Page 62 of Fire and Rain
Santee stepped back, let him inside.
Two Coast Guard police officers he recognized stood near the table, where a large laptop sat running some kind of program. A shotgun he recognized as Eden’s leaned up against the wall beside the table. What the hell had happened?
“Hey, Vasquez. Hey, Briggs.” Sean dropped his duffel by the door just as Eden stepped into his arms. “Are you okay? Where’s Mavie?”
It felt too damned good to hold her.
She stepped back, and he saw lines of stress on her pretty face. “I’m fine. Mavie’s asleep. I’m so glad you’re here.”
She quickly brought him up to date about the threatening messages. “Agent Santee wanted me to unblock the number to see if he’d call so they could trace his location. So far, no calls. Just more threatening messages.”
“We were just about to wrap up here.” Santee walked back to the table, closed a laptop. “I’ve gotten what I can from your phone, Eden. I’ve cloned it, which means that I’ll be able to monitor your calls, texts, and voicemail. If he calls—we’re assuming it’s ahe—we’ll do our best to pinpoint his position. We’ll know exactly what he’s saying to you.”
“But that means I can’t block the number, right?”
“You can turn off your phone or give it to me to keep temporarily and get something cheap with a new number if that makes you feel safer. We’ll still get any calls or texts. Here’s my card. Call if you have any questions. I’m sorry this happened, but we’ll do all we can to keep you and your family safe. Hopefully, we’ll have this wrapped up in a few weeks.”
Eden took the card. “Thank you.”
Vasquez also handed Eden a card. “We’ll set up extra patrols of the neighborhood. In the meantime, I suggest you stay close to base. Don’t go anywhere alone, and that includes going out on the water.”
Eden shook their hands. “Thank you all.”
Briggs moved toward the door. “Sorry for your trouble, ma’am. McKenna.”
Then Sean and Eden were alone.
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“I thought you’d be asleep. How did you hear?”
“Spurrier was in Walcott’s office when base security notified him.”
She glanced at his duffel bag. “Is that your gear?”
“I thought I’d stay the night—if that’s okay.” He glanced at the shotgun. “I know you can defend yourself, but I don’t want you to be alone.”
“Of course, you can stay. And thanks.”
“I’m so sorry this happened, Eden.” He wanted to rip the man’s lungs out through his ass. “I have no doubt that CGIS will find him.”
She nodded, but he could see worry in her eyes. “Are you hungry?”
He shook his head. “I’d just like to look around outside, make sure everything is locked tight, and then hit the rack. I can sleep on the sofa.”
She smiled. “You’ve done that more than a few times. I’ll get it ready.”
Sean took his firearm out of his bag, slipped it into his pocket holster.
“You came ready to play rough.”
“Better ready than sorry.” He walked outside and made his way around the house, which was actually a duplex with living quarters separated by garages. He checked her windows, the garage door and looked for any sign that anyone was around.
Nothing.
Back inside, he found a sheet covering the sofa. Two pillows were stacked at one end, and a blanket was neatly folded at the other.
Eden appeared, wearing her bathrobe. “Can I get you anything else?”
