CHAPTER EIGHT
Fuck.
Gage could wait for the cavalry, but help was still ten minutes out, maybe more. That was too long with Melanie in danger. Weapon in hand, he crept to the door and slipped silently inside.
The kitchen was empty. A few dishes in a drainer. Kid art was stuck on the fridge with heart-shaped magnets.
Heavy footsteps sounded from the front of the house.
Gage ducked behind a dividing wall as one of the intruders appeared. Black Hat, the one he’d seen peering through the windows. The man passed within arm’s reach, heading down the short hallway.
Gage stepped in behind him, voice low and commanding.
“Stop. Don’t move. Put your hands behind your head and get on your knees. I’ve got a Glock aimed dead center on your back.”
The man froze mid-stride.
Gage’s voice sharpened. “You so much as twitch wrong, I shoot. You follow my directions, you live. Hands behind your head. Now.”
“Shit.” The word was full of reluctant defeat. Dude dropped to his knees.
“Now on your stomach, hands behind your back.”
Gage held his aim, tense and focused, as the man complied.
Only then did he take a breath.
Gage wished he had handcuffs or zip ties.
His gaze swept the room. A basket of yarn sat next to the couch, knitting needles poking out the top. Did people still knit?
He grabbed a ball of yarn and began unwinding it. Doubling the strands for strength, he secured the guy’s wrists behind his back. Not ideal, but it’d hold.
Eyes scanning for signs of the second intruder, Gage did a quick pat down. He came up with a tactical folding knife, car keys, and a phone. No wallet. No ID.
White male, early forties. Prison tattoos covered most of his exposed skin.
“Thanks for the knife,” Gage muttered as he used it to cut excess yarn. “You want to tell me why an ex-con is breaking into my neighbor’s house?”
“Fuck you.”
“Wrong answer. Somebody send you here?”
“I want a lawyer.”
“You’re gonna need one,” Gage muttered, tying the man’s ankles with the yarn. He pocketed the knife and stood.
The phone buzzed in his hand.
“How about that? No password. Helpful.”
“You got a warrant?” the man sneered.
“Not a cop, pal. Don’t need one.” Gage scrolled the message. “Huh. It’s your buddy in the barn. Wants to ‘light it up.’ Says that’ll ‘make the point.’ Also wants to know if you’re done scaring the chick. Guess he means my neighbor. Never liked the term ‘chick,’” Gage mused.
He tapped out a reply. “I’ll text him back to say fuck no and you’re coming out in five.”
Phone still in hand, he looked at the guy on the floor. “So. Want to tell me what point you’re trying to make?”
The man curled his lip. “Fuck off.”
Gage hadn’t expected Black Hat to spill his secrets, but Nike’s text proved this wasn’t some random burglary.
“Better hope your buddy doesn’t torch that barn,” Gage said coolly. “You two are already in deep enough shit without adding arson. And it’s a damn good thing you didn’t touch the woman. I’d have fucked you up for that.
He left the man hog-tied on the floor and resumed his sweep, weapon drawn, every sense alert. He trusted Melanie to stay put in the bathroom, but he wasn’t about to assume the danger was over. Two suspects spotted didn’t mean there weren’t more.
He cleared Addy’s room. Checked her closet, under the bed. All good.
Next was Melanie’s. A couple boxes were stacked near the wall. She’d prioritized her daughter’s space before her own.
The bedrooms and closets were clear and the door to the master bath shut. He paused, tempted to check on her, but held back. She was smart. She’d wait.
He edged toward a window, staying to the side, and scanned the narrow side yard. Nothing moved.
A small room next to kitchen looked like a home office. He swept it quickly.
Phone in hand, he hit redial. Melanie answered on the first ring.
“Gage.”
“You good?” Gage moved to the French door that opened to the patio, his gaze searching the area behind the house. Bushes bordering the yard, garden area, barn, but no sign of Nike.
“I’m fine. Where are you?”
“Your office. One subject came in through the slider. He’s down and tied up in the entryway. The rest of the house is clear. The other subject’s outside so that’s where I’m going. Stay where you are.”
