Well, if this doesn’t scream bodies in the basement, I don’t know what does.
That was what she’d been missing. The basement. Because of the dense bushes and other thick foliage planted around thehome’s foundation, it was impossible to tell from the outside that the place even had a basement.
And with the door having been purposely covered up…
If I hadn’t seen that scratch, I never would’ve known.
But she did see it, and now she was more confident than ever that this place…this adorable Tudor home in Chicago Suburbia…was really nothing more than an unwitting accomplice in some sort of malevolent plot.
Raegan started to reach for her lock-picking kit when a shuffling sound filled her ears from somewhere close by. She barely had time to register the odd noise when a strong male hand appeared a fraction of a second before it covered her mouth in a firm, unwavering hold.
No!
Fear shot through her veins, and for a long, terrifying second, she let it overpower her ability to even think. But then her training kicked in, and muscle memory took over. And in the very next second, Raegan found herself engaged in yet another fight for her life.
7
Rocky was flying.His feet were in the air, his head was facing down, and his ass was racing toward the floor.
What the?—
A deep, masculine grunt escaped his throat as he landed flat on his back against the kitchen’s unforgiving floor. Stunned more by the impressive over-the-shoulder throw Raegan had just performed than any actual pain, it took him a beat to comprehend what had just happened.
Jesus. She’s a whole lot stronger than she looks.
The thought had just entered his mind when the toe of a black boot came rushing toward his face. Moving out of the way in the nick of time, Rocky grabbed the tiny ankle attached to said boot and gave it a single, hard tug.
As expected, Raegan lost her balance and started to fall. Not wanting her to get hurt, he quickly pushed himself up toward where her head was about to hit the floor, and Rocky slid his body across the floor with an outstretched palm to hopefully cushion the blow.
He thought that would be it. That it would be over. She’d see it was him and realize there was no reason to continue the fight.
He was wrong.
Raegan’s head no more landed against his hand when she made a move for the gun holstered at her hip.
Ah, hell.
Moving lightning fast, Rocky half-rolled, half-threw his body almost fully on top of hers. His left hand shot out, sliding her pistol from its holster a fraction of a second before she could grab it.
“Stop!”
She didn’t stop. In fact, the spry woman seemed to be even more determined than ever to kick his ass. Or perhaps even try to shoot it.
Raegan’s body twisted, kicked, and punched beneath his, the woman clearly refusing to give up the fight. Using his free hand to block the incoming blows, he shoved her pistol into the back waistband of his jeans before grabbing hold of her wrists and pinning them against the floor on either side of her head.
“Damn it, woman.” He spoke with a deep, frustrated growl. “It’s me. Rocky!”
That time, shedidstop. A breath of silence passed as those mesmerizing eyes of hers stared up at him from the shadows of the night.
“Rocky?” Her long lashes fluttered with several rapid, shock-filled blinks. “What the…what the hell are you?—”
“Doing here?” His sharp tone cut her off. “Funny. I was about to ask you the same thing.” A muscle twitched in his jaw as he clenched his teeth together. “Christ, woman. Are you purposelytryingto get yourself killed today?”
“Get off me.” The fight in her husky voice returned with a vengeance.
“Not until you tell me why the hell you're robbing this place. Or is this all part of the bank scheme, too?”
The confusion in her frown seemed genuine. “Bank scheme? What the hell are you talking about?”