Christmas Under Fire. Michelle Karl

keep their mouths shut—” She paused with her mouth open, then flicked her gaze up to meet Aaron’s with a look of mild horror. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to unload—”

      “It’s quite all right. I’ve checked all your locks and they’re in good order. I wish I could explain why someone felt comfortable enough to waltz into this place unannounced, but I’m coming up short. My first thought was the person might be a squatter, but if that were the case, why not say something? And surely I’d have noticed some trash or disturbed blankets during my walk-through when we first arrived. I even checked the basement and didn’t notice anything unusual.

      “It’s possible he was a standard home invader, but there aren’t a lot of people in this town right now. We’re going to notice anyone new, and if it was a local, well...my team should have this solved in due course. Rest assured that either myself or another officer will be going door-to-door first thing tomorrow morning and asking if residents have observed anything out of the norm or seen any newcomers lately. Leo is planning to delay his trip to Fort St. Jacob by a few days until it’s dealt with.”

      She sighed and sank into the couch, resting her hands between her knees. “Thank you, but he doesn’t need to do that. I appreciate the attentiveness, though. I keep trying to think of a reason why someone would want to harm me, but I simply can’t imagine one. And like I said before, very few people know about my trip here.”

      Aaron pressed his lips together to think for a moment. “Would any of those people who do know be under the impression that they could get to the Amaran royal family through you? Either via abduction or otherwise?”

      She laughed, but it was a bitter sound. “They’d have to be well versed in Amar’s historical lineage, or have taken a close look at my passport. I mean, I suppose I’m in all the family tree information online, but someone would have to go looking for it. And to be quite honest, the connection is distant enough that I haven’t spoken to those relatives for years.” She paused, her voice growing soft as her gaze dropped to the floor. “Actually, that’s not quite true. The whole extended family came to Esai’s funeral, but it wasn’t exactly the grand catching-up affair that would prompt someone to think there’s enough of a relationship to matter. It was more a courtesy than anything. They’re not bad people—please don’t take it that way. The family is just very large, and that means the more distantly related, the more like strangers they are than family. Does that make sense?”

      It did. “Apparently I have a whole host of third cousins living in Manitoba whom I’ve never met. And my mother’s great-aunt has lived in south Florida for as long as I can remember, but I’ve never met her, either. So I understand. And I guess anyone who stopped to think about it logically would make that connection, too, but if I know one thing, it’s that you can never assume logic when it comes to criminals.”

      Cally groaned and flopped back against the couch cushions, covering her face with her hands. “What am I going to do? I’ll be honest, I’m wary about staying here at all. What if that person comes back and tries to get inside again? What if he gets desperate and breaks a window? Or for all you know, he could be out terrorizing another family right now, looking for things to sell for drug money or guns or—”

      “Hey.” Aaron joined her on the couch and tapped her elbow. When she pulled her hands away from her face, several tears rolled down her cheek, leaving small streaks in her light pink blush. Her eyes, however, blazed with ferocity. “I have an officer out on patrol right now, keeping an eye on the town. Tonight, I’ll be right outside your door. No one’s getting into this house tonight, not even me.” She began to protest, but he held up his hand to stop her. “I realize it’s freezing out there, but we do have protocol for this type of thing. I have a portable, battery-operated heater in the car, someone is bringing coffee over and there’s special gear I can wear to conserve heat. Tonight, you can sleep soundly knowing you’re being watched over. What happens tomorrow, well, we should probably talk now about how that’s going to go. What were your plans?”

      She grabbed one of the pillows beside her and clutched it to her chest as she drew her knees up to sit cross-legged. “I was supposed to spend a few days here getting settled, and then Ellen was to come and take us up to the Rocky Mountain Spa for a pre-wedding pampering retreat. I was sort of hoping to put up a little Christmas tree in the house and try stringing lights like you do here. We have different traditions back home—we do streamers and use other types of plants for decorations—so I thought it would be nice to experience something new.”

      Aaron had experienced quite enough new things today, compared to the typically calm and quiet Decembers of Fort Mason and the surrounding area. And as much as he wanted to give Cally the chance to take part in North American Christmas traditions right away, he felt uneasy about leaving her to her own devices, particularly after the home invasion.

      “Here’s an idea. Would you be willing to head up to the spa a few days early? I’ll take care of the arrangements, and I’m sure Ellen wouldn’t mind accommodating. I know she’s busy with wedding prep, but maybe you can work on it together at the spa. It’s a huge facility, really nice.”

      Cally’s eyes brightened as she sniffled away the tears of moments ago. “You’ve been there?”

      “I worked a few functions there, and have policed some community events. It’s basically an all-inclusive winter resort.” Not to mention he used to date the spa’s owner, many years ago. Tricia had been a lovely woman, but they weren’t right for each other. The breakup had been messy and difficult, and these days he often went out of his way to avoid policing spa functions or interacting with Tricia at all. The woman was a master at tracking him down, however. Maybe he could just drop Cally off without going inside.

      Cally raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Then it’s good for me and Ellen that she knows the owner, because I’ve seen the price we’re paying and I’m quite certain it’s far less than what a resort would charge. Yes, I’ll go up early if it’s in our best interest, for safety’s sake.”

      He stood and adjusted his coat, mentally taking stock of the supplies in the patrol car he’d borrowed. He planned to double-check when he got outside, but as long as another officer brought him a thermos of piping hot coffee, he’d be all right until morning.

      Cally gently brushed his sleeve before he could walk away. “Aaron, I do appreciate everything you’ve done for me so far, but if you get cold or tired, please come inside and use the couch. I’ll give you the house key so that you can come and go if you want, all right?”

      “That’s quite thoughtful, but I won’t need it.”

      She frowned and grabbed his hand, pushing the key into his palm. His skin felt warm and electric where she’d touched him, and he pulled away quickly. She blinked in surprise.

      “Sorry,” he said. “Tickles.”

      Her smile was gentle but sincere as she pointed at the door. “Go if you must, but if I find out in the morning that you needed to come inside and didn’t, I’m going to be very cross. Don’t even try to fool me.”

      He laughed gently at the sternness in her voice. “Okay, okay. I promise to take you up on your offer if it’s needed. In the meantime, get some rest—I have a feeling you need it.”

      As he closed the door behind him, his smile slid from his face. He had no qualms about spending the night on watch outside the house—he was happy to do it, if it meant keeping someone safe. He’d do it for any of the townsfolk in a heartbeat.

      What worried him more was the seemingly deliberate actions of the home invader.

      The intruder hadn’t been there to rob the house, or to retrieve items after squatting there while the place was unoccupied. No, the way he’d slammed his shoulder into the bedroom door had looked intentional. As if he was there to specifically harm Cally.

      And combined with what had happened at the airport earlier that day, Aaron had a very bad feeling about the entire situation. The question to which he needed a fast answer, however, was whether he could find the attacker and take him down before