“Dammit. Okay.”
“Good girl.”
“Shut up.”
He barked out a laugh. “Fair enough.”
There was a pause and he thought she’d hung up.
“Gage? I know you’re trained, but don’t be reckless. I don’t want you hurt. Let him go if it comes to that. I mean it.”
“I’ll be careful.”
He pocketed his phone and eased open the door to step outside. The wail of sirens echoed off the mountain. Backup was close.
Nike must have come to the same conclusion. He broke from the trees between their properties and fled down the driveway. Taking off in pursuit, Gage reached the road just as Nike reached his car.
Gage didn’t break stride. He launched forward, slamming into the suspect and driving him to the ground with a bone-jarring tackle.
By the time the sheriff’s vehicles got there, Gage had his suspect with his face in the dirt and his arms behind his back.
Sawyer exited an SUV and tossed Gage a pair of handcuffs. “What’s the situation?”
After securing the cuffs, Gage and a deputy pulled the suspect to his feet. The deputy did the pat down and netted another knife and a pack of Lucky Strikes. No ID.
Gage narrowed his eyes as recognition clicked. “This is the guy driving the Tundra. He was up on the ridge watching Mel’s house.”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about. Never been on any ridge.” The guy’s voice rasped like he smoked a couple packs of those Lucky Strikes a day.
“It’s him,” Gage said flatly. “He was taking pictures of her.”
“I want a lawyer.”
Sawyer snapped a quick photo of the guy and directed the deputy to take him to the station.
“Come on,” Gage said, motioning Sawyer and another deputy up the drive. “Melanie locked herself in the bathroom. The other intruder’s detained inside. House is clear.”
They approached the open slider. A thump and a sharp voice echoed from inside.
“I told you not to move, jackass. That’s on you.”
Gage sprinted through the house.
The little table in the entryway was overturned. Black Hat had managed to flip himself to his side, legs awkwardly bound in yarn. It wasn’t clear where he thought he was going, but Melanie stood over him with a thick hardback in her hand like she meant business.
Relief hit Gage hard, sharp and unexpected. Long legs, ruffled hair, and brown eyes that sparked with enough heat to start a blaze hit him as crazy sexy.
He crossed the room and caught her arm, drawing her away from the intruder. “You hit him with that book, sweetheart?”
“I saw from the bathroom window you had the other guy. You said this one was restrained.” She lifted her chin. “When I walked past, he kicked at me. Tried to knock me down. So yeah, I hit him.”
“I told you to stay put.”
“I did. As long as I could.”
He bit back the urge to argue. She was here. She was safe. That’s all that mattered.
Sawyer spoke into his shoulder mic. “Scene is secure.” He tipped his head to Melanie. “Good to see you, Mel. Been a while.”
“Hey, Sawyer.” Melanie gave him a wan smile.
Sawyer gestured to the deputy. “Get him cuffed and read him his rights. Cut that yarn and haul him out of here.”
He smirked at Gage. “Yarn work something they teach you feds at Quantico?”
“They teach us resourcefulness, smart-ass.” He righted the table.
An image caught his eye. He took the book from Melanie.
“Behind the Shadow Throne. I know this book.” He blinked, stunned, like the world had shifted under his feet. His gaze locked on Melanie’s. “Holy shit, you’re M. Brennan.”
Sawyer peered over his shoulder. “You write books, Mel?”
“Um…yeah.” She looked caught. “Romantasy.”
Sawyer frowned. “What the hell’s romantasy?”
“Romance and fantasy,” Gage said quietly. “This story is incredible.”
“You actually read my book?” Her absolute shock couldn’t be faked.
He shrugged. “My mom just married a guy with a goth granddaughter. Fifteen, wears all black, more piercings than I can count. She told me if I didn’t want to be an ignorant idiot, I had to read it. So I did. Got hooked and blew through books two and three.”
He raised a brow. “When’s the fourth coming out?”
“Soon, I hope. As soon as I finish writing it.” She looked dazed. “I can’t believe you read it. You’re not exactly my target reader.”
