Chapter 2

Someone had tried to kill her.

The words reverberated over and over in Eve's mind. She resisted the urge to cover her ears with her hands as if to drown them out. She had never been involved in something like this, and she could barely comprehend this was truly happening.

Yet the scene was imprinted in her mind. Smoke and flames billowing out of her office window.

Please, Lord Jesus, keep my colleagues safe!

The interior of her vehicle was hot and stuffy, so she opened her window a few inches. She couldn't imagine a bomb would be planted here in her house. Sure, she often worked from home writing her research papers. But the heart of her work was in the lab.

The lab that would be out of commission for a significant period of time.

She closed her eyes and tried not to cry. Tears were useless and wouldn't change anything. It was just that she was so close to a breakthrough. She was confident she'd have something amazing to present at the end of the year.

Now she had no idea how long it would take to reconstruct her lost notes. And to get back into the lab to finish her work.

"Eve!" She opened her eyes in shock when she heard Grayson's shout. "Drive out of here."

Her stomach clenched with fear at the seriously grim expression in his dark eyes. "Why?"

"We found another bomb in your home office. You need to get far away."

"And go where?" Another bomb in her home office? This really was a personal attack. "I can't head to my office."

"Okay, then stay inside the car for a few minutes. The rest of the team and our robot Dottie are on the way."

Dottie? They named their robot? It struck her as absurd, but then she was keenly grateful to hear they would use a robot to help disarm the device rather than sending in a live person.

Like Grayson.

"Okay." She swallowed hard, trying not to look scared to death. "Shouldn't you and the others also be in your cars?"

"We're going to evacuate the neighborhood," Grayson said. "Do you know if anyone here is homebound?"

"No, most of them work. There's one stay-at-home mom with twin boys. She's in the white Cape Cod over there." She gestured toward it.

"Thanks." Grayson quickly jogged off. She watched as the four team members spread out and walked to each of her neighbor's homes. Grayson went to the white house to tell Maribeth to leave. Less than two minutes later, the young mother had her twin boys in her minivan and was driving away.

She was glad to know Maribeth and the boys would be okay. And hopefully the other neighbors would be as well.

What sort of person set a bomb in a nice neighborhood like this? Without caring about the innocent lives that were at risk?

Someone evil. But that realization only added to her confusion over the situation. She didn't know anyone who was this evil.

Did she?

There had been an animal rights group that had gathered outside the research lab a couple of weeks ago, holding up protest signs against using animals in research. In the past, Eve knew some researchers had used rats to explore the impact of new medicines. But even that particular form of study had come to a halt when the researcher who'd used rats had left to take a more lucrative position on the East Coast.

It wasn't easy to explain to the general public how important research was. As Dave had said, nobody cared until they were hit on a personal level with a devastating disease. Then they would be all in on doing whatever research was necessary to receive improved medications or, even better, a cure.

And what would be better than a cure for diabetes? A disease that impacted more than 50 percent of the entire United States population?

More police cars arrived on her street, interrupting her thoughts. She noticed the cops parked their squads sideways on both ends of her street to block traffic from entering and leaving the area.

It was almost like watching a movie. Only these were real people, not actors. Several officers used their radio to communicate, and soon she saw a large, boxy truck arrive. The squad was moved to allow the truck to enter, coming to a stop just outside her house.

Grayson nodded at the guy who climbed out from behind the wheel. Then he crossed over to open her door. "Come with me, Eve. You can't stay here in the blast zone."

She slid out of the car and stood on shaky legs. With a firm hand on her arm, Grayson led her down the street to where the police cruiser was parked across the road.

"I'd like you to stay behind the cars, okay?" He searched her gaze for a moment. "You'll be safe here."

She nodded, although she wasn't sure that was true. All the police officers had helmets and other padded protective gear on now, covering them from head to toe.

"I have spare gear she can use," a tall blond-haired man with captain bars on his sleeves said. "And if she's the target, one of us needs to stay with her."

She caught the brief hesitation, before Grayson said, "I'll stay, Rhy. No worries."

The man called Rhy rummaged in the trunk of a squad. Moments later, she had a helmet on her head and a thick padded vest covering her white lab coat. She probably looked ridiculous, but no one was laughing.

Especially not her.

After Rhy left, she glanced at Grayson. "How does the robot work?"

"Gully is the master of Dottie's controls. I didn't see a timer on the device, so I believe that was one rigged to go off when you used your computer."

Her eyes widened in horror. "They can do that?"

