Shadowed (13 page)

Nick held up his smart phone, a grainy photo displayed on his screen. “Do you recognize
this?”

She took the phone from him, squinting at the pixelated shot. “Yeah. It's that picture
of us after playing beach volleyball the first week I moved here.” She smiled. “It's
one of my favorites. That's funny, though. I meant to ask you about that.”

“Ask me about what?” His guarded tone sent her heart fluttering.

“Well, it was in a frame sitting on my dresser, but I can't find it. I assumed you
took it on your trip with you and would give it back when you got home.”

His eyes widened.

“I'm guessing that's not what happened?” She looked from one to the other, annoyance
building like a geyser. “Look, you two. Enough of the SEAL code of secrecy. Why are
you here, and what's the big deal with this photo?”

Nick leaned in closer. “Kaylan, this picture showed up in a letter mailed to me this
morning. A letter that has the name written on my birth certificate that no one knows
or uses. The letter contained a threat with the photo. Babe, I need you to ask to
leave early and come home. We've got to figure this out, but we can't talk here.”

A thousand thoughts raced through her head. Who sent the letter? How in the world
did they get the picture? Did that mean . . . “Does that mean someone's been in my
house?”

Nick and Micah looked at one another, and she knew. “No way. Someone's been in my
house. Someone you're trying to catch? I've got to tell Megan. We've got to get Megan.”
She fumbled for her phone in the pocket of her scrubs.

Nick stilled her hands. “We called the FBI and looped in our superiors. The FBI will
send agents who will keep a low profile. We'll take care of Megan. We don't know
for sure they've been in your house.”

“How else would they get that picture, Nick? They didn't bother to hide the empty
frame. Obviously they wanted me to notice. I just thought I was losing things.”

“Things? Things plural, Kayles? What else have you lost?” Micah's voice rose again.

Her eyes darted to Nick. “Please don't be mad. I'm sure it's in my room somewhere.”

“Kaylan.”

“I can't find the necklace you gave me. I know I took it off in my room. But I haven't
been able to find it since. But don't worry. I got sidetracked, but I'll tear my
room apart this weekend and find it.”
The blood drained from Nick's face and Micah's
eyes grew wide.

They looked at one another. “Please don't tell me . . . ”

“We don't know that yet, Bulldog.”

“Wait, you don't think whoever took the picture took my necklace, too?”

Nick placed his hands on her shoulders. “Kaylan, please go tell them there is an
emergency and you need to leave.”

She shook free and took a step back towards the station. “No. I have less than two
hours left, and I want to finish.”

“Kaylan Richards, do not make me swing you over my shoulder. Get your tail in the
car.”

“No, Micah.” She gritted her teeth. “I am going to finish. Whoever this person is,
they are not going to walk into my home and violate that space, then steal my opportunity
here too. No way.”

“Kaylan, please.”

“No, Nick.” Her voice shook, but she refused to waver. After a few moments of a silent
standoff, resignation and a hint of pride flashed across his face. “I would never
ask you to play it safe or to give up something, mostly because you wouldn't want
me to. It goes against your very nature to give up. Please. Let me finish.”

He slowly nodded and pulled her into a quick hug. “We aren't leaving until you are
in your car and on the way to the house.”

“Fine. But go somewhere and be quiet, will you? I want my coworkers to like me, and
you aren't helping.” With a small smile their way, she left them looking a little
lost as she set her sights on finishing the day strong, no matter how much her hands
shook.

Chapter 16

E
VERY INSTINCT IN
Nick told him to grab Kaylan and run as far away as possible. They
could be happy somewhere else, anywhere that Janus couldn't find them. A shack in
Haiti. The beach in Australia. A cottage in England. He didn't care. Any other option
seemed better than reality . . . one of the most-wanted arms dealers in the world
knew his girlfriend's address.

Nick had to concentrate not to step on Kaylan's heels as he and Micah flanked her
all the way to her front door. “Kayles.” Nick placed his hand on her waist and nodded
to Micah.

