Shadowed (17 page)

Kaylan slipped the plates in the sink and turned to follow, almost hitting her head
on an open cabinet above the sink. She reached to push it closed and stopped. Lines
of pills and vitamin bottles lined the shelf with several natural remedies packed
in the tight space. Cathryn was either a health nut, fighting off a really bad cold,
or sick. Either way, Kaylan didn't feel like she could ask, not yet anyway.

Kaylan wound her way back to the one spare bedroom. The house was small, like most
on the block, small but high in price. Kaylan hated that about California. A double
bed stood in one corner and a desk rested against another wall. Four boxes sat in
the center of the floor waiting to be unpacked.

“I need to unpack these and a few boxes in the kitchen. I will ask that you avoid
reading through any files you come across. Some of my clients prefer absolute privacy.
Just stack any paperwork in the drawers, and I will go through it.”

“No problem.” Kaylan glanced at her watch, anxious to get back to the guys. “I'll
unpack these tonight and just organize, and come back another time to finish it up.”

Cathryn smiled. “Thank you. That will help. Maybe come by
and clean once a week?
I will give you a key in case I am not at home.”

“I can manage that. Thank you for helping me out with this job.”

“It isn't much, but I appreciate a clean house, so this works for both of us. Let
me know if you have questions.” She turned and left the room, leaving Kaylan to dive
in.

Kaylan unpacked the boxes, arranging office supplies, paper work, and décor in piles.
She quickly made the bed with sheets and a quilt she found. The quilt appeared to
be old, in fact the only thing in the house not in pristine condition. Kaylan guessed
it was probably a family heirloom.

Within an hour she was waving good-bye to Cathryn. She paused at her car and glanced
at Jenna's home a few doors down. She might as well suggest her help cleaning while
she was out of town too.

Jenna opened the door in running clothes, her phone and ear buds in her hand. “Kaylan,
what a surprise. Is everything all right?”

“Oh, yes. Sorry to bother you. Actually . . . ” she turned and looked back the way
she had come. “I'm helping Cathryn unpack some of her stuff and clean about once
a week and wondered if you could use the same since you are out of town so much.”

“How thoughtful. Actually I could use a hand. Maybe Saturday or Sunday afternoons.
It wouldn't take you long. My housekeeper just got married and moved out of town.
You have perfect timing.”

“Great!”

“Come in and I'll get you a key.”

Kaylan walked into the living room and noticed a series of tribal masks hanging on
the wall. Jenna waved her hand around. “My brother is a photographer and travels
all over the world. He likes to spoil me with interesting finds. Makes it feel exotic
in here, don't you agree?”

“I love it,” Kaylan replied, approaching the wall and studying the
pictures hanging
with the masks. “If you both travel, do you see one another often?”

“Not as much as I would like. You have brothers, correct?” she called from the kitchen.

“Yes, three. I'm actually thinking about going home to see two of them this weekend.”

Jenna reentered the room, carrying a key. “Oh, how lovely. Where do they live?”

“Alabama. That's where my family's from.”

“Does your boyfriend go with you when you go home? Nick, isn't it?”

Kaylan took the key from Jenna. “When he can. He works with one of my brothers. My
family kind of adopted him a few years back.”

“How wonderful. That must make it easier on your relationship.”

Kaylan smiled. “It does.” She took another look around, noting the clean and modern
look mixed in with the exotic. “Do you want to show me around or just let me figure
it out when I come?”

Jenna's black pony tail swished as she talked. “Just make yourself at home when
you come. Cleaning supplies are under the sink in the bathrooms. Vacuum and mops
in the hall closet. I'll be gone the next two weekends, so just do what works best
for you. You are a lifesaver. I'm so glad you thought of it.”

“No, thank you. Every little bit helps since my internship takes most of my time.”
Kaylan opened the front door and stepped onto the porch.

“I'll write you a check and leave it on the bar.”

Kaylan smiled and waved. “Enjoy the rest of your workout,” she said as Jenna closed
the door. Kaylan jogged to her car, thankful that a few things were panning out,
and headed to the guy's small house in Imperial Beach. Anticipation built as she
drove.

They all needed a break, a way to clear their heads, unwind, and laugh. She had only
one solution. It was time to go home.

She'd looked up flights on her lunch break at work. They could hop a plane to Alabama
on Thursday after work and spend a long weekend. Now to convince the guys. Since
they wouldn't let her return to her house yet, they were stuck with her presence
at their place.

She entered the house and found both guys in the living room watching Sports Center
and Monday night football. Settling into an armchair, she enjoyed the sound of their
jeering and laughter until halftime.

“I have a suggestion.” She muted the TV. “I think we should all go back to Alabama
this weekend. What if we flew in Thursday night, spend time with the family, get
out on the lake, and go to Seth's game on Saturday? They're playing the Florida Gators.”
Kaylan couldn't help the smile that spread across her face at the thought of home
and Bama football. “Please?”

“Sis, I'm not sure if we can get the time off.”

“You won't know until you ask, Micah. Please, I think it would be good for both of
you. Logan's surgery is scheduled for Monday morning. We'll be back in time. Mom
said she already has tickets for the game. Some of their friends who were going canceled.
Please?” She batted her eyelashes, drawing a laugh from the guys.