"Yes." Grayson put his arm around her shoulder. "But don't worry, Gully and Dottie can handle it. The device is pretty basic really. And the fact that there's no timer attached is an added bonus. This should be a piece of cake."

Again, she wasn't convinced, but there was no point in anticipating the worst-case scenario. The neighborhood had been evacuated, and the officers working nearby were well protected.

Still, she silently prayed as a squat robotic device was sent through her front door. She clasped her hands together tightly, holding her breath as the man standing behind a large computer monitor with what appeared to be a giant remote control went to work. She would have liked to see how he manipulated the robot but knew Grayson wouldn't let her that close.

"How long will this take?" she asked.

Grayson shrugged. "Depends. Gully doesn't like to rush things. Dottie is a pricey piece of equipment, and we already lost one robot. Gully won't do anything rash with Dottie."

"You lost a robot in an explosion?" She stared at him. "That's terrible."

"A different case," Grayson said hastily. "That device was behind a locked mailbox, so we had no way of knowing it was on a timer."

She shivered despite the warm June sun beating down on them. Obviously, she knew police officers put their lives on the line for others. But this scene playing out before her only emphasized how dangerous Grayson's job was.

Grayson had women tripping over themselves to date him back in high school, and she was certain that hadn't changed much over the years. He was still devastatingly attractive, and women generally flocked to a man in uniform. Much like the cheerleaders had fallen all over the quarterback of their high school football team.

He wasn't wearing a wedding ring, but many men didn't. Besides, Grayson's marital status was none of her business.

"Come on, Gully," Grayson muttered under his breath. "You can do this."

She stared at the front door of her house, wondering if the robot, Dottie, would come out holding the device. The minutes ticked by with excruciating slowness. She was about to say something when Gully lifted his hand in a fist.

"He's neutralized the device!" For all his confidence, Grayson sounded relieved. "Stay here. I'll be right back."

"Wait, where are you...?" But it was too late. Grayson was already halfway down the street, joining Rhy and Joe near Gully and his computer screen. Then to her horror, Grayson picked up a large black box and headed up the sidewalk to go inside her house.

Alone? They'd let him go inside without backup?

Her heart lodged in her throat as she imagined the bomb detonating because Gully and Dottie had made a mistake.

After another long fifteen minutes, Grayson emerged from the doorway, still carrying the black box. She belatedly realized he'd put the defused bomb inside. He carefully set the box inside the large truck, then backed away, a relieved grin creasing his features.

He'd done it. She leaned against the squad, willing her pulse to slow down. It was over, and even better, no one had gotten hurt.

Except it wasn't over. Not really. Not until they uncovered who had planted and detonated those horrible devices.

And why.

* * *

Grayson stood back,waiting for Gully to maneuver Dottie out of Eve's house and back into the bomb truck.

Now that Eve's house had been secured, he wanted to return to the research institute to find out more about what had transpired there. He glanced over to where Eve leaned against the squad, still wearing her protective gear.

The bomber had not only taken out her office at the research institute, but had also placed a second device in her home. This guy knew her schedule and her routine. The bomb hadn't been set beneath her bed or anywhere else, just in her home office.

This was definitely about her research and her work as a molecular biologist.

"Good job." Rhy clapped him on the shoulder.

"Thanks. But you're the one who taught me everything I know," Grayson pointed out.

"True." Rhy grinned, then sobered. "The doc is in danger. We need to find a way to keep her safe until we can get to the bottom of this."

"Yeah, I know." He couldn't help glancing toward Eve. "I need to interview her in more detail. She mentioned a couple of coworkers, a former boyfriend, and extremist groups. But I keep thinking there's more to this than we realize."

"Follow your gut," Rhy said. "You seem to have a rapport with her, so take the lead on this."

"I—well, I wouldn't say we have a rapport, but we did attend the same high school. She graduated at sixteen, so I'm not surprised she's achieved a doctorate degree by now."

"High school?" Rhy grinned again. "I bet you were the most popular kid in your class."

"Only with the girls," Grayson shot back. Because it was true, even though he didn't act on that attraction anymore. It was still too painful to think about. The rest of the team teased him about why he didn't have a steady girlfriend, and he played along, rather than telling them the truth.

"Well, put that charm of yours to good use on the pretty doc and figure out what we need to know," Rhy said.

"I'll take her to the precinct." Grayson didn't bother to point out that the pretty doc—as Rhy called her—was immune to his charm.

"Maybe you should let her take some personal items to go to a hotel," Rhy suggested. "She can't stay here; this guy has already gotten inside once. He'll no doubt try again."

