Chapter 16
Knox
Archer’s rental pulled into Sloane’s driveway after breakfast with Colton riding shotgun. It was time for a major security upgrade. I wasn’t taking any more chances.
They unloaded boxes of equipment. Cameras, monitors, and enough cable to wire a small military installation.
I met them at the door, coffee in hand.
Archer whistled, the sound of a falling missile. “Man, you look like shit.”
“I’ve been up all night.” And I hadn’t slept well the night before that. “Feels as if this guy is out there waiting for me to let my guard down.”
“Well, we’ve got you now.” Archer hefted a box of cameras onto his shoulder like it weighed nothing. “I made a list last night and placed as many orders online as I could, then we headed out this morning to pick things up when stores opened, but some were out of stock.”
“Island life.” Carolina Bay wasn’t big. One of many small towns on a narrow strip of land off the North Carolina coast. “It’s common to wait for things or make a run to the mainland.” Inconvenient at times, but a small price for island life.
Colton strode past me, eyes scanning the cameras attached to Sloane’s home and portico. “The current security system looks pretty standard. It wouldn’t take much to bypass it. These things are mostly a deterrent.”
“I appreciate you guys doing this,” I said.
Colton circled back to the rental and grabbed two more boxes. “Hanging out with you guys, in a place like this for the day, showing off my skills? Not exactly a hardship.”
Sloane padded into the kitchen behind me, and I turned.
“Morning,” she said, eyeing the mountain of equipment being stacked on her table. “That’s a lot of boxes.” She’d pulled her hair back in a ponytail and dressed in jeans with a baggy T-shirt, looking youthful and beautiful. Entirely too vulnerable for my peace of mind.
“That’s a comprehensive security system,” Archer corrected.
I went to the counter and poured another mug of coffee for Sloane, then added creamer from her mammoth refrigerator, the way she liked.
“Thanks.” She smiled sweetly, dragging the tips of her fingers over mine as she accepted the mug.
Colton paused to watch us. “I take mine black,” he said. “Archer likes a little milk, no sugar.”
My gaze jerked to his, hot and pointed. “Feel free to help yourself.”
Outside, the familiar beep and thump told me Archer had the last of their materials and locked the rental.
Colton hit me with a sour face. “What? I have to be your girlfriend now to get a little coffee?”
“You want to be my girlfriend?”
Archer set the final box on her table with a grin.
“I appreciate this,” Sloane said. “Really. What can I do to help?”
“We just need access to the property and your blessing,” Colton said. “We’ll handle the rest.”
For the next couple of hours, I watched my brothers work with the kind of precision that came from years of operating together. Securing bases, setting up surveillance, creating defensive perimeters. Never in a beach house, but still, they were a well-oiled machine.
Archer took point on the cameras, moving through the house with a tactical eye. He paused at the front door, examining the frame. “This door’s solid. I replaced the deadbolt. But the frame’s standard pine. A determined attacker could kick through it in two, maybe three hits.”
“Three of your hits, maybe,” Colton said, eyeballing the barrier.
Archer winked. “Only two of mine.”
“So what do I need?” Sloane asked. “A steel door?”
“We can reinforce the frame with a strike plate and longer screws,” Archer said. “Won’t stop a battering ram, but it’ll slow down anything less than a tactical breach.”
He moved to the windows and crossed his arms. “These are your biggest vulnerability. Beautiful view, but ground-level access with minimal security.” He made a sour face.
Colton tapped the sill with a fingertip. “We’ll put sensors on every first-floor window along with glass-break detectors as soon as they come in. We placed the order, but it’s going to be one to three days.”
“And the cameras?” Sloane asked.
“Four exterior. Two interior. We’ll get those up today.”
“What about at night?” Sloane asked. “Do they work in the dark?”
Colton nodded. “We ordered those too. We’ll replace these with the night vision units when they come in. This is still a solid improvement on multiple fronts.”
“You’re really good at this,” Sloane observed. “Will you do something similar after the military?”
I felt Colton’s mood shift with Sloane’s question. “I’m afraid my highly specialized skills won’t translate well to civilian life. But hey, I can probably look for work with a security system company.”
“Or you could own the company,” Sloane said. “There’s a big market for security consulting.”
Colton paused, considering. “I don’t hate that.”
By noon, they’d used everything in their boxes.
“All right,” Archer said, gathering tools. “I think we’ve done all we can do for now. We’ll be back when the night cameras and glass-break detectors are in.”
We followed them to the door and said our goodbyes.
“If you need anything, call us.” Colton gave a salute, then bounded down the porch steps to the rental with Archer in his wake.
Sloane locked the door and looked to me. “I feel a lot better now.”
“I’m glad.”
Now, our day began.