“I'll ask, babe.” Nick stood and reached for his phone.

“Whipped.” Micah coughed and Nick dropped his arm around Micah's neck in a headlock.

“She's right, Bulldog. It will be good for us both to clear our heads and have some
fun out of town this weekend.”

Kaylan silently cheered. She'd make sure they both relaxed and enjoyed the weekend.
She remembered their effort to make her smile after Haiti. They hadn't lost a brother
to death, but they had lost a teammate they trusted in combat. She would help them
unwind so they would be better prepared for the next steps in their assignment.

Fear and anger battled for dominance in her heart as she
thought of this enemy the
team chased. Her new home had been violated, her new family wounded, and the man
she cared for felt trapped. She felt the bond between her and the SEAL family strengthen
as her heart fused with their cause.

Nick reentered the room from making phone calls. “Looks like we are good to take
Friday off. But we both fly out for training on Tuesday, so we need to make sure
we get back Sunday night to give us a day to get ready.”

She jumped from the chair and kissed him. “I'll purchase the tickets.” She practically
skipped to her room. Sweet home, Alabama called her name, and she was responding
to its inevitable tug.

Janus smiled. She'd rattled them enough to move Kaylan. More surprises would follow.
Perhaps if she rattled Nick enough, he would quit chasing her. She took a long drag
on her cigarette. Probably not. She would have to strike out at everything he loved.
Even then, that might not be enough. If the United States government had her in
its sights, she might need to go into hiding.

From her vantage point Janus had watched Nick with Kaylan. Every time he left the
house, he scanned the neighborhood casually, always alert for trouble or subtle
nuances. Janus knew that look. Determined. Protective. Concealed rage that he kept
tame in Kaylan's presence. He might be a formidable opponent after all. She knew
the character of SEALs all too well. They were relentless and loyal to their own.
They believed in what they fought for—their country, their families, and their brotherhood—whether
or not they agreed with political decisions or direction.

The most dangerous kind of person was one who believed in something greater than
himself. Their direction never wavered. Their very life philosophy made them nearly
invincible, for no
matter how terrible the circumstance, they could cling to one
thing in the darkest night—hope. But then they died for it, just like Andrei, her
brother who wanted to protect everything and everyone the USSR stood against.

She squeezed her eyes shut. She could still see him kneeling in the dirt, hands tied
behind his back. Blood dripped from his mouth and one of his eyes was swollen shut.
Something sticky matted the left side of his hair, but he looked up at her with one
blue eye, confident of his actions even on his knees. The sound of gunfire in her
memory made her eyes fly open. She could still see that blue eye. The same shade
as Nick's. Maybe that's why Nick fascinated her.

She took another drag on the cigarette and stepped away from the window, licking
her dry, cracked lips. Her heart raced. For the first time she tasted the bitter
brine of fear. She refused to be caught. But she wouldn't let Nick die like Andrei
either. If she had to hurt him to keep him away, make him stop, she would. Even if
that meant sacrificing the one thing he loved most.

Janus squared her shoulders. Time to set the next plan in motion. Reaching into her
pocket, she gripped a chain and pulled it out, studying it in the twilight. A dangling
lily.

Nick should have left well enough alone.

Chapter 20

T
HEIR PLANE LANDED
in Alabama around midnight on Thursday, and Kaylan could have
kissed the ground she walked on. Home—Southern accents, home cooking, Alabama football,
family, and the lake she'd grown up on. Even as she crawled into her bed that night,
she couldn't believe the peace she felt. Already the fact that a killer shadowed
her seemed like a movie instead of her life.

She woke early the next morning, despite the day off, eager to see a sunrise. She
donned her bathing suit and cover-up, planning for a day on the lake. Warm sun,
the wind on her face, and even the murky smell of lake water called her name. Anticipation
tugged her feet down the stairs. Even the slight fall nip entering the air wouldn't
stop her.

Fresh, black coffee brewed in the pot near the stove. She opted for hazelnut coffee
from the Keurig with Irish cream flavored creamer. Her mother had repainted the breakfast
nook again, this time a warm cranberry color. A pastel-tinted sky filled the bay
windows facing the dock and lake.

“Hey, gorgeous.” Kaylan jumped at Nick's deep voice and his arms wrapping around
her waist. Coffee splashed her hand as she steadied her mug. “Oh, babe, I'm sorry.”

She shook the liquid from her hand and turned in his arms, careful not to spill any
more. Wrapping her free arm around his neck, she pulled his face down to hers. His
lips tasted like coffee.
As in the months after Haiti, once again she found safety in his arms. But while
he had sought to comfort her then, it was her turn to be the comforter.

“Why didn't you sleep longer this morning?” she whispered against his lips.

“I couldn't miss an opportunity to spend the morning with you.” He kissed her again,
and she leaned into his embrace. And in the warmth of her family's kitchen, wrapped
in Nick's arms, she knew. She loved this man with everything in her. No matter the
danger, no matter where the government sent them, she would follow Nick Carmichael
anywhere.

She would tell him today. Her heart fluttered with her realization.

It was time.