Compromised Identity

The light turned on in one of the upstairs rooms. Ethan hinted Sean was acting like a stalker, but knowing Jessica was in danger drove him to watch out for her as best as he could. If she died because he let his guard down... Well, that wasn’t an option.

He let his fingers knead the muscles in his neck as he surveyed the front of her house again. The two-story just a few blocks from the Cumberland River boasted a turret and a wide covered wraparound porch with enough rockers to seat an entire team of soldiers, but what Sean really needed was a clear view of the privacy-fenced backyard. “I’ll keep an eye on Staff Sergeant Dylan while you guys see if you can find anything about our attackers. One is in those emails I forwarded to Ashley. I’ll tag which one.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Ethan was back to his all-business self. “Keep me posted.”

“Make sure you don’t get dishpan hands.” Sean killed the call without waiting for Ethan to respond.

He tossed the phone onto the passenger seat and frowned at the silence, staring at the radio. He’d promised Jessica half an hour before he invaded the privacy of her home, and he had fifteen minutes of that time left. It would be nice if he could turn on music and fill the cavernous silence of the small vehicle with noise. Then he could keep back the memories that liked to creep up in the silence, but the radio would only mask any outside sounds he needed to hear.

No. He’d have to sit here in the quiet and try not to think.

Headlights turned from one of the side streets and headed slowly toward him. Sean slid lower, trying to make himself as small as possible, though, from his angle in the driveway and with the darkness settled in, it would be hard for anyone to see him. No need to get excited yet. This time of day it was likely a soldier coming home from duty or a nine-to-fiver headed home from work.

As the car came closer, it slowed in front of Jessica’s house as though the driver was searching for something. The vehicle crept past the house, then hung a U-turn, passing the house slowly again before it sped off down the street.

Sean sat taller and tapped his thumb against his thigh. It could be nothing, but he couldn’t shake the feeling he wasn’t the only one keeping an eye on Jessica Dylan.

* * *

Jessica shut her bedroom door slowly to keep from slamming it hard enough to crack the frame. The day had been too much like a bad action movie. She was hungry, tired...

And scared. Her fingertips pressed into the wood of the door. Everything had been just fine until she’d climbed into her car and Sean had shut the door for her, then turned and walked to his own car to follow her home. No matter how hard she’d tried, she couldn’t stop staring into the rearview, waiting for a head to pop up.