“I’ll read anything but crime thrillers. They hit too close to home.”
Sawyer squinted at the cover. “Dude on the front kinda looks like you.”
Gage studied it. “I don’t see it.”
“I do,” Sawyer said. “Dead ringer.”
Blushing, Melanie snatched the book back and set it on the table.
More officers entered the house. Sawyer led the team processing the scene, snapping photographs and inputting notes into a tablet. Melanie confirmed the glass back door had been unlocked and nothing appeared to have been stolen.
“You recognize the guy Gage tied up with yarn?” Sawyer asked.
She shook her head. Gage and Melanie had moved into the kitchen, and were leaning against the counter. Sawyer showed her a photo of Nike. “What about him?”
Her eyes widened. “Oh my god. That’s the guy who was in the truck taking pictures of me.” She swallowed, her voice tight. “Did he say why they broke in?”
She’d wrapped her arms around herself, brows drawn, aftershocks starting to show.
“They’re not talking,” Sawyer said.
“This dude?” He tilted his head toward Black Hat, who now stood cuffed. “His job was to scare the shit out of you. I intercepted a text from the other guy. He was thinking about lighting up the barn. Said it would ‘make their point.’”
Melanie’s voice was steady, but her eyes told a different story. “What point?”
“These two are small-time. My guess? Somebody hired them to make sure you knew you and Addy aren’t welcome here.”
Her face might have gone pale, but there was a fire in her eyes.
Sawyer stood with his hands on his hips. “Both have prison tats. We’ll run them and see if we can get them to talk.”
“They’ve already lawyered up,” Gage muttered. “They’re not giving us a goddamn thing.”
“Figures.” Sawyer tipped his head toward the door. “We’re wrapping up here. Keep your doors locked, Mel. Think about getting a security system.”
“I will. Thanks, Sawyer.”
He nodded and stepped out, leaving Gage alone with Melanie in the suddenly quiet kitchen.
He studied her. “You good?”
“No. What if you hadn’t seen them? What if Addy’d been here?”
He’d been asking himself the same damn thing. “Sawyer’s right, you need security. Residential’s not my specialty, but I know a guy who’s an expert. He’s a friend of Owen’s. He’ll put in a good system and give you peace of mind. I’ll call him.”
She hesitated. “I don’t want to live in a cage.”
“You won’t. Luke will set you up with a system that works with your lifestyle.”
Her sigh was heavy. “I hate this. Addy’s only six, Gage. I don’t want her to be afraid that there are people who would hurt her.”
“She doesn’t have to be afraid. You’re doing everything right. But I get what you’re saying. She’s got a sweetness she should never lose.”
Melanie nodded. “I’m not telling her what happened today.”
“Agreed. And about the security system? Let me reach out to Luke, work through the options.”
“I can call him. I hadn’t budgeted for security. It’ll mean reprioritizing my home improvement list.”
He jammed his hands in his pockets. “Mel, let me talk with him. This is what I do. I’ll work with him to figure out the best system.”
“Okay,” she sighed. “But I’m in on every step. This is my home, my kid.”
He nodded. Then his tone shifted. “If I’m right and those two were hired to rattle you, it means you coming back to Sisters made someone nervous.”
He wished he could ease the troubled look on her face.
“You think it’s connected to the assault on me?”
“It’s possible. Which lends credence to the theory the guy’s still around and worried you’ll remember something.”
Her expression reflected uncertainty. “What if moving here was a mistake? What if I’ve put Addy in danger?”
He stepped closer and cupped her shoulders. “You didn’t make a mistake. We’ll figure this out and I’ll make damn sure you and Addy are safe.”
“If you hadn’t seen them…” Her breath caught. “Gage, I don’t even want to think about what could’ve happened. Thank you.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” he said quietly. “But you’re welcome.”
He should have stepped back. Should’ve left it at that. Because once he acted, there’d be no going back. He wasn’t sure either of them was ready for what came next.
But he ignored the voice of caution and pulled her to his chest, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, his heart beating fiercely.