Hidden in Shadows. Hope White

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      “About your statement…” he said.

      The cat purred and rubbed against Krista’s knee as she put a treat on the hardwood floor.

      “Ready?” he said.

      “Sure.” She stood and Luke automatically reached out to steady her. He withdrew his hand, afraid his touch might damage her somehow.

      He turned to leave the room.

      “Wait a second, can you hold this?” She handed him the treat bag.

      She put her hands together and stood at her dresser. “Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to help such wonderful children in Mexico, for seeing me home safely, for my friends, for Anastasia and for Agent Luke for being my hero tonight. Amen.”

      He wanted to correct her, tell her he was no one’s hero, not by any stretch of the imagination.

      “Okay, let’s get this over with,” she said. “I’m exhausted.”

      She took a step toward the door, wearing that pleasant smile.

      The crack of a gunshot echoed through the window.

      Luke grabbed her and hit the floor.

      TWO

      Here she was, knocked on the ground again. Not exactly how she pictured her first night home. She’d hoped to get into a bubble bath to wash the plane scum from her skin, sip a cup of chamomile tea and crawl beneath her down comforter.

      Instead, someone was shooting at her.

      “Stay here.” Agent McIntyre stood and pressed his back against the wall.

      “But the cat—”

      He pressed two fingers to his lips to shush her. His expression was fierce, intense. She was glad she wasn’t on his bad side. She started to get up.

      “Right there,” he ordered, slipping a gun from inside his jacket.

      Her breath caught at the memory of little Armando Morales. Images of the little boy covered in blood, moaning in pain, made her freeze in place. Armando had been an innocent bystander caught in a territorial shoot-out among drug dealers.

      Yet he was just a child.

      The whole experience reminded her how lucky she was. She may not have had a father or siblings, but she lived a safe, healthy life in Wentworth.

      At least she had…until tonight.

      The stairs creaked as Agent McIntyre went to investigate. She scooted to the door and leaned into the doorjamb, wishing that this was some kind of crazy dream brought on by exhaustion. Sure, she’d returned home, downed a few scoops of casserole and had crawled into bed. The peas in the casserole didn’t agree with her, sparking nightmares that began with her being chased down by her garage stalker.

      Another popping sound shattered that wishful thinking. It sounded farther away than the first, definitely from outside. Her windows hadn’t been shattered by the shots.

      “Anastasia?” she whispered, needing a hug, even from a crazy cat.

      Hugs were something she sorely missed since Gran passed away and Mom moved to Florida with Lenny. Krista missed a lot of things and had hoped to fill that emptiness with her missionary work with kids, and maybe, in the not too distant future, a loving husband and children of her own.

      Only, she was a disaster in the relationship department and had decided to stop looking so hard. She prayed about her life, asked God to help her find inner peace.

      Kind of hard to find peace when people are shooting at you.

      “Miss Yates?” Agent McIntyre called from the bottom of the stairs.

      “Yes?”

      “It’s safe. You can come down.”

      She headed downstairs where the intense, yet handsome, agent was waiting for her. Her eyes caught on the gun in his hand and she froze.

      He glanced at his weapon. “Sorry.” He shoved it into its holster and pulled his jacket over it to conceal the weapon.

      “The gunshot?” she asked.

      “A neighbor was trying to scare off a raccoon. The chief’s out there talking to him now.”

      “Probably the Bender kid. Someone should tell his dad to lock up the rifle.”

      “I’ll be sure to do that. Come on, let’s take your statement about the man in the garage before you fall asleep on us.”

      She ambled through the living room. “With all this adrenaline rushing through my body I doubt I’ll ever sleep again.”

      Anastasia raced past her into the kitchen.

      “How about some tea?” she offered over her shoulder.

      “I’m good, thanks.”

      Was he ever. Agent McIntyre was good at being there to protect Krista, acting confident and unshakable. He was pretty nice to look at, too.

      Warning! Sleep alert!

      She was not one to ogle a stranger, but she was tired, hungry and confused. A man had broken into her house and garage. Looking for what? And wait a second, why was a federal agent at her house?

      She turned to him. “Hey, you never told me why you’re here.”

      “First things first. Let’s get ice for your cheek.”

      She touched her face. “It looks bad?”

      “Not yet, but it will if you don’t ice it.” He took a kitchen towel from the rack, opened the freezer and dropped a handful of cubes in it. He reached out to place it on the bruise and she took it from him.

      “Thanks,” she said, holding it in place and leaning against the counter. “You’re an expert at first aid?”

      “I’ve been knocked down a few times.”

      Yeah, she could see that. He was tough, the kind of man who stayed focused and didn’t back down from a fight.

      “Ready to give a statement?” he said.

      “Sure.”

      Chief Cunningham stepped into the kitchen from the back door. “I gave the Bender kid a lecture about firearms. Took away the rifle for the time being, until his dad gets back from his business trip.”

      “I was about to question Miss Yates,” Agent McIntyre said.

      “Please call me Krista. Miss Yates makes me feel like an old maid.”

      “Okay, Krista.” Agent McIntyre sat at the kitchen table and opened a small notebook.

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