Chapter 9

CHAPTER

NINE

Heidi heard the brisk knock at her door and slammed her laptop closed.

Her heart raced, almost as if she'd been caught doing something wrong.

But she hadn't been. She'd simply been reading a message from Monarch.

Her head still spun from what he'd said.

He was trying to get in touch with Rafferty, but the man wasn't answering his phone. He wanted Heidi's help to contact him. He'd written: Tell him it's about the commander.

The commander? Who was the commander?

She didn't respond. Not yet.

She'd contact Rafferty first and see what he wanted her to say.

The knock sounded again.

Her attention shifted to the door.

Who was there? Was it Stephen? Hope filled her for a moment.

Then she heard, "Heidi. It's me, Donald. Open up."

A lump formed in her throat.

Donald? The man had always given her the creeps. There was something about the way he looked at her that left her uneasy.

And now he was here.

Should she open the door for him? Was it even safe for her to do so?

He rammed his fist into the wood again, and Heidi hated the fact he was making a scene. The last thing she wanted was any more attention to be drawn to her.

She quickly rose from her seat and rushed to the door. As she grasped the handle, she hesitated another moment. Then she drew in a deep breath to pull herself together and opened it.

Donald's lips quirked in annoyance as he stared at her with his bloodshot eyes.

He clearly hadn't gotten much sleep last night.

Or maybe he had a hangover. Rafferty had reprimanded him several times about drinking too much. Maybe that explained why his skin looked so fleshy and pale and why, despite the fact he was fit, he still had a pudge at his midsection.

"Is everything okay?" She was sure to keep her cool.

Without invitation, he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "We gotta get out of here."

Her hands went to her hips. "What do you mean, we have to get out of here?"

"Rafferty said it's not safe for you to stay here anymore."

Panic raced through her. "Why? What's happening?"

"We don't know if the person who killed Beau is going to come back here and try to finish what he started. We need to get you somewhere safe."

"Where would we go?" Her heart thumped harder in her chest. She couldn't stand the thought of going anywhere with Donald. She didn't trust the man.

"I don't know. Rafferty is going to send me the address. I'm just doing what he said."

"Why didn't he tell me himself?" She was stalling for time, wasn't she?

She hadn't even realized what she was doing, but it made sense. Though . . . she wasn't sure how stalling would help. Was she hoping Stephen would magically show up and step in?

She only had herself to depend on right now. She needed to get any other ideas out of her head.

Donald snorted. "Who do I look like? A mind reader? You know Rafferty. He says to do something, and he expects you to do it. No questions asked. That's why I'm here right now."

Heidi couldn't deny his words. That was the way that Rafferty worked.

But she couldn't bring herself to move. Maybe her home wasn't safe, but it was her home. Besides, if things went south, how would Stephen find her? She'd be on her own.

She liked having options.

Donald let out a long sigh. "I don't know why you're standing there. Go get an overnight bag together. We need to get out of here."

What should she do? Comply?

Heidi didn't have much choice. If she refused to go, then Rafferty would know something was up. Though he'd never made her feel threatened, she knew what the man was capable of.

If she went with Donald, maybe it would buy her some time.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. "Give me a minute to grab a few things."

As she hurried toward her room, she prayed she didn't regret this.

Stephen's hand remained on the van door.

More than anything, he wanted to rush outside and check on Heidi.

Not because he really knew the woman. Sure, they'd had some fun chatting in the past. Maybe they'd even teased each other on occasion. But that was as far as it had gone.

However, she was clearly the victim here. She'd been looking for a job, and she'd accepted the wrong one. There was no way she could have known what she was getting herself into.

Rafferty had taken advantage of an innocent woman.

Stephen saw the door open.

Donald and Heidi stepped out. Heidi had a small backpack over her shoulder as Donald gripped her arm.

He glanced around as if looking for trouble before escorting her to the Suv parked out front.

As he did, Heidi looked over at the van. Though the windows of the van were tinted, Stephen somehow felt as if she could see him. As if she knew he was there.

Maybe it was foolish. But maybe it wasn't.

"What do you think?" Stephen didn't pull his gaze off Heidi.

"I think we need to follow them," Gage muttered.

"You sure we shouldn't just go stop them before they leave? What if he tries to?—"

"If he tries to do anything, we'll be right behind them," Gage said. "We'll stop it before it happens."

Stephen nodded, knowing his colleague's words were true.

He waited until the car pulled away before cranking the van's engine.

He'd been well trained in tailing people, so he should be able to do this without drawing any attention.

Problem was, so had Donald.

Stephen couldn't let Donald know he was being followed. That would only cause his former colleague to react. Maybe even do something desperate.

Stephen needed to play this carefully—more carefully than he'd ever played anything before.

Lord, please protect Heidi. Don't let anything happen to her. And give me the wisdom to do what I need to do to help.