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Chapter 8
Sierra woke to darkness and a hand over her mouth. She tried to scream, but no sound came out.
“Shh.” Cody. She relaxed as he leaned closer. “The perimeter alarm just alerted. Someone’s on the farm. I’m going to put you in the safe room and check it out. Let’s go.”
She slid out of bed, groggy, but awake enough to be self-conscious in her sleep shorts and tank top. As Cody led her out the door, she grabbed a sweatshirt and her laptop. He carried the laptop in one hand, and she tied the sweatshirt around her waist.
Cody took her hand and led her into the darkened hall, down two flights of stairs and into the basement. The furniture on the first floor looked ghostly in the moonlight, and the basement was completely dark. No light followed them down the stairs, and she clung to Cody’s hand and the handrail.
When they reached the bottom of the staircase, he pulled her closer. His arm curled around her shoulders, and his fingers rasped against her bare shoulder, making her shiver. She almost leaned into him, wanting the security of his body against hers. But he was all business. “I want to make sure you don’t stumble on anything,” he murmured. “I know every inch of the basement.”
He’d shown her the safe room in the corner of the basement when they arrived but hadn’t opened the door. Now he led her inside, closed the door until it was almost latched and turned on the light. After the darkness of the basement, the light hurt her eyes.
She squinted for a moment, spotting a full-sized refrigerator in one corner. A small stove sat near the refrigerator, along with a row of cabinets and a small table and chairs. A double bed, a small couch and a shelf of books sat against the wall, with a tiny bathroom in the corner.
“You’ll be safe in here,” he said. “The house wifi will work, so you can use your laptop and the SAT phone. I don’t expect to be long, but I don’t want to leave you unprotected in the house while I take care of the intruders.” He explained the lock to her, and how to open it if necessary. “Don’t even think about opening the door. If I’m not back in thirty-six hours, something bad has happened.” He handed her the SAT phone. “Call Mel. The number is programmed into the phone.”
“Can’t I go with you?” She didn’t want him to walk into danger by himself. He needed a back-up.
“Hell, no,” he said immediately. “You’re a liability. I’d have to focus on protecting you instead of taking care of the intruders. You’re a lot safer in this room.”
“All right.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. She didn’t want to be alone in here, wondering what was going on outside the house. Worrying about Cody. Picturing him injured or worse. “I’ll stay in here. And I won’t come out unless someone lets me out.”
“Call Mel after thirty-six hours. Immediately.”
“Got it,” Sierra said. She’d practiced this kind of drill endlessly as a teen, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t scared. “I’ll be fine. Go take out some bad guys.”
He cocked his head as he studied her. “You’re not freaking out?”
She shrugged. “Why would I waste energy freaking out until I have to? Maybe it’s nothing. A herd of deer. Escaped cows.” She shrugged. “All kinds of innocent possibilities.”
“Good. Hold that thought in your head.” He stared at her for a long moment, then pulled her against him. “I’ll be fine,” he said, as if he’d read her mind.
She went up on her toes and kissed him. He froze for a long moment, then kissed her back. His mouth was soft against hers, and he held her gently.
But she tasted the passion he was holding back, and it stirred an answering passion in her.
She leaned closer and wound her arms around his neck, and he groaned into her mouth. Banded his arms tightly around her and pulled her closer. He deepened the kiss, and heat rushed through her. Made her fist her hands in his shirt.
Cody ran his tongue along the seam of her mouth, then let her go with a groan. Stepped away and stared at her, the bright lights of the safe room illuminating every inch of his face. His tense jaw. His swollen lips. His dilated eyes.
“God, Sierra, I’m sorry,” he said. “Not the time or place.”
“It felt like the perfect time and place,” she whispered. “So please don’t apologize.” She jerked her head toward the door. “Go take care of those intruders and hurry back.” She wanted to tell him they had unfinished business, but she knew he didn’t want to hear that. She was a job to him. An asset to protect. She knew the drill.
Instead of stepping out of the room and closing the door, Cody stared at her for a long moment. Nodded. “Iwillbe back, Sierra,” he said. “I promise. And I hope before too long.”
“Okay,” she said, her voice soft. She allowed herself to smile. “I’m not going anywhere.”
His mouth curved up briefly, then flattened. “Do not open that door,” he said again. “For any reason.”
“Don’t worry,” she said. “I won’t. I’ll call Mel in thirty-six hours. Won’t leave until someone lets me out.”
“Good.” He turned toward the door, but at the last minute spun around and kissed her again. This time, his lips were hard on hers, and his tongue swept into her mouth once. Then he let her go, hurried to the door and stepped outside without looking back.
The lock on the door engaged, and she couldn’t hear anything besides the quiet hum of the refrigerator. She strained to listen but heard nothing outside the room.
Sinking onto the couch, she stared at the SAT phone. Wondered how long it would take Cody to find and deal with the intruders.
