Except earlier, when he held me in his arms.
Or rather, when she’d clung to him like he was the last Kevlar vest and she had dibs. Looking at him now, seeing that coiled bundle of strength and determination in his body language, she tried to put the memory of his solid chest out of her mind. She’d think about Slade McNeal and his silvery eyes and quicksilver moods later when she was alone and couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t thought of him before and often. Her heart went out to him and his little boy, Caleb.
Slade’s wife had been killed two years ago in a car bomb that, according to word around the yard, had been intended for Slade. Then five months ago, his K-9 partner, a beautiful German shepherd named Rio, had been taken from his backyard. That attack had left his elderly father Patrick McNeal—a retired police officer—injured and in a coma for weeks. Top that with a five-year-old son who had withdrawn after his mother’s horrible death.
No wonder the man was grumpy.
Slade opened the door and stepped through, one hand gesturing at her. “Stay behind me. We’ll send Warrior in first.”
She glanced back. “Good idea.”
Kaitlin called the command and willed the still-green animal to do a good job. Since she was purposely training this particular canine officer to help find Rio, she wanted Warrior to impress Slade. The Belgian Malinois, eager to let go of some of his own pent-up energy, hurled past Slade and danced across the hardwood floors of the living room, his nose moving from the floor to the air.
“C’mon,” Slade said, reaching behind to grab her hand.
His touch shot through Kaitlin like a sizzling dynamite fuse. She’d always had a little thing for the captain, but she wasn’t so needy that she’d play this for all it was worth. If the man ever had a lightbulb moment and turned interested, she wanted him to come to her on better terms than her playing a damsel in distress.
She’d never be that woman. Not since the day she’d watched her mother being put in the ground. Kaitlin had learned the hard way to take care of herself. And she needed to remember that Captain McNeal was as tightly wound as a ticking clock. The man lived and breathed his job, especially since whoever had taken Rio kept coming after people they both knew.
He let her go once they were in the living room. “Kitchen looks safe.”
She glanced across the hallway to her tiny efficiency kitchen. “It is, except for my cooking.”
He almost smiled. “I’ll take that under consideration.”
Warrior rushed back, eager for a treat and a good rubdown.
“Didn’t find anything, boy?” Slade asked, his tone softening toward the dog. He looked down at a basket by the door and found a chew rag, then held it out for Warrior. “He might have saved your life today.”
Kaitlin went to her knees on the floor and tugged Warrior close, giving him a gentle hug. “Good boy. What a hero. Your barks warned me.”
The captain looked really tall from this angle. “Yep. And what did you do? You walked right into a trap.”
She stood so he wouldn’t seem so intimidating. “I went around the building to see why Warrior was barking. I saw the van and thought someone might be lost or hurt. That’s when the attacker came up behind me.”
Slade didn’t move a muscle, but she could see the throbbing pulse in his clenched jawline. “You could have called me.”
“I really didn’t have time to call anyone. Besides, I thought you were gone.” She shrugged, tossing her ponytail. “You know what...I didn’t even think, okay? I just acted on impulse, and I wasn’t expecting any kind of danger.”
He stepped back, his cold, blue gaze freezing its way around her tiny house. “Well, you need to think about it now. Whoever that was will probably be back. I don’t think this was a random kidnapping attempt. They waited for the right moment and managed to get through a controlled gate to get to you.”
Seeing the concern etched on his face, she said, “You’re not making me feel very safe.”
“You’re not safe.” He walked to the bay window in her living room. “Your attacker fit the same description of the man who’s been harassing my whole team for months now. I’m pretty sure he or someone working with him is behind the recent string of attempted kidnappings we’ve had. And the string of murders we’ve racked up since the first of the year.”
Shocked, she pushed at her hair. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. You said he had strange eyes, right?”
“Yes. They were all blacked out. Honestly, they didn’t look real.”
Slade seemed to go on alert after that comment. “They probably aren’t real. He’s using a mask and other methods to disguise himself.”
“Why?” she asked, worried now that the crime syndicate might be targeting her. “Why would he come after me?”
He didn’t answer her questions. “You might need protection 24/7.”
Kaitlin almost laughed out loud. “Are you willing to do that?”
“I have to work on this case.” He kept right on staring out the window. “But it might be a good idea to keep Warrior by your side at all times. And maybe you have a friend who can come and stay with you?”
“I won’t endanger any of my friends,” she said, shaking her head. “Warrior will do his job. That’s what he’s trained for.”
“But is he ready?” Slade asked, staring down at the resting dog.
“He seemed ready today. We’ll have to hope so,” Kaitlin replied. “I’m not the type to live in fear, Captain McNeal.”
He came close then, his face inches from hers. “And I’m not the type to let a woman think she’s safe when it’s obvious she’s not, Miss Mathers.” He stepped back. “Get your stuff. You and Warrior are coming to my house tonight.”
Kaitlin couldn’t believe the man. “No, we’re not.”
His tone brooked no argument. “Yes, you are.” Then he held up his hand. “Look, I have a young son and my recovering father there. And two shifts of around-the-clock nurses. You won’t be alone. We won’t be alone.”
Kaitlin thought it over, still reeling. “I don’t want to impose on you.”
“You won’t be imposing. Caleb will be glad to see you. He’s been asking about you...since the last time you babysat him. And it’s just for tonight. Just until I can figure out the next piece of this puzzle.”
Five-year-old Caleb had been traumatized when his mother had been killed in the car bomb. The quiet little boy suffered from nightmares and other issues. Kaitlin had worked a lot with Caleb, using her dogs to bring the boy out of his shell. But it had been a while since she’d seen him.
Wanting to understand what she’d be up against, she asked, “What do you know, Captain? About that man’s creepy eyes?”
He hesitated, almost shut down. But she saw a flare of trust shifting through his expression. “I don’t think they’re his real eyes.”
She let out a gasp. “Contacts? That’s what I thought, too.”
His nod was curt and quick. “I think so.” His gaze moved over her, then he looked toward the big windows. “Call it a hunch, but I’d just feel a whole lot better if you’d come home with me.”
“Isn’t that highly unusual? I mean, do you always invite people in danger home with you?”