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Tione Kingi bolted uprightat the warning bark. Laying his book on the pillow, he extended a tattooed arm to scratch his Chihuahua, Pixie, behind the ear.
“What is it, girl?”
Pixie yapped again, her tiny body vibrating with nerves. She scrambled to her feet and jumped to the floor, landing on light paws. Trevor, a bull mastiff, lifted his massive head to watch her dart toward the cabin door. Bella, the border collie, perked her ears up, and Zee the rescue pup stretched and circled before settling back onto her bed. It seemed that Trevor, Bella, and Zee hadn’t heard anything, but that didn’t mean much. Pixie was the most sensitive, and she reckoned something was out there. Tione sighed, scratched his bearded chin, and slipped from the bed. Chances were that all she’d heard was a possum in the trees but it was worth checking. As Tione yanked his sneakers on, Pixie started to growl.
“Yeah, yeah. Be patient, will you?” he muttered. Maybe she needed to do her business. Wouldn’t be the first time one of them had disturbed him under false pretenses.
Switching on the security light, he opened the door. Pixie shot through the gap like the proverbial rocket and raced down the slope toward the lodge—his place of employment. She vanished from the illuminated patch of garden and into the shadows, barking and snarling like themata kai kutu—warrior—she believed she was. Something had really set fire to her tail. A flurry of yaps ensued. The kind she made when she’d locked sight on her prey. With a reluctant glance back at his bed, Tione closed the door to keep the warmth inside and then followed her into the dark.
A moment later, he heard something that gave him pause. The squeak of a rusty hinge. There was no way a possum had made that noise.
Someone is out here.
In his backyard. Trying to get into the lodge.
Whoever it was, they had a prime view of him silhouetted against the forest by the security light. The barking continued, and his shoulders stiffened with tension. Moving out of the light, he padded along the strip of lawn between the flower beds. Slowly, his vision adjusted and he could make out a figure at the lodge’s back entrance. The person tried the handle, then paced over to a window and pried at it.
Seriously? Who would want to break into the lodge at Sanctuary? And why?
It didn’t matter. Fact was, they were.
“Oy!” he shouted, hoping to catch them off guard. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
The figure jerked around, their face hidden beneath a deep hood. They froze for all of two seconds and then broke into a run. He gave chase, closing the distance quickly. The would-be thief was slower than he’d expected, and moved awkwardly. He reached out and grabbed a fistful of the thief’s jacket. The guy was smaller than he’d seemed from a distance. Perhaps a teenager out for a thrill.
And then the thief took him by surprise. He’d assumed that once caught, he’d see he was outgunned and stop. Maybe cuss for a while. Instead, the kid fought like a fucking hellcat. Small and slight, but no less fierce for it. Arms flew, limbs twisted, and a kick landed solidly in his nuts, but within a matter of seconds, Tione had him pinned to the ground, struggling to break free.
“Let me go,” a voice hissed. “I won’t let you hurt me. Iwon’t.”
Tione went rigid. That voice. The soft, petite body beneath his. Not a teenage boy.
A woman.
“Bloody hell, I’m not going to hurt you,” he growled, his guilt over manhandling her growing by the second. “Why were you trying to break into the lodge?”
She whimpered. “Break in? I just wanted—” He shifted his weight, and she cried out. Shit, he couldn’t have hurt her that badly. They’d tussled for only a few moments. Was she playing him?
She sniffled. Damn, she was convincing. Real sobs wracked her body as she whispered on repeat, “Please don’t hurt me, please don’t hurt me, please don’t hurt me.”
Disgusted with himself, and with her, he reared up and yanked off her hood before she could retreat. Then his stomach hardened and his mouth dropped open.
“Motherfucker.”
His gaze swept her face, inventorying injuries. Purple cheek, left eye swollen shut, split lip encrusted with blood, a deep wound at her temple that was weeping fluid. Dark smudges ringed her neck and looked an awful lot like impressions from someone’s fingers. Big, male fingers. Like his. But he hadn’t grabbed her by the neck. None of this was his doing. Someone had worked this woman over with as much finesse as a bulldozer.
Her eyes squeezed shut, and even though they weren’t touching, he could feel waves of fear emanating from her. She was terrified. Completely and utterly scared shitless. Jesus, who was she, and what the fuck had happened to her?
He didn’t recognize her. Although to be fair, with her face how it was, he couldn’t be sure. He guessed she might be blonde, but in the dim light, with blood set into her hairline, it was impossible to tell for certain. She scuttled back, drew her knees to her chest and winced, her mouth contorting in pain. His chest constricted. Her injuries must extend beyond her face. Who knew how battered the poor thing was beneath that oversized jacket?
Taking a mental step back, he tried to remain calm. Yeah, she’d been searching for a way into Sanctuary, but he didn’t know it was for a nefarious reason. Fact was, she looked like a woman who desperately needed help. Exactly the type of woman that Kat, his employer, was notorious for taking in.
“Why are you here?” he asked.
* * *
Megan had been soclose.
