Ashfall (4 page)

Yeah, the guy is a nut ball
. She could wait him out. Eventually he’d give up. Then six other men came into view behind Creepy Guy. They didn’t look like thugs, but like everyday, general men she’d see mowing their lawns or guys playing basketball on a Sunday in the neighborhood. One forty-something was wearing a suit and tie, for heaven’s sake. The others looked very young. Late teens maybe or early twenties. Caucasian males with black hoodies and those stupid-looking baggy jeans that threatened to fall off their asses at any time. How the hell had they entered the property? Obviously the same way Creepy Guy had gotten in. Her muscles tightened and her breath shortened.

“Hey there, man,” the guy in the suit said. “What’s going on?”

Would he be a voice of reason for the rest of them? She could only hope.

One of the thug kids slipped the hoody off his blond head. He looked no older than sixteen, but she couldn’t say for certain. “Is this where the rich lady lives? We heard about her on television.”

Creepy Guy smiled. “Yeah, but I get first crack at her.”

“Crack at her? Are you doing a home invasion?” the guy in the suit asked.

“Yep. She deserves to give us her stuff,” one of the other boys said.

His companions joined the chorus in agreement with laughing and jeering.

“Shit,” Mally said under her breath. “Shit, shit, shit.”

Creepy Guy lifted his long gun, backed up and fired at the door.

Mally flinched at the booming sound, but stayed where she was as the bullet bounced off the steel door. Tension gathered tight and hot in her stomach as the threat outside went into high gear. Again and again he peppered the door with bullets, and she wondered when one would ricochet and hit him. Maybe he was drunk off his ass.

He shot again, and she flinched. The sound was loud despite the heavy door. Her breathing came quicker, her heart starting to bang in her chest. Insecurity squeezed her heart. She had enough firepower in the bunker to do the men outside serious harm, but the thought of using it turned her stomach.

Right then another alarm went off and she understood exactly what the sound meant. Something had gone terribly wrong with the system throughout the compound. Fear shot through her body. If the locks failed, anyone could simply walk right inside.

Damn it.

She turned and ran through the living room and back to the bunker. Once inside, she slammed the door and secured it. If somehow Creepy Guy and the loonies that joined him found their way inside, she’d have to wait him out down here.

Then she heard Rescue248’s urgent voice coming from the office. “Damn it, answer me RomWriter148!”

She rushed to the office and set the Glock on the table. “I’m here.”

“What’s going on?” His question was urgent and deep.

“Creepy Guy who’s been standing outside my gate is somehow at my front door. There’s six other men now with him. He’s shooting at the door right now and the rest of my security system just went down. He could get in at any time.”

“Shit,” he said. “Are you somewhere safe in the house?”

“The bunker.”

“I’m coming for you now,” he said, voice taut with determination.

Another loud noise came from above. “Hold on. I’m switching on the other cameras. I should have thought of this earlier.”

The fact she’d gone all the way upstairs to view the front door camera was stupid when she had screens down here in her office—she felt like an idiot.

She went to the table where six monitors sat and turned them on. Powered up, they showed crystal clear pictures around the property. Creepy Guy threw open the front door and marched inside with the other men right behind him. Her heart leapt right into her throat and threatened to choke her.

She grabbed the radio. “Creepy guy just came in the front door with all his friends.”

“I’m coming for you now,” he repeated.

She closed her eyes and wondered if the madness would ever end. Anarchy seemed right around the corner.

“Mally, stay in the bunker until we get there.”

“We?”

“The streets are still wild enough it isn’t safe for a one-man army. I’m not going across town without a little help from my friends. You say there are six men?”

“Yes. And Creepy Dude has a semi-auto of some sort.”

“No problem.”

She took a shuddering breath. “Look, I don’t want to be responsible for you getting hurt or killed.”

“You’re not responsible for anything I do. I make my own decisions.” His voice went deeper, the husky tone sending a sweet shiver along everything feminine within her. “Worried about me?”

Heat filled her face. “I—look, just don’t get your ass shot off.”

“I won’t. And Mally, don’t leave the bunker until we get there.”

“How will I know it’s you?”

“Got a camera at the front gate?”

“Yes.”

