Page 122 of Killer Secrets (Tempting SEALs 5)

Damn Ian. He had run off to play the hero and have all the fun by himself, again. Diego was nowhere to be found, and Ian's bodyguards were likely the buffoons yelling from upstairs.

Sorrell was still in the house, she knew he was, she could feel it. Her and Tehya's best bet would be to get outside, sheltered by the heavy gardens, and find a nice place to lie low.

Directing Tehya's gaze to the back hall, Kira motioned to the kitchen and out the back door with hand signals, watching the other girl's face as her eyes narrowed and she nodded in understanding.

Holding up three fingers, Kira counted down the seconds.

One.

Two.

Three.

She ran quickly around the corner beneath the staircase and ducked into the hallway, weapon drawn and scanning the darkness, before throwing herself across the open doorway.

She could see Tehya from where she stood now, watching her closely. No gunfire had ripped through the foyer, though there was plenty of it outside and the voices were coming closer.

Holding up three fingers she counted again, watching Tehya's shadowed face. One. Two. Three.

The other girl followed her movements exactly and within seconds they were both flattened against the wall, Kira covering the servants' stairs and Tehya watching the hallway that led to the kitchen and pantry.

Touching Tehya on the shoulder, Kira indicated herself then pointed to the doorway. When Tehya nodded Kira pointed to her, then pointed two fingers toward her own eyes before holding up three fingers. Wait until Kira looked back through the door, then give three seconds and follow.

Tehya nodded, holding her weapon in a two-handed grip to the side of her thigh as they both quickly checked back toward the stairs and then the pantry.

Holding the Glock likewise, Kira eased to the kitchen doorway. The gunfire was much lighter outside now, t

he American voices yelling orders, assuring Kira that the SEAL teams were on top. Out back, the action was even lighter. With any luck she and Tehya could slip into the heavy foliage of the gardens at the side of the house and remain hidden to avoid stray bullets or overzealous soldiers.

She paused at the side of the doorway, crouched nearly to her knees, and peeked in before diving into the room and rolling to the side of the wall.

She swept the room with her eyes and her weapon, her heartbeat tripping in her chest at the flashes of light outside the shattered windows.

Her back to the refrigerator, she turned, peeked around it quickly, and pulled back. Waiting a second, she peeked around again before sliding around to the front of it. If she remembered correctly there was a doorway leading to the pantry right beside it. She needed to check.

She was going to check when a shadow flashed and agony snapped her wrist.

IAN HAD SUSPECTED SORRELL WOULD pull something but he hadn't expected the extent of the chaos he could cause. Staying on Sorrell's ass after Kenneth fell and tracking him through the villa wasn't easy.

He wouldn't leave the house, Ian thought as he made his way along the back hall that led to the servants' stairs. He would stay in place, wait for his forces to overtake the villa then collect his daughter. He hadn't expected the trained Navy SEALs that converged on his soldiers and he sure as hell wouldn't be expecting the fact that Macey's listening device had recorded every second of the meeting. The SEALs knew who they were looking for and what his capture would mean.

"Ian report," Reno's voice snapped into the receiver at his ear.

Ian paused on the upper landing, looking into the long hallway with narrowed eyes through the night-vision goggles he had grabbed from a drawer in his desk after the lights had gone out.

"He's still in the house. I saw him hit the servants' stairs but I haven't found him yet," Ian reported.

"Teams two and four have taken a few hits," Reno said. "We're still clearing out Fitzhugh's forces with your soldiers' help. We're making progress. What about the girl?"

"Get me some help in here if you want her," Ian snapped. "Antoli was down last time I checked and he was her protection. Deke is at my back and the others are checking the house."

He glanced back at Deke before giving him a signal to proceed.

Ian ducked across the hallway, flattening himself in the doorway of the linen closet there as Deke crouched and aimed his weapon into the hallway.

Nothing stirred.

Sorrell was hiding, waiting.

---