Page 6 of Twilight Tactics

Maya smiled. “Let’s hope it can live up to its name.”

“Definitely.” He frowned. “Where’s David?”

“In town checking on a client.” While David was in charge of security for the ranch, he and his team also had private clients who hired him on a regular basis. “He should be back sometime tomorrow, I believe.”

“I can’t thank you enough for being willing to take us in at the last minute like this. Our last three places were compromised,and we’ve been running out of options. I talked to Claire.” Claire Ogden, their SSA, Supervisory Special Agent. “She said ASAC Winters recommended I find a place and keep it secret between the three of us. And you, of course. This place came to mind, and here we are.”

Elena raised a brow. “Sounds like you’re trusting someone you shouldn’t.”

His gaze collided with hers, and it was like a physical impact smack in her gut. She swallowed. Weird.

“I don’t want to think it,” he said, “but can’t say it hasn’t crossed my mind.” He gestured to the tall woman still standing by the car. “This is Piper Whitaker, my partner, aka my sister and cousin to Maya.” Piper was only about three inches shorter than Sully. The woman nodded and offered a small smile. “And this brave young lady,” Sully continued, “is Olivia—better known as Ollie—Callahan, my ‘niece.’”

Once the introductions were made, Maya held out a key ring to Elena. “Do you mind showing them the cabin and giving them the code to the alarm system as well as the door code? I don’t think they’ll have any trouble, but here’s a backup key in case. I have a phone call I need to make.”

Elena took the ring and curled her fingers around the key, letting the jagged edge dig into her skin and keep her grounded. Now wasn’t the time to be mooning about Collin Sullivan—Sully. Not that there was ever a good time for that.

Focus.

“Of course,” she said, forcing a smile. What she needed to do was figure out what this weird attraction arcing between her and Sully was, but that would have to wait. She climbed into the SUV and, a short trek later, pulled up next to the biggest cabin on the property. Most would call it a house, but all the structures around the lake and up the hill into the woods were known as cabins.

She unlocked the door with the code and waited for themto grab their things. Ollie, who still hadn’t said a word, slung a backpack over her shoulder and pulled her rolling carry-on inside. Elena met her gaze and offered her a reassuring smile. The girl’s lips never twitched.

Elena drew in a breath and motioned to the area in front of her. “The kitchen, dining area, then the great room are one big open area, which you can see from here. A den off to the side. To the right are two bedrooms. On the basement level there are two more bedrooms. You access the stairs through the great room. I think Ollie should have the bedroom on this level next to the stairs. It’s safest and there’s no door leading out to the porch.”

“Perfect.” Sully nodded to Piper. “Why don’t you get Ollie settled. I’ll be fine with whatever—even the couch at night so we can all be on the same floor. In the meantime, I’m going to check over the security system.”

Piper nodded and led Ollie through the kitchen and dining area, then made a right and disappeared into the hallway. The agent had placed herself between the far windows and Ollie. Smart. But something about the agent’s movements seemed off. Stiff, like she was ... mad? Worried? “She doesn’t agree that this is the best place for Ollie?” she asked Sully.

He quirked a small smile. “I’m impressed. And annoyed. How’d you guess?”

Elena shrugged. “Body language. Some people are easier to read than others. Why would you be annoyed?”

“Because you read her that easily.”

“Oh.” She smiled and nodded to the wall in the kitchen. “The security panel’s over here.” He followed her toward it. “You’ll find it in good shape.” She tilted her head at him. “Or did you do this one too?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Oh, well, Maya must have taken direction from what youdid with her home, because this one has the motion sensors, infrared cameras, and more.”

“Good to know.”

She stilled. He was right behind her. Close enough to breathe in his musky scent.

“You know a lot about the security setup,” he said, taking a step back and giving her some breathing room.

She cleared her throat. “All of the staff do, but Maya and David know I have relevant experience, so they’re smart enough to put that to good use and let me give the introductory tours.”

She reached for the panel, but Sully’s hand shot out, catching her forearm. Her pulse flared and she tensed. “What are you doing?”

“You have blood—there.”

“What?” She looked down. Then opened her hand. Thanks to the key she still gripped, a small trail of blood had traveled from her palm to her wrist. She’d squeezed the little piece of metal too hard. “Oh, for crying—it’s nothing.” She pulled away, uncomfortable with his powers of observation—and how much she liked the feel of his hand on her arm. She cleared her throat. “This is the panel. Obviously. I should probably ... um ... go do ... something. Like clean up.”

Wow. Awkward much? Heat climbed into her neck for the second time that day.

She turned to leave and stopped when she spotted Ollie in the doorway, eyes now on Elena’s wrist. Something flickered in her expression. Recognition? Understanding?