Page 13 of Fatal Love
One of the things he loved about her. She had the heart of a SEAL.
He suspected that’s why all of the men who worked at SFI felt the same. They recognized the kindness and loyalty in Beatrice as well as the warrior.
“I’ll be there shortly.” He gave her another squeeze. He would have kissed her except she would have felt the night vision goggles bumping into her face. “You be careful walking back.”
Maria tugged on Beatrice’s arm. “Come on, Beatrice. Watch your step.”
As her fingers released his and she put her hand on the wall to use as guidance, Cal’s heart pinched again. He had no clue who was surrounding their house with weapons, but he sure as shit wasn’t going to let them get to B and his baby.
Turning toward the front of the house, he skirted along the wall until he had a clear shot of the front door. Just like Hunter said, someone was standing there, her pale shadow falling across the glass window in the side transom. Did she really believe she could simply walk in? Or did she plan to shoot her way in?
Inching forward, he stuck to the deep shadows in case she tried to peer in the window. Why was she just standing there? What was she waiting for?
“Can you ID any of them?” Cal murmured into his comm.
“Negative, sir,” Trace came back. “Gunmen are wearing ski masks. The woman leading them is wearing a hood.”
He inched closer to the door. Too bad he’d installed a metal entry door in place of the previous wooden one. He could have shot through the wood and dropped her where she stood.
But being solid metal, that door would hold up under a lot of pressure. It would act as a shield from bullets.
A smart person would shoot out the side window instead. Good thing he’d installed bulletproof glass.
The security system blinked, letting him know it was still working, regardless of the lack of electricity. Emit had helped him install the state-of-the-art system and if he could get to it and manually set off the alarm, the police would be here within minutes.
He wasn’t sure he had minutes. The risk to Beatrice was too great not to try it, though.
He dropped to his belly and started sliding across the floor.
Tile. We need to redo this entryway with tile.
Exactly what he’d told Beatrice the first time they’d looked at the place. She’d disagreed, saying she liked the old wooden floors. It was homier.
Beatrice was always right, but he wished he hadn’t listened to her.
Not that he was planning on doing his commando slide across this section of floor ever again.
Sitting up under the security system box with his back to the wall, he lifted his fingers to find the silent alarm button.
“Mr. Reese.” The woman spoke through the door, making him freeze. “I suggest you put down your weapon and open the door. This will go much easier if you do.”
What was that accent? Not British. Not French. Definitely not Russian or Middle Eastern.
But it was haughty, well-educated, condescending.
Swedish? German?
Bottom line, it didn’t matter. Armed men outside his house didn’t get a free pass just because he couldn’t guess their leader’s identity or purpose.
Fuck you, he mentally told her as he pushed the silent alarm button.
“Thermal sensors,” Hunter said in his ear. “They’re tracking your movements.”
No wonder she was speaking at a normal level through the door. She knew he could hear her. She knew exactly where he was and what he’d just done.
“I assumed you’d force my hand,” she said, sounding slightly disappointed. “Looks like we’re doing this the hard way.”
“Back door!” Hunter’s voice rose. “They’re coming in through the back door!”
Cal jumped to his feet and started running.
