AllFreeNovel
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“What the—”
“Son of a bitch.” The storm is getting worse if the power is starting to be affected. I reach for her discarded shorts and panties and hand them to her before I take a step away.
“Wait. What are you doing?”
“I need to go check on a few things. Make sure the power’s out and something else didn’t happen to the line.”
The shadows in the dim light prevent me from seeing her expression. Yet the way she rushes to right her clothing tells me that she may have her own thoughts on why the power suddenly went out.
Yes, it could be the storm, but it could be something more sinister too.
Not liking how quickly the glow of our shared passion has faded, I stop myself from leaving so quickly and try to calm Katrina back down. It’s in my nature to be a protector, but right now, I need to make sure Katrina is comfortable and continues to trust me instead of dashing away to see what other dangers lurk. She needs to remain my top priority.
“Look, why don’t we have a movie night? The pizza is probably cooked by now and I have snacks. I could grab my laptop and we could watch one of the movies I have downloaded.”
She considers my words for a moment. I’m relieved to see the tension in her shoulders release.
“I remember you liking only action movies. Are those the only ones you have downloaded?” she asks, a teasing note to her voice.
“Guilty. But I should have at least one you’ll like.”
She shakes her head with a small smile on her face and then nods. “Okay, movie night it is.” She jumps off the island and tips her head up to me. I haven’t moved from my spot only a few inches away from her. As she moves to right her shorts, Katrina’s chest brushes mine. An innocent movement, but my hunger for her sparks back to life.
We have a lot of time to make up for.
And a lot of questions that need to be answered.
All in good time though. I’m a semipatient man. I can give her more time to fully trust me again and believe that I’ll do anything to help her.
Clasping her neck, I give her a gentle squeeze of reassurance. Following my gut, I lean down and press a kiss to her forehead. She lets out a soft sigh.
“I’ll be right back with the laptop. You get comfortable on the couch.”
She nods, but steps in the same direction as me. Pointing to the guest room, she states, “Going to grab my cell for some added light. Just in case.”
My gut pings with a warning but I push it away. I can’t let myself forget that she’s here for a reason. My little thief is still on the clock, even if she’s not sure about completing her mission anymore.
We walk together down the hallway, and I make like I’m going to the master bedroom. When she disappears into the guest room, I press the wooden knot in the wall panel and quickly enter the control room.
Immediately I know my algorithm still hasn’t cracked the USB’s code. I let out a frustrated breath. Running a hand through my hair, I station myself in front of the main monitor and try to pinpoint any issues with my program. There are none that I can see.
Knowing I need to give my program longer to crack the encrypted message, I aim my attention to the cameras I have hidden around the property.
After a careful inspection of the shed out back that holds the backup generator and other equipment, I see there’s no tampering that I can make out. The power failing is from the storm. I debate radioing Connor and Cohen to see if they’re all right but talk myself out of it. I’m just being paranoid. They’re both trained military men like me; they can handle a little storm. We’ve been in much worse.
Needing to see Katrina and make sure she’s okay while I figure this shit out, I switch to the cabin cameras. I give her image a quick glance before going back to the main bank of computer screens. My head has turned only a fraction of an inch before I’m looking back at the screen.
Katrina is looking at her cell phone, the bright light illuminating her face. She’s leaning against the back of the couch like her body has suddenly lost all strength. What I see sends white-hot rage surging through me. Fear.
Someone has put that scared look on her face, and when I find out who that motherfucker is, they’ll suffer. My hands ball into fists on the desk. So maybe my patience is growing thin and I will have to persuade her to tell me what kind of trouble she’s in. I can’t have her scared; it kills me to see her looking that way.
Taking a deep breath, I force myself to calm down. I can’t go back out there and start making demands. That’s the fastest way to get her to run.
My screen flashes red, indicating another failed attempt to decode the USB.
“Fuck!” I bark, standing abruptly. The chair flies back and topples over as I stand and pace the small room. This USB holds the answer to why Katrina is here. It can’t be a coincidence this gets sent to me and then she turns up.
Danger was lurking in the distance, I could feel it.
And Katrina is in the center of it all.