He didn't like the idea of staying in a hotel with Eve, but Rhy was right about the fact that she couldn't stay here. "Fine. I'll take her to the American Lodge."

"Sounds good." Rhy turned away, then glanced at him over his shoulder. "Call me when you have something to go on."

"Will do." He sighed, then turned to join Eve. He pasted a reassuring smile on his face. "We can get you out of that gear now."

"Okay." She took the helmet off first, running her fingers through her chestnut-brown hair. "Thanks. It's hot. I feel bad that you guys have to wear all this in the heat of summer."

"I'm used to it." He took the items from her and stored them in the back of Rhy's vehicle. "I'm going to take you inside so you can pack a suitcase."

She scowled. "Why? You took the bomb out. I should be able to stay here."

"How did this guy get inside?" He kept his tone calm.

"How should I know?" she countered.

"That's the point, Eve. He knows where you live and where you work. He likely knows you drive a bright-blue SUV that can be seen from a mile away. You can't stay here. So please, pack a bag and come with me."

Her agonized expression spoke volumes, but she silently nodded and walked with him to her front door. Once they were inside, she didn't go straight to the master suite, though. She went into her office.

He followed, watching in surprise as she began gathering her papers and sticky notes together. "What are you doing?"

"I can't leave these here." She shot him a look of exasperation. "This was why he planted the bomb here, right? Because he intended to destroy my research? I need to pack it all together, especially now that I've lost everything in my office."

With a sympathetic wince, he nodded. "Okay. Can I help?"

"No." Her voice was thick as if she were on the verge of tears. "I'll take care of it."

He stepped back, giving her some privacy. He could understand why she was upset. He moved back into the living room and pulled out his phone to call the American Lodge.

"American Lodge, this is Gary," a deep voice answered.

"Hey, it's Grayson Clark with Rhy's tactical team." Gary Campbell was a former firefighter who was injured in the line of duty. He bought the motel and did a decent business there. He also offered police and firefighters a discount on rooms. Truth be told, the tactical team used Gary's services often. "I need a set of connecting rooms."

"I have the two rooms on the second floor that you can use for a few days," Gary confirmed. "But the motel is booked solid over the weekend."

Today was Tuesday, so they would have the room likely until Friday morning. "I'll take them, thanks."

"You got them," Gary said. "I hope you're not bringing more danger with you, though."

"I'll do my best to make sure we're not followed." Grayson knew Gary's motel had suffered damage in the past, but it had been almost six months since anything had happened there, so he felt better about using it as a hideout. Gary had also installed security cameras last year, which helped.

"I'll hold you to that," Gary joked. "Keys will be waiting for you."

"Thanks. See you soon." He slipped the phone back into his pocket and walked back to the office. To his surprise, Eve had all the paperwork, sticky notes, and the laptop computer itself stashed in her large bag.

"Here, hold this for me." She thrust the bag into his arms. "I'll grab a change of clothes and toiletries."

"Sounds good." The bag weighed a ton, and he wondered how much other stuff she had in there. Knowing Eve, it was all work related.

He admired her passion and dedication to her research. But in looking around her house, he noticed there were only a few personal items. A picture of Eve standing between her parents wearing her doctorate hood and gown. He'd never met her parents, but they appeared older, almost as if they could have been her grandparents.

He didn't remember hearing her talk much about her family. Every time he tried to get to know her on a personal level, she'd turned the conversation back to chemistry. She'd made it her mission to help him understand why they were doing the experiments their teacher assigned and what results they were looking for.

After the first week of school, Grayson had considered dropping the advanced chemistry class. But then he'd been partnered with Eve Shaw, the smartest kid in the entire school. So he'd decided to stick it out. It didn't hurt that she was cute and funny. Along with being smart.

"I'm ready." Eve's voice interrupted his trip down memory lane.

"Great." He reached for the handle of the small suitcase she was rolling behind her. "I'll take that."

"Thank you." She glanced around for a moment, then crossed over to her family graduation photograph. She picked it up and held it close. "I'd like to bring this too."

"Of course." He could hardly begrudge her the memento. "There's room in this bag."

She reached up and tucked the framed photo inside. Her fingers brushed his arm, and he could have sworn an electrical current zapped him. "They died two years ago," she said softly. "My mother died first, as you know, with complications from her poorly controlled diabetes. My father died three months later."

"I'm sorry to hear that." He wanted to reach out to her, but his hands were full.

She nodded and preceded him out of the house. As they headed back down the driveway, she stopped near her bright-blue SUV. "Can I park this in the garage?"

