Page 11 of Hideaway Reunion

Yes, she wanted the Indigo Reef mess behind them, but not at the expense of Brayden. She’d felt similarly during his years with the military, though not as personally responsible.

Suddenly, a brilliant, staccato burst of light shattered the darkness in a blinding, rhythmic strobe that sliced through the mist like a blade. Brayden bellowed out a command to stop, aimed at someone she couldn’t see.

The flashlight went out and Veronica covered her mouth, smothering a gasp as she strained to hear more.

The silence grew heavy, the darkness pressing in on her. “Please, Brayden,” she whispered. “Be careful out there.”

She checked the time on her cell phone. The minutes stretched like salt-water taffy. Ten. Fifteen.

The wind was kicking up, typical in the summer season. Heat lightning streaked across the sky. Every creak of the house bracing against the gusts made her jump as she imagined someone sneaking around to the front door or testing the slider.

She forced down the rising panic. The security system was armed with updated codes for her and Brayden. She wouldn’t be any help if she let fear paralyze her. Indigo Reef wanted her scared and intimidated. The best defense was to trust the team assigned to help. The team led by Brayden. She trusted him always. With this. With everything.

She heard the alarm system buzz with an incorrect code. The app on her phone lit up with an alert as well, showing the attempt was made at the sliding door. Another incorrect attempt.

No one tested the handle and she let out the breath she was holding. The dull steady thud of footsteps on the deck outside the suite made her freeze.

Soft, rhythmic thudding on the deck right outside the manager’s suite made her freeze. Footsteps. A shadow blotted the light for a moment. Muscles locked, she had no idea what to do. Hide? Run? No. She’d hold her ground against whatever was coming.

It was dark in the suite and she wouldn’t be easily visible to whoever was outside. She retreated to the kitchen, tucking her phone into her pocket. Picking up a cast iron skillet, she gripped it with both hands and pressed her back to the wall, out of view from anyone who might come in through the suite.

Four distinct taps rattled the glass pane of the door. One-two. Three-four.

Brayden. It was the knock he’d always used, at her door, her car window, or to get her attention during a workout. On shaking legs, she dashed to the door and opened it for him.

Brayden stepped inside, locked the door again, and hit the lights.

“Are you okay?” She guided him toward the bathroom. His face was smudged and scratched, forearms too. He was breathing heavily, his broad chest rising and falling beneath his damp t-shirt and his cargo pants were damp and smeared with mud from the woods. “Tell me the other guy looks worse.”

“I wish. The jerk got away,” Brayden groused. “This is just from the chase.”

She set aside the heavy skillet and pulled a first aid kit from the cabinet under the sink. “Then you look amazing for a guy who’s been running through the trees in the dark.”

“It could’ve been worse,” he agreed, voice low and rough from the exertion. “Sorry about the wrong code. I was all thumbs in my rush. Didn’t mean to scare you.” He let out a long breath, his gaze softening as he watched her washing the scratches on his arms. “I can do this.”

“Of course you can.” She shook her head. “You can also let me.” He’d been out there to protect her, cleaning his wounds was the least she could do. “What happened out there?”

“Some light sabotage,” he said. “I didn’t get much for a description and he disappeared into the construction site. I didn’t follow, in case he had support over there. Not sure catching him would’ve changed much. The important thing is this.” He shifted out of her reach and pulled his phone from one of the pockets on his thigh. Swiping the screen, he turned it to show her a photo. “Caught red-handed.”

“What is that?”

“A water utility main valve shut-off key,” Brayden explained. “I wanted proof of where I found it and when, so I texted this incident to Jess.” He set the phone aside so Roni could continue. “The water main is out front. I figured he’d head for the street.”

“Uh-huh.” She reached up to wash the scratches on his face, then nudged him to sit down on the edge of the bathtub. Tilting up his jaw, she swallowed a sympathetic sound. The cut wasn’t too deep, but the bleeding hadn’t stopped yet. She moistened a cloth with wound cleaner. “Hold this here.”

“It stings.”

“It’s supposed to.” She moved as quickly as possible, applying ointment and covering the deeper wounds on his jaw and cheek with bandages. “Why shut off the water at the main?”

“More inconvenience. More reasons for guest complaints,” Brayden said, his eyes dark with cold anger. “The other option is uglier.”

She leaned back against the counter. “Meaning what?”

“He might’ve been trying to cause a break. Would’ve created a big mess as well as a big expense on your side of the line.”

She swore, he laughed, and she flicked his shoulder lightly. “Stop. I’m mad.”

“Me too.” He stood up. “I stopped the plan tonight, but it makes me wonder how low they’ll go to grab the Hideaway from your family.”