Cowboy In The Crossfire(33)

Blake's admonishments filtered through her mind. Why hadn't Vince sent them away? Why had he kept them close?

She knew the answer. All too well. He hadn't wanted to be just like their parents. There, but not there.

She shifted, getting ready to drop to the ground.

"Wait for me," Blake called.

He vaulted onto the wall and sat beside her. "We take this slow and easy. We'll have to break in, unless you have a key. Is there an alarm?"

"It wasn't armed when I left. And there's a key under the planter. Vince stowed it there when I locked myself out one night after a late shift."

"One less thing to worry about."

He jumped down to the yard, his boots sinking into the ice-covered grass, turned and held his arms up to Amanda. She slid down the rough cinder-block, sliding down his body, her breasts pressing against his chest. Her breath caught and she looked into his eyes. They warmed slightly before the heat melted away. He set her aside.

"Just because we haven't seen anyone doesn't mean they're not checking out the place. I'm going in first. Don't follow until I motion to you. If something happens, get back to the plane. Logan will help you and Ethan disappear."

Blake pulled out his weapon. Amanda tensed as he ran across the lawn, half expecting a gunshot to come from nowhere. Once he'd navigated the backyard, he retrieved the key, unlocked the door, and after a few cautious seconds disappeared inside.

Her heart beat fast, worry for Blake contracting every muscle. She didn't know how long she waited. Every second felt like an hour. She shivered and rubbed her arms as the cold seeped in. The sun wasn't as intense here, and the coat didn't keep out the cold. Where was he? Had someone been in the house? What if something had happened to him? They never should've come here. Never should've tried to fight the inevitable.

Suddenly, Blake's broad shoulders stepped onto the patio. He raced back to her. "Come with me," he said.

He placed himself between her and the side of the wall unprotected by trees and held out his hand. She grasped him, his touch warming her from the inside. Together, they raced to the house and plunged inside.

She gasped at the mess. The kitchen had been ransacked. Plates broken. Every container upended. Every cupboard open.

"Why?"

"They don't know what they're looking for, either," Blake said.

"They trashed the entire house? Even Ethan's room?"

"Not much to salvage. I'm sorry."

Blake rubbed her back in comfort, even as her heart broke. Not a drawer left untouched.

"It'll take too long to find anything," she said softly. "We won't have room to take much anyway."

"After we nail these guys, you'll have time."

Blake crossed his arms, his stance positive and unwavering. She couldn't help but admire his confidence, standing in the midst of a battle scene. She didn't see the hope. She saw destruction and anger that she had to protect Ethan from.

"So, they pretty much rifled through the obvious. If they'd found it, I don't think they'd ever have come to Carder."

"Unless they found something pointing to you," Amanda said.

"Good thought. Except Vince didn't send me anything." Blake paused and scratched his chin. "So now, we search the unobvious."

Amanda stepped from the kitchen into the dining room and couldn't keep the dismayed gasp from escaping. The few things she'd been able to keep of her mother's--a tea set, a picture frame, a small wooden box of keepsakes--were all smashed on the floor.

She clutched at her chest. She couldn't bring up one memory of her and her mother together, but Amanda had always dreamed. One day, she'd have had a place where that tea set, that picture frame would be safe, secure, at home.

"Gone. It's all gone."

Her emotions overwhelmed, she turned away from the destruction, only to land in Blake's arms. He wrapped her tight and stroked the back of her head. He said nothing, but the hard muscles of his chest, the strength of his arms comforted her. She wouldn't let herself cry. She couldn't afford the indulgence of emotions. She pushed him away.

"I'm fine." She walked past Vince's office, where she'd found him, and paused, her body tensing, afraid to see the empty shell that was her brother yet again.

She took a deep breath and stepped across the threshold.

"He's not there," Blake said. "No blood that I could see. They may have left traces, but they cleaned up."

"Vince wouldn't have left anything in his office," she said. "He hardly ever went in there."

"Where did he spend most of his time?"

"With Ethan. If he got home early enough, he'd tell Ethan stories. Ethan would smile and say they talked about guy stuff."

"Then we try Ethan's room."

They trudged up the stairs and pushed open his room. The destruction was less. Even some of Ethan's toys were untouched.

"Odd," Blake said.

"I'm just thankful," Amanda countered. She walked in and sat on the bed. "Maybe I can find a toy or two so Ethan won't be so--"

Her voice trailed off, and she sniffed in the air. "Do you smell something?"

Blake paused. They looked at each other.