"Yes, that's fine." Jina had already cleared the garage, so he waited for her to pull the blue SUV inside. Then she stepped out and used a push-button code to close the garage door.

He placed her personal items in the back of his squad. The danger was over, but there was still a lot of activity in the area. Mostly his teammates looking for evidence of who had left the bomb behind. The house had been locked when they'd gotten there, so whoever had gained access had managed to make a duplicate house key.

Her former boyfriend Andrew Thomas? Maybe. He had already given the name to Joe and Rhy, but he would try to dig into the guy's background too.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"I'm going to drop this squad at the police station first, then we'll pick up my SUV. From there, we'll head to the American Lodge. We use the place on a regular basis and know the owner. Gary has set aside a pair of connecting rooms."

She nodded. "Okay. But I hope they have internet access. I'll need to work while we're there."

That wasn't a surprise. "There's internet access. And Gary also has security cameras in place. You'll be safe there."

Her brow furrowed, and she gazed blankly out the window for a moment. "I don't understand why this is happening. I haven't hurt anyone, and my research is geared to helping people live long and healthy lives."

"I understand how anxious you are to get to work, but you need to think about every person you've come into contact with over the past few months. Anyone who has seemed envious of your research or upset with you in some way." He reached over to take her hand. "I'm convinced this guy knows you, Eve. He's someone you interacted with and relatively recently. The sooner you give me a list of names to investigate, the better."

"But I don't know anyone who would do this!" Her voice was strained. "I can't imagine anyone hates me enough to kill me!"

"He may hate your research more," he felt compelled to point out. "Killing you might be an added bonus."

"That's sick. Really sick." Her voice had dropped to a whisper.

"Yes, it is. And I'm sorry about that. But you're viewing this as a personal attack, and that is entirely possible. But targeting your work office and your home office tells me it's about the research itself."

"Diabetes research?" She shook her head in exasperation. "That's so inconceivable. Especially when you consider that this same person set two bombs. Not just setting fire to the office itself, but a bomb."

"I know it sounds over the top." He thought for a moment about the experiments they'd done in their chemistry lab. They hadn't made explosives, but they were talking about scientists who knew all about how to make things go boom. "Let's try this from another angle, then. What about professional jealousy? Is there some sort of hierarchy in place at the research institute? Anyone whose toes you stepped on recently?"

"Yes, the world of academia has a worse hierarchy system than most. Promotions are granted based on research papers and expertise in the lab. I was recently promoted to a full professor."

His pulse kicked up at that. "What were you before, a junior professor?"

She cracked a wan smile. "We call it associate professor. And there's also an adjunct professor, but that's more for those medical doctors who are also doing research."

"Are you telling me that you were promoted over a bunch of older guys?" he asked, trying to clarify the situation.

"Yes, exactly. I was one of six associate professors in my field of study until I was promoted. Now there are five associate professors, and each of them has been working on their research for several years longer than I was." She shrugged. "I guess they might have a reason to be jealous."

"See? This is exactly what I'm talking about. You just mentioned five possible suspects." He felt certain they were onto something. Jealousy was the sort of emotion that could eat at a person over time until it became an obsession. "I need their names along with any others who have reason to be jealous or upset with you."

"Okay, I'll write down their names for you." She shot him an exasperated look. "But I can't imagine any of them setting a bomb in my office and in my home. That's a big step beyond rational."

"That's because you don't live in a world of violence like I do." He pulled into the parking lot of the precinct and turned to face her. "People can look and act normal up until the time that something pushes them over the edge." He reached for her hand again and felt the same zing of attraction. Wrong time, wrong place, wrong woman, he thought with a flash of annoyance. He didn't need this right now. With an effort, he thrust the weird awareness between them aside to focus on the present. "Please, Eve. I need you to trust me on this."

She searched his gaze for a long moment before nodding. "Okay, you have a point about the fact that I've lived a sheltered life. Yet it doesn't make sense that any of my colleagues would blow up the lab, impacting their own research too."

That much was true. "Still, jealousy and anger can be a powerful motivator."

"Okay." She glanced up, her gray eyes intense. "And you should know that I do trust you, Grayson. More than anyone else."

"Good." He shouldn't have been so thrilled at her steadfast belief in him and his abilities.

Or so scared.

He realized he was in the same situation several of his teammates had been in over the past few months. Protecting an innocent woman from a crazy bomb-setting killer was an overwhelming responsibility.

And he could only pray he didn't fail in his job of keeping Eve safe.