“If she’s not under arrest, how long are you going to keep us here?” He couldn’t help the tone of command in his voice—he’d been a marine too long to break the habit.
The two FBI agents glanced at each other, then back at Shane, and the one who appeared to be the man in charge smiled briefly. “Not much longer. We’re just waiting on the results of the ballistics and GSR tests,” he said, referring to those done on the rifle and Carly’s .22 as well as his own Beretta, and the gunshot residue tests on both shooters—Carly and the sniper—and him. His weapon hadn’t been fired, and there were plenty of witnesses to back up his story, but the FBI had to go through its complete routine—too many trials had been lost because something hadn’t been tested.
“Has the sniper said anything?”
“Not so far. He’s standing mute, but he hasn’t asked for a lawyer yet, which makes me hopeful. I think he’s weighing his options.”
“Have you identified him?”
Again the two FBI agents shared a look. “Marsh Anderson. Does the name ring a bell?” When Shane shook his head, the agent said, “Retired military. Navy SEAL. Chest full of medals, too.”
Shane grimaced. “Damn.”
“Yeah. This isn’t going to go over well in the press.”
The grimace morphed into a faint smile. “I happen to know a hell of an investigative reporter who can put the right spin on the story if you want. Especially seeing as how she’s the one who took a rogue former Navy SEAL down.”
* * *
Carly was still shaking inside, but she was sure her interrogators would never know it from the calm way she answered their questions. And no one—not even Shane—would ever know the desperate fear that had gripped her when the sniper had stood, shrugged off his raincoat and pulled his rifle up in one smooth move. And she’d known in an instant it was him—the man she’d seen in Phoenix. No hat. No beard. But she’d known.
And no one would ever know the despair that had swamped her when she’d thought she was a split second too late. When the sniper had taken aim at Shane and fired before she could pull the trigger.
But then Shane had reached her, alive and whole, wrapping his sheltering arms around her and she could breathe again—she hadn’t been too late after all.
This time the man she loved hadn’t died.
* * *
Shane, Carly and Niall were enjoying a little R & R in Niall’s condo late that night. At first Carly had wanted to go home to her town house, but Shane had reminded her they still had clothes at his brother’s place. “Besides,” he told her, “just because the hit man has been caught, doesn’t mean I’m entirely in the clear. Not until Tuesday’s vote.” Her immediate concerned reaction and insistence they return to the safety of Niall’s home had been music to his ears—Carly cared. A lot.
Shane had made a pot of coffee for Carly, and she was curled up next to him on the sofa, sipping her favorite beverage. Every so often she rested her head against his shoulder, and every time she did that, his arm tightened around her. He would never forget those terror-filled moments this afternoon, when he thought he might not reach her in time.
In the recliner across from them, Niall stretched his arms above his head, then rolled his shoulders as if to remove the kinks, before leaning back and saying, “I’m not sure if I should tell you...”
Shane wasn’t really paying attention to his brother. He was looking at Carly, at the gentle sweep of her dark hair, the delicate curve of her cheek. He was thinking about how soft and warm she felt beside him, the way her breasts rose and fell with her breathing. Quietly exulting that she was alive, which meant he could go on living, too. But he replied absently, “Tell us what?”
A tiny smile played over Niall’s lips. “That all the heroics this afternoon weren’t necessary.”
Carly took another sip of her coffee. “What do you mean?”
“In addition to the FBI agents staking out Adams Hall, who I called in just as we planned, there were no real bullets in Marsh Anderson’s sniper rifle.”
“What?” Shane’s attention was jerked away from Carly onto Niall, and he sat up straight, bringing Carly with him. “I heard the—”