“No more than we expected. ” Mac wrapped both arms around Keiley, holding her closer, wishing he could shelter her from all of the nastiness of the world. “He’s never left evidence lying around before. ”
“He’s never moved this fast, either,” the director pointed out. “You’ve made him angry, Mac. Be careful. ”
“Always, sir. ” Mac nodded, feeling Keiley’s nails biting into his arm as the director turned and left the house, followed closely by Heinagen and Sheffield.
“I don’t want to go to that stupid meeting,” Keiley snapped as the door closed behind the last agent.
She pulled herself from Mac’s arms, turning on him angrily and glaring back at him.
“We’re going to the meeting, Keiley. ” Mac’s voice was firm, that commanding firmness that made her so crazy. That said he had made up his mind and that was that.
“This is insane, Mac. He’s out there waiting on us. You know he is. ” She turned to Jethro for help. “Talk to him. ”
“I have, darlin’, and I agree with him. ”
No help there. She felt her upper lip tremble, just a bit, that little movement that Mac always teased her over as a being a twitch. He claimed he was wary of it, but looking in his eyes at the moment, she saw no wariness, not so much as a hint of weakness.
“What if he gets in the house?” She looked from Mac to Jethro. “There’s no one here to protect the house. He could be waiting in any room when we arrive. ”
Mac leaned close, his lips settling at her ear. “If he shows up, if anyone is in the house, then we’ll know it. And we’ll have him. ”
She jerked back, staring up at him in surprise.
“Shh,” he warned with a grin, dropping a kiss to her lips. “I’ll explain later sweetheart. ” Then he turned to Jethro. “Get us a jacket, Jethro. Let’s head out of here and give Delia Staten something to gossip about. ” Keiley didn’t like the vengeful light she saw glittering in his eyes then.
“Mac, what kind of game are you playing?” she whispered.
“One that I know how to win. ” That assurance made her stomach tighten with nerves. “I promise you, sweetheart, this is a game I surely know how to win. ”
21
Explaining the particulars to Keiley hadn’t been easy. As they drove to the Staten mansion, Mac outlined the silent alarms he had set in each doorway of the house. The motion-activated alarms were silent and programmed to notify the handheld sensor he carried with him.
Mac had designed the alarm system himself in the event that one of his cases ever managed to follow him. The handheld sensor would track anyone in the house from room to room, showing entry and exit as well the path taken. Other sensors tracked body heat through each room, while still others would trigger an alarm for any electronic explosives set.
The security system was one of the greatest expenses of the complete renovation that Mac had done to the house after his father’s death.
That didn’t mean Keiley was in the least bit happy with his plans. As he pulled into the circular driveway of the Staten mansion she was coldly silent, disapproving, and, he knew, frightened.
“I don’t like this game, Mac,” she told him as she opened her door, her gaze swinging to the backseat of the pickup truck where Jethro lounged with lazy abandon. “You’re risking yourself, and that’s not acceptable. ”
“What would you suggest, then?” he asked her, laying his forearms on the wheel and turning his head to stare back at her. “Why don’t we run, Keiley? We’ll sell the farm, set up somewhere else and wait on him to find us again. How does that suit you?”
“Don’t be a smartass, Mac. ”
“I’m just being honest. We have to stop here. He’ll only follow us if we don’t. ”
Her upper lip twitched. That made twice. He was in for it later and he knew it. The minute it was safe for her to tear into him, then his little wife was going to skin him alive. It made for some great sex later, but he was well aware of the fact that right now, Keiley was hurt, confused, and angry. And that wasn’t what he had ever wanted their life to be.
“Keiley. ”
Mac’s gaze shifted behind her to where Jethro sat forward on the backseat.
“What, Jethro?” she snapped back, though her gaze stayed on Mac’s.
“Remember when I told you I didn’t have a problem not letting you have your way?”
Mac watched her delicate nostrils flare as she shifted her gaze back to Jethro.