Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Chloe paced in front of the fireplace waiting for Davin to come back down the stairs. Adam and Jaxon were setting up monitors on the kitchen counter that showed the sensors and cameras Adam had set up.
She’d started tea and coffee for everyone and busied herself arranging a platter of cookies. She was still cold and wished she could’ve soaked in the tub, but she didn’t want to be away from the men. How would she sleep tonight?
“Do you see that?” Jaxon demanded of Adam.
“Multiple bogies coming toward our twenty from the beach.” Adam sounded like a military guy.
Chloe would’ve laughed or teased it was Smith who’d served in the Army if this wasn’t so serious. Multiple bogeys? Was Garcia coming? If it was him, he wasn’t alone. He’d brought an army?
“What’s happening?” Chloe begged to know, moving closer to them.
Davin jogged down the stairs. “What should I do?”
Jaxon pulled out a dull black pistol. “You know how to use this?”
“Yes.”
“Good. You and Chloe stay in the laundry room. There are no windows there, and with the garage locked up tight, you’ll be protected from anyone coming in that way. We’ll be back. If anybody breaks in, shoot them.”
“I will,” Davin promised.
Horror traced through Chloe as Jaxon and Adam rushed out the front door. Davin deadbolted it behind them, slid the pistol into his pocket, and ushered her into the laundry room. He shut the door almost all the way behind them, leaving a small crack.
“What do we do now?” she asked.
“Wait,” he said, his voice tight, peering out the crack as if someone would be there.
“You still have a lot to learn about romance,” she said, trying to tease him.
“Romance?” Davin’s voice was full of disbelief. She couldn’t see his face clearly, but his tone didn’t sound good. “Chloe, I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry?” Sorry he’d kissed her? Sorry he didn’t feel for her like she did for him? Sorry she was crazy and longing for romance when their lives were at stake?
Thunder boomed, and the house trembled.
The doorbell rang.
Chloe jumped and cried out, then clapped a hand over her mouth. Her entire body trembled. “Garcia?” she whispered.
“I doubt it. Probably the firemen Jaxon was waiting on.”
“You don’t know that.”
A loud rap sounded on the door, and a female voice called, “Davin!”
“Stay here,” he cautioned, pulling out the gun and then easing through the laundry room door. He pushed it closed.
Chloe cracked it enough to look through the slit and hear what was going on.
Davin strode to the door, the gun held loosely in his hand. He looked confident and he moved like poetry.
The loud rap and call of “Davin,” came again.
Chloe’s stomach turned over when Davin opened the door and Robinette stood on the porch, dripping wet.
“Davin!” she cried out.
“What are you doing?” Davin’s voice was harsh. “Go home.”
“No!” she screamed.
“Robinette, you have no clue what you are doing. You’re putting yourself in danger.” He tried to steer her back out the front door.
She yanked her arm free, pulled out a gun, and pointed it at Davin.
“Robinette?” Davin’s voice was full of confusion. “Why do you have a gun?”
Chloe couldn’t see his face as his back was to her, but Robinette’s face was tormented, and she released a sob. “Why do you?”
“To shoot intruders like you,” Davin said.
“Chloe!” Robinette screamed. “I know you’re here. I’ve been stalking both of you. Come out or I’ll shoot him.”
“Don’t come out,” Davin warned.
Chloe walked out. Robinette was a man-stealing menace, but Chloe had known her all her life. The woman wasn’t violent. Was she? Maybe with a family like hers, she was violent and unstable.
Robinette pointed the gun at Davin, her arm trembling.
“Chloe, get back,” Davin commanded.
“I’ll shoot him,” Robinette screamed, stepping into the room.
The storm churned the air outside but the churning inside Chloe felt more violent.
Davin held the pistol from Jaxon loosely in his hand. Even faced with her threatening to shoot him, Davin didn’t seem to want to kill a woman. He was such a hero. If only he was her hero.
“If I can’t have him, no one can,” Robinette cried out.
“You have lost it,” Davin said. He lifted his own pistol and pointed it at her. “Drop the gun.”
“You won’t shoot me,” Robinette protested.
Davin lifted his brows, a clear challenge.
“I know you want me; you’re just distracted by her.” Her voice turned soothing, even as she held the gun on Davin, but her hand trembled.
The wind and rain battered the windows and some drops filtered in through the open door, even with the protection of the porch. Lightning lit up the dark night and thunder crashed. Where were Jaxon and Adam? What if Garcia had killed them and the convict was coming their way?
