Melinda Di Lorenzo - Undercover Passion

He pulled himself back into the room and decided to go with the most obvious observation. “We can’t climb down.”

“We can’t?” she replied, pushing to her feet a little unsteadily. “Why?”

He looked from her to Teegan, then opted for the truth. “There’s someone—maybe more than one someone—down there.”

“A bad guy?” Teegan asked.

“Well, hopefully not. But I’m not sure we can chance it.”

Teegan sucked in her lower lip in a thoughtful way that made her look an awful lot like her mother, then shrugged a little. “We could go up instead.”

“Up?” Harley repeated.

“To the roof,” she told him, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Have you climbed to the roof before?” Liz’s voice was full of worry.

Blond curls bounced a negative. “No. Well. Not on the tree. But a bit up the ladder on the other side. Not all the way, though. But there’s some awesome branches there. I don’t think any bad guys could see us ’cause of the leaves. And the tree’s really strong.”

“Could that work?” Liz asked.

Harley took another look outside. He could see that a few bigger branches curved together overhead, forming a U-shaped bowl that stopped just a few feet from the roof.

“I think it could,” he confirmed.

“Think?” Liz repeated.

He started to amend “think” to a much firmer “know,” but before he could get the words out, a thump and a rattle from out in the apartment told him time had run out, and not in the form of fire.

Someone was breaking in.

Liz’s heart thumped so hard that it hurt. Her gaze flicked around, rapid fire. Teegan. The bedroom door. Harley. Teegan again. But in spite of the rapid movement of both eyes and her pulse, her feet seemed glued to the spot.

She urged herself to move, wondering when she’d become so good at being a damsel in distress.

Maybe since something exploded in your store a few minutes ago?

She shook the sarcasm and the inaction off, stepping toward her daughter. Harley was moving, too, with surprising stealth for a man of his size. He strode smoothly to the door, closed it with no more than a whisper of a sound, then turned to Liz. He put his index finger to his lips, shook his head once and gestured to the window. Liz nodded her understanding. She took a breath and started to lift Teegan. But she’d forgotten about her leg. The tiny bit of pressure made her bite down so hard to keep from crying out that she tasted blood.

Harley was there in an instant. He scooped Teegan up, carried her to the window and placed her on the sill.

Liz’s throat closed a little as she watched her daughter step out. But another noise out in the main area of her apartment, followed by what sounded like a muffled voice, made her sure it was better than the alternative. Harley was already back by her side, anyway. He slid his hand—warm, big and reassuringly solid—to her waist and helped her limp over to the window, then through it.

As she stepped into the cool air, she took a shaky breath, her eyes fixed on the spot where she stepped. A small modicum of relief hit her. The platform below—the “flower-thing,” as Teegan had called it—was actually a two-foot wide ledge. Maybe it was designed to hold window boxes, but it was definitely not some flimsy little jut. She lifted her gaze and sought her daughter. Teegan stood to the side, her pose relaxed. Like standing on the side of a two-story building was the most normal thing in the world. She even smiled enthusiastically and offered a little wave as she caught sight of Liz. The height clearly didn’t bother her tree-climbing daughter.

Liz breathed out, closed the gap between her and Teegan, then swiveled her attention back to the window. Harley was making his way out now, too. He paused to get his footing and set Teegan’s backpack down on the ledge, then reached into the house. For a second, Liz was puzzled. Then she saw the screen in his hands. Carefully, he lifted it up and positioned it in the frame. There was a slight click as it found its place, and not a breath later, the sound of the bedroom door opening.

Harley spun. He stepped closer, then pushed himself flush against the brick exterior of the building. Liz followed suit, grasping her daughter’s hand to encourage her to do the same. She no sooner had Teegan’s palm pressed into her own than she felt Harley reach for her on the other side. His fingers threaded between hers and squeezed.

A near-hysterical laugh bubbled just under the surface as Liz imagined what the neighbors would think if they spotted them up there. But the laugh died before it ever made its way out. Two men’s voices came from inside the bedroom, close enough that it was easy to distinguish between the two. And the conversation made Liz shiver.

“Looks like the whole place is clear,” said the first man. Then he paused and added, “Where the hell did they go, though? Awfully late to be out running around on a school night.”

The second man was dismissive. “Who knows? Maybe they ran out of milk. Maybe the lady had a hot date and dropped the daughter with a sitter. I can’t pretend to know a damn thing about what it means to have a kid. Nor do I want to.”

The first man chuckled. “Amen to that.”

There was another pause, followed by the sound of feet crossing the floor, and the first man spoke again.

“Window’s open,” he said.

His words were so loud that they might as well have been spoken in Liz’s ear. She had a sudden feeling that if she turned her head and leaned forward to see around Harley, she’d be able to see the speaker. Which meant that if he turned, he’d be able to see them, too. Her hand tightened on Harley’s, and his thumb stroked soothingly over her knuckles. She willed herself to stay calm. Prayed for Teegan’s continued silence. And was utterly thankful for Harley’s presence.

“It’s a nice night,” said the second man after a moment, his voice just as clear but less suspicious. “Probably wanted the fresh air.”

“Wanted the fresh air, but went out?” There was more than a hint of doubt in the question.

“C’mon, man. She probably just forgot to close it.”

“I dunno. What if she smelled the smoke and was trying to get away?”

“You think a woman smelled smoke, took her kid out a second-story window, put the screen on, then didn’t call the cops about the smoke?”

The first man let out a rough guffaw. “Okay. When you put it like that, I just sound—Hey. What the hell is that?”

“What?” said the second man.

Liz tensed.

“There’s a car down there.” The first man sounded worried.

“A car?” repeated the second. “Where?”

“Right through the tree. A white—Dammit. That’s not a car. It’s a van. Someone’s in the store.”

The second man dropped a responding string of curses that made Liz cringe on behalf of her daughter. But her concern only lasted for a few moments before relief took over. Because judging by the quick, heavy footfalls, the two men were leaving at a run. When she couldn’t hear them anymore, she pulled Teegan in for a sideways hug and sagged against the wall, tears threatening.

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