Page 99 of Protected from Malice
“Fuck!” I slam my fist on the wheel. “FUCK!”
“Don’t assume the worst,” Tyler says. His tone is enviably calm. “She only triggered the alert eight minutes ago. That’s not long. And Eden’s smart. Strong.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to remind him that Eden’s five foot four and maybe one-twenty, at the most. That no matter how smart and strong she is, if she’s faced with someone much bigger than her…
The speedometer crests seventy-five, and while I know I’m already driving dangerously fast, I edge up to eighty.
“It’s a woman,” Tyler announces. “That’s the only person who came to the door. Dirty blonde hair, somewhere in her thirties, holding an envelope. No visible weapon.”
“A woman?”
“It looks like Eden knows her. They talked at the door for a minute, and then the woman went inside. Eden didn’t look frightened. It didn’t appear the woman forced her way in.”
But yet, Eden triggered the earrings. She’s not answering her phone. Sosomethinghas to be terribly wrong.
As I get closer to Eden’s neighborhood, my body instinctively shifts into battle mode.
Whoever this woman is, she’s a threat. And I’ll do whatever it takes to protect Eden from her.
Reluctantly, I drop my speed as I approach Eden’s neighborhood. As much as I’d like to go barreling in there, I can’t take the risk of hitting an oblivious jogger or dog walker, more focused on their music than the cars on the road. “Two minutes.”
“I can remotely unlock the patio doors,” Tyler says. “So you can enter from the back if you need.”
“Depending on what I see, maybe.” I have the access code to the front door, but depending on where Eden and this woman are, that may not be the best point of entry. I’ll have to do some quick recon to find out for sure.
Finally,finally, I turn down Eden’s street. It’s deceptively quiet. Peaceful. Incongruous to whatever’s going on inside Eden’s house.
Instead of parking in her driveway, I stop in front of the house just before hers. Glancing around at the surrounding houses, I don’t see anyone working outside, which is a small bit of luck—this way I won’t have to deal with curious neighbors wondering why I’m sneaking around Eden’s house.
“Patrol cars are on the way,” Tyler tells me. “Not sure how far out. But I told them you’d be there. So be warned?—”
“I know.” Jabbing the ignition, I turn the car off. Then I reach under my seat to retrieve my Sig. I slip it into my belt holster and adjust my shirt to cover it. “Just arrived. I’m approaching the house for some recon, then going in.”
“Okay.” He pauses. “Be careful.”
A beat later, Indy’s voice comes through the line. “Get my sister out of there safely,” he says roughly. “I know you can. There’s no one I’d trust more to do it.”
My throat goes thick. “I will.”
I end the call and silence my phone before sliding it into my pocket. Moving quickly, I exit the car, closing the door carefully behind me. Then I hurry to the west side of Eden’s yard, mentally cursing myself for being so damn quick with the fence installation. It’s already mostly up except for a small portion in the back, which means I’ll either have to go all the way around or over it.
After a split second of indecision, I decide to climb over it. If a neighbor sees me, fuck it. The police will be here soon, anyway.
Once I’m over, I keep low as I run to the west side of her house, then creep along it until I reach one of the living room windows. I stay just to the side of it, holding my breath as I listen.
At first there’s nothing.
Shit.
Nothing could mean any number of things. Eden might be in another part of the house. She might be in the basement. Or she might?—
No. I won’t accept it.
“Do youknowhow long I waited?”
Through the double panes of glass, the voice is faint. But it’s identifiable as a woman. And definitely not Eden.
But this woman—whoever she is—must be talking to her. At least, I hope she is.
