Assumed Identity(72)
Jake wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her temple. He reached inside the SUV and lay his hand over Robin’s to cup Emma’s cheek. “A person can handle anything if she has love and support in her life.” A hell of a lot better than by isolating oneself from the world, he was learning.
“She’s got you to protect her, right?” Robin nestled her head beneath Jake’s chin and an unexpected warmth filled his chest.
Was this thing real between them? Or was a real relationship, a real family, ever in the cards for a man like him?
“No, honey. She’s got you. She can’t have a stronger, stauncher ally than her mother.”
* * *
JAKE KNEW SOMETHING was wrong as soon as he turned onto the long gravel driveway. Even with the moonless sky and drizzle of rain misting the air, there should be some light beyond the SUV’s high beam headlamps to guide their path. But there was no yard lamp, no security lights, no night-light burning through the kitchen window.
“Power’s out.”
Robin roused herself from where she’d been dozing against the headrest and sat up straight. “I didn’t think the storm was that bad. What time is it?”
“After midnight.”
She pushed the tumbled waves off her face and scanned the countryside with him. “I can’t even see the barn, much less the trees behind it.”
“Or what’s over the next hill on either side of the road.”
He checked the rearview mirror when she looked in the backseat to ensure that Emma was still sleeping. “I’ve got flashlights in the kitchen and bedroom, and camping lanterns in the basement.”
Jake nodded, wishing he could believe that a lightning strike had taken out a local transformer. But he’d been in survival mode for too long to not be suspicious. “I’ve got a flashlight in my go-bag, too.” Instead of pulling around to the garage behind the house, Jake stopped at the sidewalk leading up to the front door. “Let’s get the kid out and put to bed first, and then I’ll go downstairs to double-check that we haven’t thrown a breaker.”
Leaving the headlights on to light their path, they unloaded Emma in record time and dashed up to the porch before they got too wet. Jake peered into the darkness for any signs of movement while Emma pulled out her keys to unlock the door.
“Jake?” He turned around to see the front door floating open. Robin’s key was still in her hand. “I never forget to lock it.”
“Stay behind me.” Something was definitely wrong. And it wasn’t any power outage.
He pulled his Beretta from its ankle holster and nudged the door open. He sniffed the air and picked up a faint scent that was neither perfume nor baby powder. No, this one was more tobacco and man sweat.
Maybe she smelled it, too. “I’ve had a break-in?” she whispered.
“Looks like it.” With one hand clutching the back of his shirt and the other holding Emma’s carrier between them, Robin followed Jake through the living room into the kitchen. There were no other signs of broken windows or forced locks. Her CD stereo system was still on its shelf; a small television sat on the kitchen counter. “It’s not a robbery.”
“Then what? Someone getting out of the rain?” They paused for her to get a flashlight and hand it to Jake. Crossing the gun and flashlight at his wrists, Jake led a quick search through the rest of the main floor, ending up in the family room, where the quilt from this morning still lay in a clump at one end of the sofa. “I thought these threats against Emma and me were done.”
“They are. The Housemans aren’t going to bother you anymore.” His stomach fisted in his gut. “This is about me. I’m sorry, honey. I think my nightmare followed me here.”
She moved up beside him. “How do you know?”
“That.” He pointed the beam of the flashlight at the square coffee table and heard her gasp.
Jake’s fake passports and IDs were spread neatly across the top of the coffee table. In the middle of them all, the intruder had carved a symbol into the dark wood and jammed the knife he’d most likely used into the middle of it.
Robin’s fingers pinched into his forearm. “What does that mean?”
Jake didn’t know, but he had a feeling the capital G with all the extra curlicues wasn’t anything good. “Give me the kid.” He hoisted the carrier in one hand and nodded to the front door. “Let’s get out of here.”