“Did you help Garcia?” Davin asked evenly.
“Who is Garcia?” Robinette seemed genuinely confused, her brow pulling tighter.
“Did you drug Chloe and knock her out?”
Robinette’s chin quivered. “Yes.”
“When you went to the bathroom at the café,” Davin clarified.
“Yes. I snuck into her back room and she was in there. I was prepared to get answers, but I wasn’t going to kill her or anything.
” She shrugged as if she was innocent. “I only wanted to know why you weren’t falling for me and what Chloe knew that could give me the upper hand, and if you two were actually dating. ”
It all came back like a flash of the lightning storm outside.
Chloe could finally remember the entire day she’d lost, especially the attack.
She’d had her earbuds in, unpacking and sorting new books as she sang along with “I Can Only Imagine” by Mercy Me.
Something had struck her in the head from behind.
Pain radiated through her skull and she’d face planted.
Then she remembered a prick in her arm and cool liquid.
A female voice making demands. She still couldn’t remember the words, but that made sense if she’d been hit and drugged.
“So you used Versed?” Davin asked.
“I read about it in one of your books,” she admitted, her hand trembling as she held the gun aloft.
“When I snuck in the back door, I already had gloves on and the medicine ready. I was only hoping to drug her and get answers but like a sign from above Chloe had her back to me, singing with earbuds in. I hit her with a marble statue from the shelf. Then I shot the serum into her, but it didn’t work.
It was a stupid idea. She was so out of it, I got nothing out of her. ”
“Robinette.” Davin’s voice was patient. “I appreciate you telling us the truth, but you need to leave now. There is a desperate drug lord, escaped from a Guatemalan prison and coming to kill me. You don’t want to get caught up in it.”
“Is he lying to me?” Robinette demanded.
“He’s not,” Chloe said. She couldn’t believe Robinette had gone crazy enough to drug her and threaten Davin because he wouldn’t love her. Jaxon could catch up with her later. Right now they needed to focus on the real threat. “Please leave, Robinette. You don’t want to get hurt.”
“Drop your weapon,” Adam snarled from the porch.
Chloe’s heart leapt.
Robinette backed up, holding her gun on Davin even as she thrust out her chest and her hip and winked at Adam.
She was always sensual, but more so with her clothes wet and plastered to her voluptuous body.
Her hand and her voice trembled, the only indicator that she was uneasy.
Still she made her tone husky and appealing.
“Adam. How’s the sexiest officer of the law ever? ”
“Drop it,” he repeated, stepping closer.
“Oh.” Robinette laughed. “It’s a toy gun. An air soft pistol.”
She dropped the gun to the floor. Everyone but her winced, but thankfully it didn’t go off.
“Lay face down and put your hands behind your head,” he said.
“Adam, it’s me, your little Netty Bear. You know I’d never hurt anybody,” Robinette insisted. “Let’s go out to your patrol car and … talk.”
Even Chloe could feel Robinette’s appeal. She expected Adam to follow her like a pied piper out to her car.
Adam stepped into the house, his normally happy face like stone. “Lay down on the floor.”
“Now,” Davin added, stepping up with his pistol aimed at her as well.
The combined threat of both men must’ve been enough. Shock filled Robinette’s face that her wiles weren’t working. Chloe was stunned as well. Robinette finally complied.
“Now what to do with her?” Adam grunted.
“The threat?” Davin asked.
“Those drunk kids again—four new ones and the three that walked away from our fight. They ingested a little more liquid courage and were coming to find Chloe.” He rolled his eyes in disgust. “Sheriff’s scaring the”—he glanced at Chloe—“stuffing out of them. He’s already got them to admit what house they’re renting.
Tomorrow he’ll go lock them up for a couple days and sort it out.
After we’re certain Garcia isn’t coming for you. ”
Davin relaxed visibly. “That’s a relief.”
Chloe walked farther into the living area.
“Chloe, stay back,” Adam cautioned. “It isn’t safe yet. We have no idea if Garcia is here or—”
A man stepped through the door right behind Adam, a pistol in each hand. A huge, dark-skinned man. “Ni?” he questioned in a thick accent, his face splitting in a wide grin.
Adam whirled to face him as Davin held his pistol up. Garcia kept one gun on Adam and his left hand trailed to point at Chloe.
“Get back, Chloe,” Davin commanded.
The man pulled the trigger and shot Adam in the chest. Adam slammed onto his back, eyes closed, and didn’t move again.
Robinette screamed, and Chloe heard her own scream echoing Robinette’s.