“We’ll be in a black SUV, geared up in full battle rattle. I’ll hold up my identification.”

After he left her with static, she didn’t switch off the radio, half afraid he’d call back and say they weren’t coming and couldn’t spare the resources. She leaned back and closed her eyes. She steadied her nerves, or at least tried. Her heart still hadn’t slowed down, and part of her was thoroughly disgusted with herself for allowing any panic. Creepy Guy was probably drunk, but it didn’t really matter since he’d gotten over the wall and into the house. Was there a weak spot? Nah, that couldn’t be. All that concrete and the fact the wall rose twenty feet high made it unlikely anyone could scale it without climbing equipment. The gate would prove a serious obstacle for one man trying to conquer it because the top featured razor wire.

Still, now that several men invaded the property, she felt more vulnerable and lacking than she ever had before. Her sanctuary was breached. The scary world outside was darker and dangerous.

“Damn,” she said.

That’s when she realized that Rescue248 knew her name, but she didn’t know his.

How much could she trust this guy who knew her name but hadn’t given his?
Battle rattle.
Only people in the military or former military used that type of verbiage. Well, she’d find out soon enough if he was legit.

Despite feeling tired as hell, she kept a close eye on all the cameras. She couldn’t see what the men above were doing. But she could hear the crashes through the audio. She flinched. They had to be wrecking her upstairs.

Just take what you want, assholes, and get out of my world.

But what world did she have now they’d trashed it? Where could she be safe?

For at least fifteen minutes she heard the crashes, the laughing.

“What are you doing up there? Having a bake sale?” she asked under her breath.

It wouldn’t be too much longer before they found the bunker. At least the bunker door was secured manually even when the rest of the system went down. Still, her heart galloped and her breath came faster as her predicament hit her full in the face.

Heart pounding, she looked at the front gate camera and saw a solid black SUV, streaked with dirt and mud, roar up to the gate. A man jumped out of the passenger side front seat. He was a tall figure in all black. Black baseball cap, dark sunglasses, Kevlar vest with pockets all over it, t-shirt, leather gloves, cargo pants and matching combat-type boots. Solid jaw, determined and grim mouth. Five o’clock shadow over olive skin. The baseball cap obscured his hair, but black eyebrows arched just above his sunglasses. He held up a leather wallet to show an identification card. His name and birthdate. Thirty-five years old. She pushed the button that would allow her to talk to him as a combination of wild relief and continuing fear poured through her veins.

“Adam Becker, Sentry Security,” she said, feeling a little dumb saying it out loud for no particular reason. She had a name to go with that gorgeous voice. “You really made it.”

“Hey Mally.” A simple statement, cloaked in that husky and fluid tone that rumbled over her senses in a ridiculously sensual way. He tucked the identification into a pants pocket. “Stay inside the bunker until we disable these boneheads.” His voice demanded no argument. “We’re ready to clean up this mess.”

With that he jumped back into the SUV and it pulled rapidly through the gate. She saw it park close to the front door. Adam and two other men spilled out and entered the front door with moves she’d only seen military men make when clearing an area.

She gripped the weapon in her right hand. Muscles tightened across the back of her neck and shoulders. Mally felt like she might crack as she listened to the action on the audio.

“Hands up!” another distinctively husky, deep male voice said out of the range of the camera.

The suit man and the blond kid held up their hands in surrender.

“Hey man,” one of Creepy Dude’s friends said, “you should help us, not arrest us, pigs.”

“Wrong agency, you ass,” said a voice with a distinctive Scottish accent.

“Get the fuck outta here!” Creepy Dude said at the top of his voice.

“Put it down before you get hurt!” Adam’s voice broke through the silence.

“Fuck you!” Creepy Guy’s voice crackled with hostility.

Mally’s throat felt like it was closing as tension tightened her body.

She heard someone roar, yelling at the top of his lungs. Shouts. Grunts. Sounds of fighting. She couldn’t see a damned thing as they fought outside the camera angle. Finally the sounds decreased, and she was pretty sure the three security men had taken down the invaders.

Adam’s voice shouted, “Mally, if you can hear me, it’s okay. We’ve got them.”

Relief spilled over inside her all over again, but her hands shook.
Screw this.
She wasn’t staying in here any longer.

