The Specialist

“You can make it up to me another time.”

“Deal.”

Her lips clung to his, inviting him to passion. Rafe was unmoved. They broke apart and he watched her drive out of sight before turning toward the bunkhouse. The door to the main house suddenly shut firmly as someone left the darkness of the porch.

Rafe spun around. It could have been Penny, or Mitchell or even Maddie Wells, their other close neighbor and the only woman in Mitchell’s life. She often stayed over, but Rafe didn’t think it had been any of them. One of them would have called out a greeting to him. Rafe headed across the compound to the front door. Locked.

He hesitated only a moment before pulling out the cell phone. Mitchell answered on the second ring. Someone else picked up as well.

“Someone just entered the front door,” Rafe began without preamble. “Door’s locked, but you might want to check the alarms and Kendra.”

Mitchell grunted. Penny’s voice took over. “Her bedroom door just closed.”

Rafe relaxed.

“I’ll go and see if she needs something.”

“I’ll have a look around and reset the alarms,” Mitchell grumbled.

Penny came back on the phone. “Kendra apologizes. She says she went out for a breath of air.”

“At three in the morning?” Mitchell demanded.

“That’s what she says. She didn’t realize her actions would alarm everyone.”

Mitchell muttered something and clicked off.

“Sorry for the alarm,” Rafe apologized.

“No problem. I wouldn’t know what to do with a full night’s sleep anyhow,” Penny said with a yawn. “Good night, Rafe.”

Rafe frowned. Before he headed across the way to the bunkhouse, he made an entire circuit of the house. Everything was calm and quiet. Had Kendra really only come outside for a breath of air at this hour? Or had she met someone?

He resisted the urge to demand answers right now. Morning would do. But her wide hazel eyes followed him down into sleep that night, innocently mocking.

THE SECRETARY with the pouty lips and a body designed for a man’s distraction ushered Rafe into the spacious office belonging to Stephen Rialto. With a throaty invitation to make himself comfortable, she left him there promising Rialto would join him shortly.