Page 14 of Peace Under Fire

Mandy made a noncommittal sound. It couldn’t be a coincidence that Kaylee’s safety protocols had been triggered after leaving Jacob that voicemail. He had to be the person looking for her. She’d even expected him, along with some of his Navy brethren, to come knocking on her door. That’s why she’d moved to a different condo. But why had the interest come so many weeks after she’d left the message?

She’d expected this call from Giulia within days of leaving that voicemail. When nothing had happened, she’d relaxed.

Jacob had been discharged from the hospital weeks ago. Why had he waited so long before digging into her background and location?

Maybe he’d only just listened to the voicemail. When no one had tripped Kaylee’s alarms after she’d left him that message, she’d thought he’d deleted it without listening to it. Judging by his reaction to the cookies she’d offered him, he’d seemed to actively despise her the last time they’d spoken. She could see him hitting delete the moment he heard her voice.

But it had to be him, right? Her childhood enemies didn’t know about this identity. Kaylee had made certain of that. So, yeah. Kaylee’s protocols must have been triggered by Jacob. Or by someone he’d played the message to. Had he played it for his commanding officer, who’d then played it for someone in Naval intelligence? Considering what she’d told him, it wouldn’t surprise her if he’d passed the information upward.

She’d known that was a very real possibility. But she’d felt compelled to do something, compelled to warn him, compelled to prevent his death.

Not that Giulia would understand that compulsion.

“Mandy, are you there? Did you hear what I said?”

“I’m here.” Mandy grimaced.”

“The whole thing makes no sense. Whoever is looking for you knows your current name, which must mean its someone from your condo complex. Or someone from one of the places you volunteer at. But either way, those contacts would know where you live, so why not just question you themselves? Why the computer searches?” She paused thoughtfully. “Kaylee says the searches are more detailed than a background check. She says they’re the kind used for high-end security clearances or criminal investigations. You haven’t applied for any jobs that would trigger a security clearance, have you?”

Mandy almost copped to that possibility. It would make for an easy explanation. But she couldn’t think of any job that she’d qualify for that would require a security clearance. Besides, applying for such a job would be the height of stupidity under the circumstances. She didn’t need the money. None of them would ever need to worry about money. And regardless of Giulia’s questioning, she had to know Mandy wouldn’t be stupid enough to open herself up to those kinds of prying and dangerous questions.

She wandered toward the window, searching for a reasonable explanation. One Giulia would buy.

“How do you know I wasn’t arrested or something?” Giulia had mentioned the searches on her current identity were like those ran during a criminal investigation.”

“That was the first thing Kaylee checked into.”

Of course, it was. Mandy sighed and poked the window curtain aside. “I haven’t applied for anything.”

“Think, Mandy. Who’s digging into your name?”

Mandy hesitated just a tad too long.

A pause followed. A long one. Mandy could swear the atmosphere on the phone line chilled by dozens of degrees.

“You know what this is about, don’t you?” Giulia asked tightly.

Mandy squirmed. Sometimes Giulia’s ability to read minds seemed to surpass the need to touch. They were clear across the country from one another, yet Giulia seemed to know exactly what Mandy had done.

Then again, Giulia knew her as well as Mandy knew herself. She’d probably simply guessed.

Mandy sighed and squirmed a bit more. She’d never overtly lied to her sisters. Not even for Jacob was she going to start now.

“Maybe,” Mandy admitted reluctantly.

“What did you do?” Giulia’s voice was whip sharp.

Mandy grimaced. She couldn’t keep this from them. But Holy hell, when her sisters, particularly Giulia, found out who was looking for her—and more importantly why—they were going to flip out. Even more then they had during that awful fight when she’d told them she was leaving the safety of the compound to look for Jacob.

“You told him, didn’t you?” Giulia’s voice was tense, but certain.

“I had to,” Mandy said. “He was in danger. I saw what was going to happen. So, I warned him.”

“Oh, for God’s sake. How could you be so foolish?”

Mandy’s jaw tightened. “He was going to die. I had to warn him,” she repeated flatly.

She didn’t regret that choice. She would never regret that decision.

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