He hadn’t felt the weight of it for a few weeks, but it fit perfectly in the palm of his hand. It felt right. He was on high alert as he looked around the quiet neighborhood, screwing on his silencer.
Then he stepped forward, quickly getting lost in the shadows of Dakota’s place. He slipped around the side of her house and checked any place someone could be hiding. There wasn’t a soul in sight.
Though he didn’t hear a thing, he knew someone, or multiple someones, were inside with Dakota. He also knew he might be too late. Pushing all emotion down, he moved to the back door. Anyone who attempted to hurt someone he cared about was going to pay the ultimate price.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Standing in her doorway, Dakota looked at the two stoic men in suits. A sliver of fear ran down her spine, and she didn’t know why, but she did know it was better if she didn’t ignore the feeling.
“Can I help you?” she asked, her voice slightly shaky, irritating her.
Everything inside her told her she was in danger, though the men didn’t look particularly menacing. She forced a smile, knowing what she was feeling was utterly ridiculous. They looked more like Bible salesmen than muggers. Still, she didn’t move from her doorway, somehow trying to block their entrance, even if they weren’t attempting to push through.
Her body was pulsing with a need to protect herself, but she didn’t understand why. She was in that in-between of not knowing if she should just slam her door shut and lock it or if she should find out why these strangers were at her home so late at night.
They said nothing, and that was only making her more nervous. Why were they just staring at her? But just as she was about to fully panic, one of the men took a slight step forward, not exactly blocking her door, but moving closer.
“Are you Dakota Forbes?”
The man’s voice was calming, almost therapeutic as he spoke. It should have slowed the racing of her heart, but the guy beside him had a menacing demeanor that wasn’t allowing her to escape her fight-or-flight mode.
“Yes, I’m Dakota,” she told him, the words coming out almost like a question. Of course, she knew who she was, but what she didn’t know was how they had her name and what they wanted.
“We believe you’re in danger,” the man said.
“Danger? Why would I be in danger?” she asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. They looked official, but that meant nothing. She’d been raised with brothers, and they’d taught her not to be gullible. Just because a person was wearing a nice suit didn’t mean he was a good guy.
“There’s been some vandalism in your neighborhood, and we believe you’ve been targeted,” the man said. “Can we come in?” He took another step forward, and her heart thundered.
If he was speaking the truth, then she definitely wanted to find out what was going on, but if he was lying to her, then these men were the danger. She was torn on what to do. She was also wishing Ace hadn’t left. Never had she needed a man to protect her before, but right now she wouldn’t mind another person in her house, having her back.
“Where did you hear this?” she asked. Her grip on the door tightened as the need to close it intensified. She really needed to get away from these men. Whatever they were up to, it was no good. That was for sure.
“May we come in?” The second man repeated the first man’s question, and his voice was as menacing as his appearance.
“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea. You can tell me what’s going on from where you are,” she told both men, making sure to look them in the eyes. She wasn’t going to show them how afraid she actually was.
“No, it’s safer for us to come inside,” the first man said.
“I think you need to leave,” she told him. This felt all wrong. She had no doubt about that now. She didn’t trust these men, and she needed to listen to her screaming instincts.
“That’s not going to happen,” the second man snarled as he took a step forward.
Dakota decided she’d had enough. She pushed on her door, but it was too late. Both men stepped forward, easily pushing her out of the way as they barged their way inside. She took a step back, true fear filling her. She knew for sure she was in danger.
“I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but this is my place and I don’t want you here,” she said, her voice squeaking.
“Maybe you should think twice about opening your door to strangers then,” the first man said, all the charm in his voice suddenly gone. He obviously didn’t feel he needed to keep pretending he was a good guy.
She backed away, trying to decide where to go when they shut her front door behind them. Who were they? And what was going to happen to her?
“If you cooperate with us, this will go a whole lot smoother,” the first thug said.
“I don’t want any part of this,” she told both men as she continued backing away from them, getting pushed into the far reaches of her house. She was making her way to the kitchen, where she could possibly slip out the back door and hide in the bushes or run to a neighbor’s house.
“It’s too late, Ms. Forbes,” one of the men said.
They reached the kitchen. The men didn’t try to grab her, but she had no doubt that if she tried to run, they would pounce. They were simply waiting for the right moment as they boxed her in. She didn’t want to take her eyes away from them, but she was also thinking she might need a weapon. If they thought she was some meek woman who was simply going to roll over and let them do whatever they wanted to her, they certainly had the wrong gal.