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They went to the door, Bree moving to the right side of it while he took the left. Rafe drew his Sig Sauer and continued to watch the monitor as Tessa got closer. There were more beeps. More alerts since she was triggering the motion detectors with every step she took.
Rafe continued to watch when she reached the porch, and he saw the hesitation when she started to press the doorbell. Tessa stopped, looking at the windows.
“Rafe?” she called out. Not a shout. More like an urgent whisper. “It’s me, Tessa. Please let me in. I have to see you. Please,” she repeated.
“Put down your gun,” he responded, and again, watched to see what she’d do.
The door was bulletproof, but if she fired at it, that would tell him what he needed to know.
That Tessa had come there to kill him.
Tessa didn’t fire though. She stooped, laying her gun on the porch. “I can’t stay out here long. It’s not safe.”
Rafe wanted an explanation about that, but for now, he motioned for Bree to step back a little. She did. And he did the voice command to disarm the front door security so he could reach over and open it without setting off the alarm.
And there was Tessa.
Of course, she had aged. It’d been eighteen years, and she was no longer that fresh-faced teenager or college student. Nor was she a blonde any longer. Her long hair was now dark brown, and there was a wariness in her eyes that he’d never seen before.
There was a moment, just a flash of the memories of the past. They came flying at Rafe. Probably at Bree and Tessa, too. Tessa glanced at their guns that were now aimed at her, but if that concerned her, she didn’t show it. Just the opposite. The concern showed in another of those sweeping glances she made behind her.
“It’s not safe,” she repeated, stepping in and closing the door. “I’m sorry for bringing this to your home, but I didn’t have a choice.”
“Bringing what to my home?” he demanded. Their shared past had allowed her entrance, but Rafe still wasn’t ready to lower his gun. Neither did Bree.
“So very many things, but Callum Buckner is at the top of the list,” Tessa said. Her voice broke, and she blinked back tears. “We need to talk. There are some things I need to tell you both. Just how secure is this place?” she tacked onto that. “Does it live up to the reputation of a Maverick Ops’ guardian angel?”
“It does,” Rafe verified, and without taking his attention off Tessa, he used the voice command to reactivate the security on the door. “DEFCON 2,” he instructed.
Tessa shook her head. “What does that mean?”
“Defense Readiness Condition,” he supplied. “Heightened alert. The security will…respond accordingly,” he settled for saying, not wanting to get into the specifics.
But more cameras and sensor detectors had just been activated, including the house itself. If anyone managed to get past those cameras and detectors, the house would alert them.
“I’m going to search you,” Bree insisted, and she holstered her gun while she went to pat down Tessa.
Tessa actually smiled when Bree put her against the door and started the search. “Sheriff Bree O’Neil. You got that badge you always wanted. And from everything I’ve researched, you’re very good at your job.”
Bree didn’t respond to the friendly tone. She just continued the search, pulling a knife from Tessa’s boot.
“My backup,” Tessa muttered.
“That’s it,” Bree relayed to Rafe. “She doesn’t even have a cell phone.”
“Because they can be tracked,” Tessa said. “So can cars, which is why I parked a mile away and rode a bicycle here. I left it in the ditch by the road.”
Those were some serious precautions for a civilian who wasn’t in his line of work, but it was expected for someone on the run. Or rather someone who’d been on the run for eighteen years.
“Tell me why you’re terrified of Buckner,” Rafe insisted. “What happened, and where have you been all this time?”
Tessa sighed, and even though she looked in the living room, specifically at the sofa, she didn’t make a move to go in there. She simply sank down onto the floor and anchored her back against the door.
“It’s a long story,” Tessa said. “And not a very happy one.” She stopped, glancing at both of them. Easy to take them both in at the same time since Bree and he were standing side by side. Her gaze finally settled on Bree. “I’m glad you two are together. I always thought you were better suited for Rafe than I was.”
Rafe figured that surprised Bree almost as much as Tessa showing up. But Rafe happened to agree with her. Of course, he hadn’t seen that way back when. He was sure as hell seeing it now though.
“Obviously, I’m alive,” Tessa went on when neither of them said anything. “I’ve been in hiding all over the country, working when I could and living off what I took from my trust fund. For the last couple of years though, I’ve been living in Mexico City with a wonderful man. Simon,” she murmured. “And I don’t want him dragged into this.”