Without a word his friend took the keys from Kaylan's hand and unlocked the door,
then went on ahead to check inside. Nick pulled her close to him and kissed her cheek
before glancing around the neighborhood.

“Is this necessary if you called in the FBI?” Kaylan's soft voice reinforced his
protective instincts. “I don't see why you can't just take care of this.”

“It's necessary because this is way out of our hands. We asked them to keep a low
profile, and we already told them all we could, but this isn't optional, Kaylan.”
He motioned for Kaylan to follow him into the house.

Micah met them at the door. “No one's home.”

“Anything look out of place, babe?”

She walked through the house, her eyes darting back and forth. They followed her
down the hall to the guest bathroom and Megan's room then into her room. She shook
her head. “It just looks lived in. Neither of us has been home much the last couple
of weeks. I really wouldn't know.”

Nick looked at her nightstand then to her bookshelf in the corner. “Think significant
items. Things you might not notice right away but that would carry a lot of sentimental
value for you, or us, or your family.”

Her eyes darted around the room, then she shook her head, tossing her hands in the
air. “Nothing. I can't think of anything. If whoever this is wanted to freak me out
or take things I can't replace, they already took my necklace. They took a photo.
I'm officially freaked out.”

Micah nodded to her nightstand. “Anything in your drawers or under your bed?”

A faint pink tinged her cheeks and Micah chuckled. “Besides clean laundry, sis.”

Nick did a double take. “You keep clean laundry under the bed? No way.”

She turned on him, her pink face now red. “Hey, you said be vulnerable; this is vulnerable.
I didn't have time to fold it yet, all right?”

A grin spread on his face. “You aren't as neat as you're trying to pretend.”

She threw her hand over her heart. “My fatal flaw. Now can we get back to this?”
She got down on her hands and knees and reached under the bed skirt, retrieving the
wood box Nick had given her right before she left for Haiti.

Opening the lid, she rifled through a few papers. Then her hands stilled and her
face went white. Nick immediately knelt at
her side. Under a few letters lay a picture
of her and Sarah Beth, both with red
x
's over their faces. Kaylan's face boasted
a question mark over the
x
.

Micah punched the wall before turning to face her. “You are not staying here tonight.
We are moving you now!”

Nick picked up the photo and turned it over, trying to touch it as little as possible.
In the same Russian script he read,
Continue to chase me, and she will end up like
her friend
.

“Nick, what does it say?” Kaylan's voice shook as she leaned in to him.

He looked at Micah, and a silent understanding passed between them. Panic built in
Nick's gut and threatened to spill over. Never had he been so scared in all his life,
not even when he couldn't locate Kaylan after the earthquake. And he couldn't control
or fix any of it. He knew how to fight the enemy on foreign soil. He knew how to
operate within the cloak of night and anonymity. He knew how to use the water as
a shield and his body as a weapon. He knew how to use his mind to outwit and outlast
any opponent. But he did not know how to protect his girlfriend in her own home
on American soil, and the thought paralyzed him.

The front door banged open, and a high-pitched yelp sounded from the living room.
He and Micah shot to their feet, every nerve in Nick's body ready for a fight.

“Hello? Anyone home?”

Kaylan moved past the two of them to greet her roommate. Nick followed her down the
hall.

“Well, I see soldier boy's here.” Megan smiled as she dumped grocery bags on the
kitchen floor.

“Soldier boy?” Micah glanced at Nick and grinned.

“Looks like he brought his sidekick with him.”

Nick choked down a laugh and put his arm around Kaylan, watching Micah process Megan's
comment.

“Sidekick? How do you know he's not
my
sidekick?”

Megan looked at him and smirked. “It's okay, Micah. Everyone either has one or is
one. Just accept your role in life.”

“Do you have any other flavor besides sarcastic?” Micah's voice held a teasing bite.

Nick could see this getting out of control. “All right, all right.” He glanced at
Micah. “Hey, Megan, can you do us a favor?”

