LITMIR.BIZ

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      His arm tightened around her waist as his hand brushed up and down her back. “Yes.”

      The soothing gesture threatened to suck her in. She fought off the comfort and pulled back so she could look up at him. “You mean you killed him.”

      “Yeah.”

      He didn’t deny it or try to pretty up the words. Part of her appreciated the clear voice and the sure way he spoke about his actions, without justification. But part of her hated how easy it all seemed for him.

      “Are you okay?” With his hands on her shoulders, he turned her body until his shoulders stood between her and an unwanted view of the death below her.

      She didn’t see a reason to lie, so she didn’t. “Not really.”

      “He would have killed you.” Shane sounded so sure.

      His conviction fueled hers. That fast, some of the haze cleared. “I know.”

      “Makena, I—” He broke eye contact and glanced toward the front of the house.

      She heard it, too. “Sirens.”

      “Now we have a problem.” Shane stepped back.

      “Now? As opposed to two minutes ago?”

      “Don’t panic.”

      That comment almost guaranteed she would. “I doubt that.”

      “The police are going to come in here and act like I’m the suspect.” He offered the explanation as he unloaded his gun.

      “What?” She needed Shane right where he was. Not down at a police station. Not in danger. But that wasn’t her only concern.

      A new wave of panic crashed over her. The police could not go through her house. There were papers, folders and files they could not see. She hadn’t done anything wrong, but she’d have to explain, and she couldn’t. Not to them. Maybe not even to Shane.

      He set his weapon on the table with the bullets next to it. “To be safe I’m going to get on my knees and—”

      She grabbed on to his arm and fought to keep him on his feet. “No, I need your help.” A frantic clawing ripped through her insides. “There are things here.”

      The sirens wailed and lights flashed outside the window. She could make out the shadows of people outside, likely neighbors gathered to see what was happening. There would be police and possibly press at some point.

      None of this could happen.

      Shane’s hand went to her shoulder, then up to touch her hair. “Talk to me.”

      “The police can’t go near my safe.” She’d locked everything away in anticipation of Shane’s visit. Gathered up every shred of evidence and hidden it. She knew if she’d left out even a piece of paper, Shane would sniff it out. She’d been so careful. And now...

      His eyes narrowed. “What are you saying?”

      “I’ll explain later.” She had his arm and started pushing and shoving him in the direction of the bedroom. “You just need to keep them away from the safe.”

      A banging started. Sounded like the side of a hand pounding against her front door. Then the doorbell dinged once, and then a second time. The noise hit a crescendo as her panic rose and whipped up around them.

      “I’ll keep the focus on me.” He motioned toward the front door. “Go let them in.”

      “What about—”

      “You’ll explain it all later.”

      She didn’t answer. Didn’t have time because the front door crashed in. Chaos exploded around her as uniformed officers piled into her small family room. She turned back around to say something to Shane, but he’d disappeared.

      Her glance dropped and she spied him on his knees, right near the body. He had his hands hooked behind his head, but the police kept shouting. They knocked him down on his stomach as they wrenched his arms behind his back.

      “No, he’s not—” A policeman pulled her back before she could rush in and move everyone off Shane.

      Shane turned his head to the side and looked up at her. “Call Connor.”

      Her brain scrambled. “My cell doesn’t work.” She shook her head, trying to remember where she put it or why that information even mattered.

      “They probably blocked the signal. Try again.” He glared, as if willing her to listen. “We need Connor.”

      Connor Bowen, the owner and head of the Corcoran Team. The man with power and connections. She knew one thing: if Shane needed Connor for reinforcements, they were all in trouble.

       Chapter Three

      Shane tried not to stare at her. Being in the same room with Makena always resulted in the same reaction. His heart rate kicked up as fast as his common sense took a nosedive. The black hair, usually pulled back with those sexy curls hanging down by her ears. The dark eyes and hints of the heritage passed down from her Japanese mother.

      The long legs and trim body...everything about her set his blood boiling. So beautiful that she tested every vow he’d ever made postdivorce about keeping relationships light and sex only. He wanted her every minute and fought off the attraction with every cell and every muscle.

      He tore his attention away from her and watched his team as he stood in the middle of her family room with activity buzzing around him. Cam and Connor had arrived. Connor had walked through the door and immediately started doing what he did best—he ran the whole show. Came in with a cover and ordered people, all while silently wrestling control away from whatever poor schmuck thought he ran the crime scene.

      Cam, along with Holt, formed the three-man traveling team for Corcoran. Cam showed up to help because that was what Cam did. No questions asked, he rushed in and provided support. Many times that included flying a helicopter. This time he stood on the other side of Makena, across from Shane, and made sure no one got near her.

      Connor broke away from the detective and headed over to the Corcoran semicircle. “We have one dead attacker.”

      “Thanks to Shane,” Cam said.

      “You would have done the same thing.” Every member of the team would have put his body in front of Makena. Forget about her being innocent, though that counted as a good answer. She was Holt’s sister, and no one touched the people the team members cared about.

      “Probably.” Cam shrugged. “I’m betting I would have used more finesse. Maybe been quicker about it.”

      Shane knew Cam was joking...or engaging in what Cam thought qualified as joking. Making sly comments meant to break the tension. If Shane hadn’t walked in on some guy manhandling Makena, watched as the guy tried to choke the life out of her, he might be more in the mood to be soothed. But not right now.

      “The guy intended to kill me.” The rough edge to Makena’s words was hard to miss.

      Cam’s smile suggested he didn’t. “Then I definitely would have killed him, too.”

      Shane was about to remind her about Cam’s odd sense of humor when Connor broke in. “Now that we have that settled.”

      An officer behind Makena knocked into her. She jumped. Looked two seconds away from screaming but somehow managed to bite it back.

      Shane could not help being impressed. She didn’t deal in danger as they did, yet she’d stayed calm. She’d listened to the informal training they gave her and kept fighting no matter what. She never let down her guard. Those smarts and that strength had kept her alive.

      She cleared her throat as she visibly brought her nerves back under control. Most signs vanished.

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