She rushed to the bunker door with her weapon still in hand. She opened the door and took the stairs slowly. When she reached the living room and open kitchen area the devastation was obvious. Everything was trashed. Tables overturned, furniture shattered. Food lay in a mess all over the kitchen counters and floors.

“Oh, damn,” she said.

Adam didn’t look up as he kept his full attention on the man he pinned to the ground. A second man stood close by, a semi-automatic rifle in his hands but pointed away from Creepy Guy for the moment. Yet another guy stood near with firepower, decked out in the same military-like clothing. All three men looked loaded for bear and ready for anything. A weird, curious excitement twisted in Mally’s belly at the same time undeniable fear prickled and stung. Her skin turned to goosebumps.

Adam leaned down close to the guy’s ear. “What’s your name, sport?”

Creepy Guy was panting, as if he’d run out of breath. “Bob. Bob Tanner.”

“Well, Bob Tanner, my friend Mally tells me you’ve been stalking her.”

“No,” the guy said, a whiny tone in his voice. “I don’t stalk women. But she’s one of the rich. She needs to open her house to everyone!”

Adam sniffed. “You stink. You been drinking?”

“Yeah.”

Adam cleared his throat. “Figures. I don’t care if you think she’s rich or not…she’s a human being. Second, you don’t threaten to hurt a woman. If I ever find out that you’ve put your hand on a woman in anger, I’ll hunt you down myself.”

“And I’ll help him break your legs, got it?” the dark-haired man to Adam’s left said.

The man standing to Adam’s right spoke with that Scottish accent. “I’m pretty skilled at cracking skulls and I don’t like men who abuse women.”

Adam continued with, “Now, get out of here and promise never to come near Mally again, and we won’t have to kill you. Hear me?”

His voice was a rasp so low she barely heard him, but the tone held a menace and self-assured violence.

Adam and the two other men shuffled Tanner out of the house and through the gate. After they’d released the idiot outside the gate, only Adam returned to the front door. The other two men stood outside the still open gate, weapons at the ready. A curious mixture of excitement and caution mingled in her psyche. Whoever Adam Becker really was, he scared the crap out of her in so many ways. Her gaze snagged on his body, and just from the way he moved, from the confidence he displayed, she imagined he was an interesting lover. But which type of lover was he? Uncouth and ruthless, or gentle and accommodating?

Really?
She was thinking about this
now
? She’d officially lost her mind.

He stopped at the front door, a frown still in place, his weapon anchored over his body by a sling. He tucked the thumb on his left hand into his belt. His wide shoulders, muscled biceps and powerful forearms screamed intimidation.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Wonderful.” She knew her comment was laced with sarcasm.

“Can I come in a moment?” he asked quietly.

When she hesitated, he took off his sunglasses and hooked them in the front of his vest. She dared gaze into the darkest brown eyes she’d ever seen. But there was worry and warmth in those eyes, too. Now that his face was entirely revealed, she could see his heritage in his light cocoa skin. His features were craggy in that his nose was a bit sharp and long and his jaw too hard. His mouth was…well, it was just right. Kissable. Embarrassed by the ridiculous and out-of-place fantasizing, she felt her face heating. She jerked her gaze from his.

“Mally, I’m not going to hurt you.” He glanced down at the Glock in her hand. “Hey, you’ve got a weapon. If I pull anything, you can just shoot me.”

She couldn’t smile, the situation was too bizarre and her heart thudded too fast. She backed away to let him inside, and continued into the living room. Feeling a little ridiculous, she took a risk and set her Glock on the coffee table.

He crossed his arms. “Serious heat you’re packing there.”

“Do you blame me?”

“Hell no.”

For a few seconds he said nothing, but then he approached. Her insides trembled, uncertainty gripping her. He drew nearer, and she felt like a deer about to bolt. When he stood close beside her, his attention like a hot brand on her face, she tilted her head slightly back to examine him. He was easily over six feet, and at five foot seven she felt seriously at a disadvantage. In sheer muscle he outweighed her by a sizable amount. She could easily picture him saving other military personnel in his capacity of pararescueman. Right then her legs turned to gelatin. Either Tanner’s intrusion had disturbed her more than she thought, or this man’s mere presence set off a weird reaction.