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“Alyssa? It’s Steven, from ground security. Shane sent me for you.” Shane sent one of the security guards hired to patrol the grounds rather than one of the military trained security guards hired for inside? Or even Crane, her father’s personal bodyguard?
He wouldn’t do that. She barely knew Steven. Hell, she could barely remember what he even looked like.
The very sound of his voice sent terror racing through her though. It struck so swift, so hard, she had to cover her lips with her hand to hold it back.
Shane would have texted her if he’d sent anyone for her, as would Sebastian.
She was really going to have to talk to them about waking her when danger required them to leave her bed.
“Alyssa, I need you to open the door now,” he ordered, his voice still low. “We have to go.”
Pulling the phone from her jeans, she sent Shane another text.
Did you send Steven for me?
No! Shane texted immediately.
She heard Steven test the doorknob again. If he thought she was asleep he would definitely find a way in.
“Stupid fuckers,” he cursed, not bothering to keep his voice lowered now. “Changing the fucking locks and not letting anyone know.”
Hurriedly Alyssa headed to the connecting door to her office. Opening it silently, she slipped past it before easing the door just almost closed behind her.
Now what?
Once he realized she wasn’t in her room would he check the office?
If Steven didn’t have a damned good excuse for being here, then Shane and Sebastian would take him apart.
She could hear something from the other room. A scraping sound she couldn’t identify. Had he already gotten into the room?
Where the hell were Shane and Sebastian?
“Fuck!” That curse came from inside her bedroom, only a few feet from the door, she was certain. “You fucking bitch.”
“Dammit!” Steven cursed before the sound of him running from the room had her finally releasing the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
Laying her head against the door frame, she nearly collapsed to the floor, her breathing harsh, jagged.
“Alyssa!” Shane’s voice snapped through the silence and had her throwing open the door to rush to him.
He caught her in his arms, his warmth wrapping around her as she buried her face against his chest, emotion swamping her with such violence that she swore she nearly passed out.
“It was Steven Richards.” Her fingers tightened in the dark cloth of Shane’s shirt as she finally lifted her head to stare up at him. “One of the ground guards. Why would he be here if you didn’t send him? He said you sent him.”
Before he could answer the sound of several gunshots ricocheted through the house, seeming to echo through it as Alyssa felt her heart suddenly drop, freezing her with fear as she felt Shane push her behind him.
“Fuck. Fuck.” Falcone’s voice came clearly through the radio Shane wore at his belt. “Sebastian’s down. Sebastian’s down.…”
*
Sebastian was waiting for Steven Richards when he slipped into the dimly lit kitchen, heading for the back door and the car he’d left parked behind the manager’s cottage. Falcone and Summer had found the vehicle no more than moments ago and disabled it. Once he’d known where the vehicle was hidden, Sebastian had known which way the son of a bitch would attempt to leave the house.
Alyssa’s would-be assassin wasn’t nearly as bright as Sebastian had given him credit for being, though. Khalid had cracked the program in a matter of days and contacted Sebastian with the programmer’s ID no more than an hour before Alyssa texted.
“Going somewhere, Richards?” Sebastian asked softly from where he stood in the shadows at the other end of the kitchen. “Or should I say Barkley?” Training his weapon on the other man’s head. “That’s your real name, I believe. Kevin Barkley. We’ve been looking for you.”
His identity had come through after Alyssa had gone to sleep, the picture and information sent by Khalid once he’d cracked the computer program and tracked it back to the programmer.
