Chapter Twelve

Ghost

H er steps almost as quiet as mine, she walked away from me.

I waited. Like I always did.

Ten seconds, the door opened.

Three more, the latch caught, the lock turned, and an overhead interior light went on.

I scanned the property.

Then I pulled out a burner and brought up my satellites. Walking toward the driver's door, I toggled to the feeds directly overhead for the third time today. As I got in the SUV, the images populated, and the lights in the house turned off.

Glancing up from my cell, I didn't start the engine.

Safiya was strong. The strongest woman I knew, but the scar she carried with her was darkness. She hated it. I'd had motion-activated night-lights installed in all the hallways and bathrooms on this property specifically for her. Five minutes ago, they were all working.

Staring at the house, waiting for another light to kick on, my instincts went on high alert.

One second.

Two.

Holding the burner, I palmed one of my Glocks.

Five seconds.

I scanned from one end of the property to the other before focusing back on the house.

Come on, Safiya. Turn on another light.

Ten seconds and I was simultaneously thumbing through the sat images and watching those front windows.

No activity on the feeds since the last time I checked, but I still zoomed in.

Something was wrong.

Mentally inventorying my firepower, assessing my options, I went through every security measure I'd had installed on the property.

Then I thought of every way I could breach the estate undetected. Ways only a skilled operative would infil.

Swiping across the burner, logging into the house's security system, I first brought up the hidden camera on the panel by the front door. Quickly scanning the view of the darkened, empty living area, I swiped to the camera in the kitchen, but it was also dark and empty. I was about to check the main hall when both the house and the image on my cell illuminated with a dim light.

Glancing from the screen to the front windows, adrenaline fucking surged.

One lamp. No movement. No Safiya.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Cranking the engine, tossing the cell into the center console, I was already throwing the SUV into gear and turning down the driveway.