“Good question.” Shane’s gaze went to the stairs. “What’s up there?”
“Everything.”
“I’m not sure what that means, but I’ll check it out.” Shane’s sneaker hit the bottom step just as the back door flew open.
Makena felt the punch of warm air at her back. She meant to pivot, but an arm wrapped around her neck and yanked her body back. A gun appeared right by her head and aimed at Shane. Not that it shook him. He maintained a fighting stance only a few feet away, as if daring the attacker to shoot.
“Who are you?”
The male voice whizzed by Makena’s ear and she nearly collapsed in relief. She recognized their guest, only he wasn’t that. “You’re okay.”
Shane didn’t even twitch. “Let her go or I will put you down.”
The band around her throat eased, but she didn’t step away. Not until she made sure Shane didn’t put a hole in the guy. It was his house after all. “Shane, it’s fine.”
Tyler frowned. “Who are you?”
“The guy who is going to shoot you if you don’t stand away from Makena.”
There were too many armed men in the room. Last thing she needed was to step into the middle of a battle between these two. She held up both hands. “Okay, let’s all calm down.”
Tyler stared at Shane for another second before turning to her. “He’s a friend of yours?”
That struck her as the wrong word, but now was not the time for that debate. “Yes. Tyler, this is Shane. Shane, this is the guy we’re looking for.”
Tyler finally lowered his gun. “No one should be looking for me.”
Shane didn’t reciprocate. “Too late.”
* * *
SHANE HATED TYLER COWLS on sight.
Shane had expected an older man, an off-the-grid oddball type. Instead, he got a guy in the suburbs. Not some wild-haired conspiracy guy. No, Tyler was about Shane’s age. Probably considered objectively good-looking with a serious staring problem, because his gaze followed Makena wherever she went.
Much more of that and Shane would punch the guy.
“Did you recognize the attackers?” Tyler circled his kitchen table and handed a water bottle to Makena before putting one in front of Shane.
“Thank you.” She shook her head. “But no.”
Shane continued to size up the other man. He had a name and now could start the team on a full investigation. If Tyler had a secret, Shane would find it.
In the meantime, they had a series of kidnappings and break-ins to resolve. “Petty criminal types.”
Tyler stopped staring at Makena long enough to turn to Shane. “Tell me what you do again.”
Shane really didn’t like this guy. “I never told you the first time.”
“Shane.” The chair screeched across the floor as Makena pulled it closer to the table.
He bit back the wince when her heel slammed down on his foot. Fine. Message received. He could play nice on the surface while he ripped the guy’s life apart behind the scenes.
“Recon work.” He glared at Makena, letting her know that move wouldn’t always work, before turning back to Tyler. “You’re not asking about the break-in here. You don’t even seem concerned.”
“I saw the attacker coming, locked away what I could and escaped out the window.” Tyler pulled out a tablet and swiped his finger across the screen a few times. He turned it and laid it in front of Shane. “I like to be prepared.”
Shane stared at the screen with reluctant admiration. Tyler had a security system that rivaled Corcoran’s. Interesting choice for a guy who used to fly planes. “This is quite a setup.”
“The people we expose are not happy to be found out.” Tyler drew out the moment by taking a long drink of water and leaning back in his chair. “So I’m careful.”
Makena lifted her hand. “Don’t say it.”
That was where Shane’s mind had gone. Here Tyler sat in his house, all locked up with escape contingencies ready and a surveillance system that prepared him for the worst. Makena had a dead bolt on the door. Little did she understand how easy it was to break one of those.
But that was a discussion for another time...and they would have it. No way would he stand for her living without protection from now on. He didn’t know what he wanted to install, but he’d figure out something.
“Which brings us back to the attacks on Makena.” That was Shane’s main concern. His only one, actually. If Tyler wanted to wallow in danger, fine, but he could not drag her down with him.
Tyler sneaked the hundredth peek at Makena. “I’d look at Jeff Horvath. Frank might have some other ideas.”