Page 37 of Shadow Blind

“You’ve what?” She rocked back on her heels, her jaw dropping in shock. “You have someone watching me?”

“Yes.” He sounded impatient again. “To protect you. To keep you safe in case the bastards showed up at your door before I could get down to Coronado and protect you. When you wouldn’t answer my calls, I hired Forged Security to keep an eye on you. Tag and Tram have the vampire shift, so they weren’t caught in the COPD round-up.”

That’s why he’d been so persistent in calling her? To warn her? A commanding knock on the front door of her condo ruptured her indignation. She froze.

“Was Tag going to come up and get me?” Her voice dropped to a whisper.

“No.” He didn’t sound surprised by the question.

“Someone’s knocking on my door,” she said directly into the phone mic, keeping her voice low.

“Answer it. Pretend to believe whatever they tell you. Distract them as long as you can.” He paused, his voice turning gritty. “Baby, I will get you out of this, but our best odds of getting you clear of those bastards is to wait until Tag and Tram arrive.”

“What if I don’t answer the door? Maybe they’ll go away.”

His voice gentled. “They aren’t going away, sweetheart.”

“But if I don’t answer, maybe they’ll think I’m not home.”

“They’ll pick the lock and let themselves into your condo.”

“I could hide.” Demi offered in a small voice, her mind racing to find a solution.

She did not want to answer that door. She did not want to have to distract them without alerting them to the fact she knew what they were up to. She’d never been much of an actress, which had never been a big deal in her life. She’d always found that honesty served her better. Until now. This was the first time her terrible acting skills could get her in trouble.

Another commanding knock hit the door, followed by a voice. “Demelda Barnes? We need to speak with you.”

Demi’s mouth went dry. “Will you stay on the line with me?”

“I can’t.” His voice was so gentle it made her want to cry. “We have fifteen seconds before a high intensity electronic jammer hits your building. Once it hits, cell phones won’t work.”

“What?” Her voice rose. He was taking away her only means of communication?

“Yeah. I’m sorry, but we can’t chance anyone warning those bastards that Tag and Tram are on the way. Trust me, babe—I’ve got you—”

The phone suddenly went dead. She was not a tech expert, but it was clear the jammer Aiden had mentioned was at work. She stood there, her hand clenching the phone, as more thuds struck her door. Her heart pounded so hard she could hear it in her ears.

After a moment of heavy, panicked breathing, she squared her shoulders and methodically set the phone on the counter. Aiden had promised he’d get her out of this situation. He’d never lied to her. Men he trusted were on their way. She took a deep, even breath. She’d met Tag and Tram enough times to trust them, too. Enough times to know they’d sacrifice their lives without hesitation to keep her safe.

The thought soured her stomach and shook her hands. It took enormous effort to force her shaky legs to step toward the door.

You can do this, Demi. Breathe. Keep your fear hidden and your mind alert.

You can do this. Piece of cake.

Too bad the quick pep talk did nothing to calm the urgent slam of her heart, or the rising tide of fear.

Chapter sixteen

Day 7

Denali, Alaska

Aiden eased his rigid grip on the cell phone when his fingers cramped. What was going on at Demi’s door? Was she keeping the bastards after him occupied until Tag and Tram could get to her? Sure, Cameron Sotto was camped outside the building with the electronics jammer, but the dude was tech support, with only rudimentary training in self-defense. They’d been lucky he’d left the van to grab a coffee before COPD had swarmed Demi’s surveillance team, but he wasn’t trained for action.

“Relax,” Cosky said from beside him. “It hasn’t even been fifteen minutes since you talked to Demi.”

It hadn’t? Aiden glanced at the clock on the phone. Cos was right. The realization did nothing to ease his fear. He couldn’t breathe properly. That must be why he was moving so slowly—like he was slogging through molasses.

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