HelenKay Dimon - Tamed

Once he had them out of the immediate grabbing area if the guy should wake up, Shane pulled back from her. As gently as possible, he lifted her head to look into her eyes. “Did he hurt you?”

“There were two of them.” Her voice sounded small and shaky, totally unlike her usual spunky go-get-’em attitude.

The news sent a shot of adrenaline coursing through him. He slipped her behind him and faced the open area. The squeal of tires echoed in the distance. Shane left her only long enough to run to the back door. He caught sight of the back of a dark SUV. No license plate.

When he spun around again, Makena stood right behind him. She rubbed her hands over her arms. “I didn’t want to stay in there with him.”

Shane’s gaze shot past her to the body on the floor. The guy hadn’t moved, but he would, and Shane wanted him tied up and ready for questioning. He took out his cell to call in reinforcements.

She shook her head. “Mine wouldn’t work for some reason.”

Shane got a signal and sent the emergency code to Cameron Roth, one of his teammates, before turning back to her. “Stay here.”

With the order given, Shane headed for the guy. Checked for breathing and was relieved the guy was still alive, because it was tough to question a dead man.

“Zip ties?” He knew she had them, but he asked anyway. No sister of Holt Kingston, leader of the Corcoran traveling team, would have a house without zip ties. The bigger question was why the attacker had stormed in here. He had nailed the door with a determined kick, and Shane wanted to know why. “Did he say anything to you?”

“Barely.” She buzzed into the kitchen and came back with the restraints.

“I’m going to need to hear every word.” Shane went to work on binding the unconscious man. “I’m guessing he was here to rob you, but with your connection to the Corcoran Team, we can’t be too careful.”

“He’s not here for me. They...he...broke into the house next door.” She paced the floor a few feet away from him. “I saw him, he saw me and then he came over here.”

The idea of her being a witness brought him some comfort. Wrong place, wrong time. It sucked, but it meant she wasn’t the target. That would help him sleep again...someday.

“Here.” He handed her his cell. “Call the police. They’ll need to check on the neighbors.”

“I hate to think about what they’ll find over there.”

“You’re not alone on that.” Shane did a quick pocket check of the unconscious guy. He was about to stand up when he touched a piece of paper. Slipped it out of the guy’s pocket and read the message. The words on it hit Shane like a kick to the gut.

She froze while pacing back and forth a few feet away. “What is it?”

“Your name and address.”

She frowned. “What?”

There was only one explanation, and it chilled him straight to the bone. “The men were here for you.”

Chapter Two

Makena tried not to throw up. Shane didn’t spook easily. The guy tracked killers and kidnappers for a living. He waded into danger without blinking. But now he was crouched down in her family room, holding that piece of paper with his face turning pale and his mouth flattening into a thin line.

Without saying a word, Shane turned back to the downed man and ripped off the knit cap covering his face. “Do you recognize this guy? Have you ever seen him?”

Those qualified as the questions she could answer without even thinking about it. One look and she knew. “No. Never.”

“Did he say anything that could—”

“Why is he here? Why my neighborhood?” That was all she could think to ask even though she knew the questions didn’t make sense or even match what Shane was saying.

A guy in a commando outfit storming into your house and holding a gun should raise a whole bunch of questions. None came to her in that moment. Her mind went blank. She chalked it up to some sort of weird self-protection mechanism.

She had no idea what her outward reaction looked like, but it had Shane standing up and reaching for her. His eyes narrowed as he stepped over the motionless body and put a hand on her arm. A touch she couldn’t even feel.

“Let’s try this,” he said as he stood there facing her. “Take a deep breath.”

“Okay.” He could say anything next. She was willing to do or say whatever would unravel the confusion of the last few minutes.

“Did you tell anyone about Holt or the Corcoran Team?” Shane pitched his voice low as he asked, “Maybe in conversation or by accident? Even a mention of the team’s name?”

It took a second for the question to register. She’d expected...something else. “No.”

“It’s fine if you did. I just need to know.”

“I said no,” she said, her voice growing louder with each word. She knew better. Corcoran’s work depended on secrecy and the ability to move freely without being identified. They worked for governments and corporations, protecting and rescuing. She would never endanger anyone on the team.

And she would never risk Shane’s life. Seeing him now, the broad shoulders and fit build that had his T-shirt hugging his biceps and hanging loose over his flat stomach, made her a little breathless. The short light brown hair and that familiar scruff around his chin just begged for her to run a finger over it. He possessed a handsome, almost pretty face that guaranteed an unending stream of teasing from his teammates...and she’d spent years loving him from a distance.

“It’s easy to do.” Shane shook his head. “More than once I’ve—”

“Honestly, Shane. No.” She’d failed at a lot of things in her life, but not this. The safety of the people she cared about ranked above everything else. She’d never even stepped close to that line.

His gaze searched hers for another second. “I believe you.”

“You should.” It was almost insulting that he experienced any doubt.

“That leaves very few reasonable options.” He stood so close and leaned in as he spoke. “Are you messed up in something?”

The words didn’t make any sense at first. It was as if the slam against the floor had rattled her brain. Scrambled whatever up there helped her comprehend simple sentences. “Like what?”

“Something that would bring armed men to your door.”

“Are you serious?” She worked at a desk. She read files and sat in on meetings. Nothing about her life shouted excitement...except for one thing. Her secret. The one piece she never shared. The same side work that kept her sane and would make Shane furious if he knew. She couldn’t even imagine the warnings and threats he’d issue if he knew.

More body aches sparked to life the longer she stood there. She tried to take a mental inventory. Sore knee. A twinge in her back. That pain when she moved her wrist a certain way. She was going to be one big thumping bruise tomorrow.

“I’m being thorough.” He talked slowly, enunciating each word. “We can’t miss anything. Even the smallest bit can sometimes provide the lead.”

“I work in college admissions. I can’t really imagine a kid or a kid’s parents resorting to this sort of revenge for an application rejection.” Maybe she could, but that didn’t mean they’d be able to find her. Neither her cell nor her address was public record.

But the other thing. She bit her bottom lip as she tried to reason it out. The part of her life, the private part, where she sat at a computer and conducted interviews. Pored through records and looked for lies. Those men could get angry enough to hurt her.

Shane stood over six feet and now he bent down until they stood eye to eye. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing.”

His intense stare didn’t let up. “We’ve known each other for too long for me not to pick up on that bobble in your voice.”