Gunning for Trouble. HelenKay Dimon

      “Because of Rod.” Her knuckles turned white where they held the strap to her shoulder bag. Any tighter and she’d cut off circulation.

      Adam popped up next to her. “Uh, kids. I get that you two have some history and all, and I want to hear about it, I do, but we need to keep moving.”

      Caleb heard the warning behind his friend’s joking tone and heeded it. “Right. We can fight about this later. Preferably when we’re out of earshot of anyone holding a weapon.”

      “Fine.” She sounded anything but.

      “Fine.”

      Adam nodded. “Happy to hear we’re all fine. So, can we get moving?”

      “One question.” Avery pointed at the side of the build ing. “There are cameras all over the place. Won’t the attackers look for us and then follow?”

      “I cut their access,” Adam said. “Anyone checking the security monitors is seeing an endless loop of barren hallways and quiet outdoor areas.”

      Caleb clicked the bottom button on his watch and showed her Adam’s tech handiwork. “See? There’s nothing on there that can help them or hurt us.”

      Adam tapped a finger against his forehead. “Computer genius.”

      “But, when did you manage to do all of that?” she asked.

      “I set up the program the day we moved in and check it every week to make sure I’m still dialed in and can take over if needed. When the silent alarm went off, I switched the security monitors to my loop and have been sending the real footage to my off-site computer so I can analyze it later. The only potential problem is that the police will check it and know someone tampered with it.”

      “You?”

      “Oh, they won’t trace it back to me.”

      She smiled for the first time all evening. “I guess you can do more than grab women and scare the crap out of them.”

      “Since I’m not sure how to answer that, I won’t,” Adam said.

      Caleb had had enough conversation. He wasn’t too fond of Avery’s reaction to Adam either. Hearing them joke back and forth while he stood right there was not Caleb’s idea of a good time. It made him want to punch something. Like Adam.

      Leave it to Avery to come between them. From his experience, she ruined everything. Seemed she hadn’t lost that trait.

      But they had a bigger problem at the moment and it—or rather, they—had just turned the corner and were heading down the alley. When Adam tensed, Caleb figured his friend had seen them, too. It took Avery a little longer, but her sharp intake of breath signaled her awareness.

      “Everything okay up there?” The policeman was on top of them in a few steps. He put his hand on his gun and his partner beside him followed suit.

      Two men in their late forties, if Caleb had to guess. Uniforms, matching battle stances, calm tone. Caleb wasn’t getting the paid-assassin vibe from them, but he inched his fingers closer to the weapon tucked in his waistband just in case. He noticed Adam did the same.

      Caleb decided to play dumb until one of their guests gave him a reason to start shooting. “Is it a fire? If so, we figured it wasn’t safe to use the elevators.”

      “Something like that.” The officer’s shoulders relaxed. “You see anyone else wandering around over here or upstairs?”

      Avery shook her head, but the rest of her body remained rock still. “No, sir.”

      The officer motioned them off the steps. “Then get moving. You should have been out and on the street a half hour ago.”

      “We thought it was a drill.”

      The officers waited until the three of them stepped on the macadam. “We need everyone out until we confirm the electrical fire and make sure it’s under control. Can you three find your way?”

      Even though they looked to be in the clear, Caleb didn’t let any of the tension leave his body. He stayed ready. “Absolutely.”

      The officer nodded. “Get moving.”

      They waited until the police turned the corner to the front of the building again before anyone said anything. Finally, Avery let out a shaky breath. “That was close.”

      “Too much so.” They kept to the side of the brick wall, out in the alley and far out of the line of sight of any of the professionals or gunmen who may be walking around the front of the complex as Caleb explained their plan. “Adam will act as a decoy and drive Avery’s car. We’ll take his alternate truck and head in the opposite direction.”

      “Alternate what? You know what? Forget it. I’m not going to ask.” Avery reached into her bag and grabbed her keys. “Here. I’m parked on the street.”

      Adam took them and then threw his set to Caleb. “I’m in the garage.”

      Caleb felt more faith in the plan than he did five seconds ago. “Even better. We can divert their attention.”

      “But there are people everywhere.” Her wild-eyed gaze traveled between the men. “And then there’s the part where this is dangerous. Adam could be hurt.”

      “We could all be killed.” Caleb took in her openmouthed stare and decided she still didn’t get it. “What did you think was supposed to happen when my front door exploded? That wasn’t a friendly hello.”

      A fiery heat replaced the worry in her eyes. “I am well aware of what happened, Caleb. I was there.”

      “They broke into my house with weapons drawn. They, whoever they are—and you will be filling me in on that as soon as I get you to safety—were not there to talk.”

      As a result, his condo, her house and anywhere else obvious was out as a hiding place.

      That left the new Recovery Project headquarters as their option. The place was little more than an empty shell, an abandoned warehouse, but it couldn’t be traced to her and that’s all that mattered at the moment.

      “You can stop talking to me like I’m an idiot.”

      Oh, he knew she wasn’t that. She was smart and confident and driven. He’d lost his last job thanks to her and her ambitions. “Their orders likely were to grab you, kill me and take you somewhere for questioning. That means torture, Avery. You do understand, right?”

      Adam shoved at Caleb’s shoulder. “Ease up.”

      “She needs to understand.”

      “I think she does.”

      She stepped in front of Adam and right up to Caleb’s chest. “I’m sorry I involved you. Is that what you want to hear?”

      Seeing her clenched fists and pale face knocked the temper right out of him. “If you’re right, you didn’t. Rod did.”

      “He couldn’t have anticipated putting you in danger,” she asked.

      “That’s exactly what he thought would happen.” Caleb tried to shut off his questions about Rod and WitSec and every other disaster, and focus instead on the problem in front of him. “Avery, that’s what we do.”

      “This?”

      “Exactly this.”

      She hesitated a second more. “Then it’s good I’m with you.”

      Them. Together. Caleb had to block out those images. “We’ll see if you feel that way in a half hour.”

      “What happens then?”

      “We’ll know if we escaped without gunfire,” Adam said and then turned to Caleb. “The truck is in my extra space on the top floor. No one will be looking for it or put me together with Avery. Keep her head down until you’re away,