Considering how much light was being reflected by the snowflakes that fell almost lazily, she couldn’t imagine what it would all look like under a white blanket out there. They might not even need the goggles from in here.
Unless someone managed to get inside.
“We need to get Ben,” she said before Duke could disappear to the other side of the house. “I don’t know why, but my skin is crawling.”
“He’s already watching from upstairs.”
“Oh.” So much for them taking turns.
Duke faced her. “Your skin is crawling? Like somebody’s watching?”
“Imagination, maybe. I’m wound up. It only just started, though.”
His reply was quick. “Don’t ignore it. I never do.”
He headed for the kitchen side of the house, and she resumed her patrol, easing to each window, minimizing any quickness of movement that might draw attention if someone was out there watching.
She looked out that same window again, wondering. Was someone looking in? She hadn’t noticed any movement, but she’d been distracted for a minute or two with Duke. Bad. Thank goodness Ben had decided to forgo sleep.
Sentry duty had to be the worst assignment in the world. Things creeping in the dark, a threat possibly looming and weariness making it even harder to stay alert.
TWENTY MINUTES LATER, Duke thought he caught sight of movement in the direction of that ditch that had snagged his attention. These guys, whoever they were, didn’t think anyone was watching for them. Reasonable stealth, but not the best.
He peered more intently, waiting for a second movement before he sounded an alert. No point ramping everyone up if all he’d seen was a small animal.
Five minutes later, he was sure. More than one thing moved out there, and they were spreading out slowly. Three.
He couldn’t leave the window, needing to keep an eye on the three moving lumps, waiting for the image to clear up, and tried to judge how loudly to warn the others.
He didn’t need to. Ben came clattering down the stairs.
“Something’s moving,” Ben said tautly. “Kitchen side.”
“Eyes on,” Duke answered. “It may not all be on this side of the house. Cat? You hear?”
“I heard.”
Duke looked at Ben. “Are they just planning a break-in? Or an assault?”
Ben shook his head a bit. “I don’t have an assessment. I keep thinking of Larry. That was no simple break-in.”
“No. We’ll keep watching, but get ready for an assault. We need to know how many are out there.”
Cat joined them briefly. “I don’t see anything from my side, but I’ll go back to watching.” She hurried away.
“Why would there be so many?” Ben wondered. “Three? More than three? What are they doing, raiding Fort Knox?”
“Maybe,” Duke said heavily, “they don’t figure you’re alone.”
FOR THE THREE men crawling across the ground to the house, the situation had become clearer. There was more than one person in there, and they were moving around. Not much, but they were still moving. A glimpse here and there spelled it out.
They were prepared to take out everyone if they needed to. Even if they never found the information, they’d have eliminated the one person who might know anything at all about what Larry was doing: his partner.
That thought made the first man’s gorge rise, but he was a realist. The first person a guy was likely to spill classified info to was his wife. In fact, the military wives’ grapevine was legendary.
Had to be the same for two guys, reasoned Man One.
And if Daniel Duke was in there, so much the better. He hated Duke. Had hated him since the man had shown up armed to the teeth to rescue the first man’s squad. Single-handedly. Risking life and limb to do it.
Duke hadn’t needed to come. Man One still believed he could have handled it, but no. Man One had come out of it feeling like he’d been punched, and people had talked about Duke getting the Medal of Honor for saving a pinned-down squad like some kind of screaming avenger. In the face of extremely heavy fire. Duke had been wounded, but he’d still managed to drag two of the wounded soldiers to safety and take out most of the insurgent nest.
Sounded real good for Duke. Man One didn’t quite remember it that way. His squad could have handled it. Would have handled it.
His bitterness had been slightly assuaged by the fact that Duke and he had both received the same commendation for that action. But not completely assuaged, because Man One should have received all the kudos. All of them.
Being told to come after Larry Duke had been one of Man One’s deciding factors when he accepted this assignment. It might also have given him an additional reason to torture Larry.
He wouldn’t think about that now.
He had a mission to accomplish.
DUKE WOULD HAVE liked to get outside for an improved view of what was happening. He knew better, however. He’d alert those men and probably become their first target.
Given that they were creeping up so slowly, he was doubting more and more that they’d come merely to rob the place. No, they were staging an action, they knew Ben wasn’t alone and they didn’t intend to leave anyone behind.
He could feel his scalp prickle and his shoulders tighten. The battle was about to begin. He just hoped they could stop those guys before things grew truly ugly.
Another movement caught his eye, and he stared at it, for the first time seeing a silhouette that looked like an assault rifle. They were arriving with heavy firepower. Bad news.
He called to the other two, “Getting closer. Armed. Watch it. They may spread out more to encircle the house.” He checked his clip. The shotguns were ready.
Another minute or two crept by. Then one man rose up, leveled his rifle and fired.
The bullet zinged through the window Duke faced. War had been declared.
“Here we go,” he called
