The Dom Identity (Masters & Mercenaries Reloaded 2)

Anger thrummed through him, a deeply unwanted and unexpected emotion. He shouldn’t be emotional at all. He shoved it all down, promising himself he’d examine it later. “How long did he stay?”

“Roughly two hours. He left the way he came, but I couldn’t track him back to the house he came from,” Deke admitted. “Honestly, it was luck I managed to see him the first time. The light hit, and I happened to be looking in exactly the right spot to see him move over the fence. I wasn’t absolutely sure her place was his destination until I saw him in her garage when she had to board up her front window.”

Michael frowned. “Why?”

“Because someone threw a rock into it.” Deke said the words like it was a perfectly normal thing to have happen.

“What the hell? Someone broke her window on purpose?”

“Yes,” Deke replied. “I got the plate number of the car, but I would bet it was someone in that neighborhood. I didn’t follow. They stopped in front of her house, threw the rock, and then took off. They knew what they were doing.”

“Why would someone break her window?” Michael asked.

“They were sending her a message.” Deke pulled out his phone. “I’m forwarding you a link to her homeowner’s association message board. It’s full of hate for her. It’s why they assumed I was a photographer and kicked me out. I thought I probably shouldn’t out myself in case someone talked to her and she managed to connect me back to you. I ended up spending the rest of the night watching who came in and out of the community.”

He would look through the message board later, but he was still intrigued with the possibility of her having a lover she hadn’t mentioned. “Did you get any pictures of the visitor?”

“He stayed back when she opened the garage door,” Deke replied. “I couldn’t get a good look at him. And again, I can’t be sure I’m talking about a male. I’m going off of height and how the target moved. He could be a taller than average she.”

He doubted that. If Vanessa was involved in a relationship, it would likely be with a male. “I don’t like the thought of her meeting with someone. MaeBe thinks she hired a hacker.”

“Whoever jumped her fence last night did have a backpack on,” Deke pointed out. “If they wanted to meet in person but keep it as private as possible, it might be a good way to go. There are cameras at the gate, and almost every home has a security system with cameras of some kind.”

So this person might not be a lover. He might be working for her. Michael didn’t like the fact that he preferred one explanation to another. “I’ll get a list of everyone who lives in the neighborhood. I don’t like the idea that we can’t keep eyes on her. That gate is a problem. I don’t suppose there are any homes for rent close to hers.”

“Not that I saw,” Deke replied. “Unless it was right across the street it wouldn’t do much good. It’s a small neighborhood. Anyone sitting outside would be noted. And sitting in the park across from the community isn’t a good substitute. Too many trees. I can’t see the backyard.”

His mind started working because he needed to be able to keep eyes on her. “Did she call the police?”

Deke shook his head. “Not that I could tell. At the very least if she called, they didn’t come out. I doubt she called it in. I watched her while she was trying to deal with the window, and I would bet this wasn’t the first time someone’s done it.”

“Why would you say that?”

“She had all the materials she needed to board up the window,” Deke pointed out. “And she got it done quickly. I wouldn’t have said a Hollywood star would know how to do that unless she came from a construction background, which we both know she didn’t. She wouldn’t have learned it from her mother either, and Dad wasn’t in the picture.”

What had Vanessa been dealing with? And why the hell would anyone throw a rock through her window? He knew the answer, of course. They wanted her gone, and they were willing to get nasty with her.

He couldn’t put a proper tail on her because she was inside a gated space.

“We need to get her out of there. We need her someplace where we can watch her twenty-four seven.” A plan was starting to rattle around in his head. There was a clause in their contract about protection. He simply needed to get her to admit there was a problem.

Or maybe give her a bigger problem.

“You have your thinking face on,” Deke pointed out.

“I think maybe we can solve a whole bunch of problems.” Michael sat back. “I might need you to be a little underhanded, though. She’s been good at keeping the wolves out, but I need them in, brother.”