She hopped up on the counter. “I guess that depends.”

Nick looked at Kaylan, wondering if this would come better from her, praying she
had the discretion to keep it vague.

She nodded at him, then turned to her roommate. “Megan, would you mind checking your
room to see if anything's missing?”

Megan's eyes grew wary as she looked from Kaylan to Nick to Micah. “Why?”

“There's a couple things from my room that are missing, and I need to know if it's
just me.”

“Do you think someone has been in the house?”

“We're not sure, Meg. But we need to find out.”

“Think valuable or sentimental things,” Nick encouraged.

“Well, that's a short list.” Megan hopped off the counter. “Perks of a rocky childhood.
Give me a few and I'll check.” She disappeared around the corner.

Kaylan turned to face them when Megan left the room. “It isn't safe for her either.
If y'all don't want to tell us what's going on, then fine. I understand. Kind of.
But you need to tell her enough to convince her to leave for a few days. I won't
have her hurt by whatever psycho has a problem with you or me.”

“We understand, sis. I promise we'll take care of it.” Micah plopped down on the
couch and grabbed the remote.

Nick couldn't stand still. He had to do something. He reached for Kaylan's hand.
“Let's go talk to a couple of the neighbors. Follow my lead, okay?”

She trailed him out the door and onto the porch. “You don't really think the neighbors
had anything to do with this, do you?”

“No. But we're going to find out if they saw anything.” He locked eyes with her.
“Subtly. This person is good. The last thing we need is to cause people to ask questions
or let this character know we're asking around.”

“Let's start with Nina.” Kaylan motioned to the middle-aged woman watering her flowers
next door. “She's the neighborhood busybody. All three of her girls are in college,
and I think she just misses the ability to mother. Did I ever tell you her husband
designs video games?”

Nick grinned. “Remind me to never mention I'm in the military around him. I don't
want to be part of the next generation of couch warriors.”

Nina saw them coming and waved as Kaylan and Nick crossed into her yard. “Kaylan,
so good to see you again. Isn't it nice that the weather allows for flowers as we
move into fall?” She gestured to the yard around them, waving the hose in the process
and grazing their feet with water. Kaylan jumped back, giggling in spite of the reason
for their visit.

“Oops, so sorry. Can't help it. I talk with my hands all the time. My girls tell
me I will never lose a beat if I go deaf someday.” She chuckled and cast a glance
skyward. “Fingers crossed that never happens.”

Nick smiled, but his heart wasn't in it. He felt exposed out and about in the neighborhood.
They didn't know where Janus lurked.
They only had a grainy shot from a bungalow in South America. His eyes wandered the
neighborhood. A black car sat toward the end of the block, and he had a feeling Micah's
FBI buddy resided inside. He squeezed Kaylan's hand, hoping she would direct the
conversation. She replied with gentle pressure. Nick refrained from smiling. They
were becoming an old married couple already if they could read each other's body
language.

“Nina, have you seen someone around our house the last couple of weeks dropping something
off or anything like that?”

Nina's eyes lit, and Nick knew they would have to be careful with their questions.
If they could just ask the right one, maybe she would talk and let something slip
that she wasn't even aware was important.

“Uh-oh. Did you miss a package delivery? You and Megan know you can always have things
sent to our house since I work from home and all.”

“We really appreciate that, ma'am.”

Nina groaned. “Ma'am. You Southern people make me feel so old.” She studied Kaylan
and Nick. “Come to think of it, I haven't seen anyone around your house, but I've
seen some action over at Mildred's old house.” She motioned to the house across the
street. “Like what?” Nick asked as he glanced in that direction.

Nina leaned in close, her short pixie cut curling around her ears, the gray giving
her a distinguished look. “I guess her absentee kids finally decided to show up and
clean out her house.” She shook her head, her light brown eyes sad. “She was an amazing
woman. Too bad they didn't spend more time with her.”