Shane turned back to the downed man and ripped off the knit cap covering his face. “Do you recognize this guy? Have you ever seen him?”
Those qualified as the questions she could answer without even thinking about it. One look and she knew. “No. Never.”
“Did he say anything that could—”
“Why is he here? Why my neighborhood?” That was all she could think to ask even though she knew the questions didn’t make sense or even match what Shane was saying.
A guy in a commando outfit storming into your house and holding a gun should raise a whole bunch of questions. None came to her in that moment. Her mind went blank. She chalked it up to some sort of weird self-protection mechanism.
She had no idea what her outward reaction looked like, but it had Shane standing up and reaching for her. His eyes narrowed as he stepped over the motionless body and put a hand on her arm. A touch she couldn’t even feel.
“Let’s try this,” he said as he stood there facing her. “Take a deep breath.”
“Okay.” He could say anything next. She was willing to do or say whatever would unravel the confusion of the last few minutes.
“Did you tell anyone about Holt or the Corcoran Team?” Shane pitched his voice low as he asked, “Maybe in conversation or by accident? Even a mention of the team’s name?”
It took a second for the question to register. She’d expected...something else. “No.”
“It’s fine if you did. I just need to know.”
“I said no,” she said, her voice growing louder with each word. She knew better. Corcoran’s work depended on secrecy and the ability to move freely without being identified. They worked for governments and corporations, protecting and rescuing. She would never endanger anyone on the team.
And she would never risk Shane’s life. Seeing him now, the broad shoulders and fit build that had his T-shirt hugging his biceps and hanging loose over his flat stomach, made her a little breathless. The short light brown hair and that familiar scruff around his chin just begged for her to run a finger over it. He possessed a handsome, almost pretty face that guaranteed an unending stream of teasing from his teammates...and she’d spent years loving