LITMIR.BIZ

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had grown up in Coldwater Bay. Her aunt had raised her and her three siblings after their parents had been killed in a tragic accident. She’d been restless after her parents had passed away. They had been good people who were making a difference in the world when they’d died.

      Jonna couldn’t make sense of their deaths or her own life—what she should do with it. Aunt Debby had been the one to encourage Jonna when she said she needed a complete change of scenery. So Jonna went off to school in Miami. Maybe she’d ended up on another coast, but it was a coast at the opposite end of the country with completely different scenery and culture.

      There she’d attended the police academy, following in her mother’s footsteps in law enforcement. She ended up working for ICE. It was brutal work—the horrors of humanity came to light every day—but she was proud that she made a difference in the lives of others.

      At least that’s what she’d told herself. Hadn’t her parents been about making a difference? They would have wanted no less for her.

      But in the end, she’d run from it all. Now she was glad to be back and closer to her siblings. Sadie, a marine biologist, and Cora, an underwater archaeologist, had taken the road of science after their father’s example, and Quinn went into law enforcement like Jonna and their mother. He was a DEA agent. Unfortunately, she hadn’t seen Quinn in years. He was on a deep undercover assignment—he’d dropped off the face of the earth. She hoped he was okay. She knew from personal experience just how dark the criminal world could be.

      Drowsiness finally claimed her with only maybe a half an hour before twilight. But Jonna would grab what sleep she could. She slipped back into bed and Chop Suey joined her this time, snuggling up against her back. I feel loved.

      She smiled, but with the thought of love came the sudden sense of loss, of what she was missing. Sadness pricked her heart. Of course Ian’s pensive blue gaze, strong jaw and diplomatic security service skills had to fill her thoughts.

      Now she would never get that sleep.

      * * *

      Ian had learned long ago through rigorous training how to survive on little sleep. Good thing. After the intense conversation with Jonna, his mind wouldn’t shut off. And when the storm died down—just a reprieve before the next storm bore down on them—he knew what he could do to put his time to the best use.

      He’d donned dark clothing and climbed out the window. Jonna had a night clerk at the desk in case the guests needed anything, but the door remained locked after certain hours. He didn’t want to raise suspicions or alarm by leaving that way. He slipped out the window, careful to remain near the lodge so he wouldn’t stumble too near the cliff’s edge.

      What a perfect place to watch the winter storms. Icy cold bit his cheeks. He couldn’t stay here long. But he might as well walk the perimeter. Ramp up his task of watching over Jonna.

      Now, if only Uncle Gil would call him back. Maybe the man was in the middle of a serious investigation and hadn’t had the chance. But still, it wasn’t like him not to check in.

      Clouds rushed quickly across the sky, and silver moonlight broke through, making the whitecaps look almost fluorescent.

      Wow.

      He could watch that forever.

      But he was on a mission. Ian tugged out his weapon, prepared to use it. His footfalls couldn’t be heard over the waves or the gusts of wintry wind. If he couldn’t be heard, neither could Jonna’s attacker should he try to approach at night.

      Would the man return? He’d asked the sheriff’s department if they could put a deputy on watch at the lodge, just to keep Jonna and her guests safe until the threat had been neutralized. But they were already pressed for personnel and couldn’t spare anyone.

      After he’d walked the length of the lodge and around the front—the part facing away from the ocean—he spotted Jonna’s cabin. Though connected to the lodge, it stood off on its own. An easy target for someone who knew where to look.

      Ian waited in the shadows of the woods and let his gaze search the area beyond the parking lot. A copse of trees stood between the lodge and the road, thick on that side of the building. Someone could get close to her that way if not through these woods on the south side. He didn’t like it. Ian gave a wide berth as he walked around her cabin, hoping, praying to God he wouldn’t find anyone.

      Or if someone truly had come to go after her again, that God would help him stop them. He wondered if it would feel like redemption, to succeed in this case. But success, saving Jonna, wouldn’t bring Serena back.

      His soul cracked a little. He couldn’t let the past distract him if he wanted to protect Jonna.

       God, help me. Help me forgive myself.

      Steeling himself against the onslaught of anxiety, Ian closed in on her cabin, then hesitated. A nuance, a sensation, prickled over his skin.

      Someone else was here.

      He waited in the shadows of a large evergreen, the branches and needles scratching the cabin window with each gust of an angry ocean breeze. Sea spray blew over his skin, even from this height.

      And still he waited.

      That sensation was unmistakable. He’d learned to listen to it and it had never failed him.

      Fifteen yards out, another dark figure in the night also wearing black moved catlike toward the cabin.

      Jonna’s cabin.

      His breath came hot and fast, but Ian steadied it, reminding himself to stay focused and calm. He had to end this tonight. As the figure crept toward the cabin, keeping to the shadows, Ian waited for the right moment. No longer a DSS agent, he couldn’t officially arrest anyone, but any citizen could stop someone from committing a crime and hold them for the authorities.

      The creeper approached and positioned himself in front of the door. He was hunched over, his back to Ian, who could only assume the man intended to pick the locks.

      Jonna was in danger.

      Ian acted on instinct and, remaining in stealth mode, rushed forward, then snuck up behind him. His thick, black coat and hood left no exposed area. Not that that mattered. Ian didn’t have to see skin to know where to thrust his weapon.

      He lifted the Glock and jabbed the muzzle into the base of the man’s skull. The perpetrator instantly stiffened.

      “Hold it right there.” Ian forced the threatening words out through gritted teeth, remembering earlier in the day when someone had tried to kill Jonna. Was this that man?

      Ian’s nerve-endings prickled, aware the trespasser prepared to make a move.

      “Don’t even think about it. I’ll put a bullet in your brain before you can move.” Ian stepped a few feet back, putting space between him and his target so the man couldn’t go on the offensive with a head butt or a kick. “Now, slowly back away from the door.”

      Suddenly it swung open.

       Jonna!

      Ian couldn’t fire his weapon or he’d risk shooting Jonna. The criminal ducked into the shadows, leaving Ian standing with Jonna pointing her weapon at him. Hadn’t she seen the intruder at the door?

      “Put your weapon down or I swear I’ll shoot you.” Her voice sounded every bit as threatening as his had sounded moments ago.

      “Jonna. It’s me. Don’t shoot me, please. I’m lowering my weapon. In the meantime, the guy I found breaking into your cabin is getting away.” Ian slowly lowered his weapon. She could have killed him.

      “Ian?”

      “Yes, it’s me. Didn’t you see him? He was picking your lock, Jonna. He slipped into the shadows when you opened the door. I’m sorry but I have to go after him. Stay inside and lock your door!” Ian backed away and then sprinted after the invader.

      He

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