Safe House Under Fire by Elisabeth Rees

Author:Elisabeth Rees
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-11-07T19:55:23+00:00

SEVEN

It was late afternoon and Lilly was dozing on the sofa while Astrid played cards when David rushed through the living room, dropping the blinds and pointing her toward the stairs.

“Take Astrid into your bedroom and lock the door behind you.” He handed her a gun. “Don’t come out until I give the all clear. Got it?”

She was suddenly wide-awake. “Got it.”

“What is it?” Astrid asked, following them into the hall. “Did something bad happen?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “I got a danger warning from the agents across the street, so Goldie will stay here with you while I go check it out. It’s only a yellow alert at the moment, so there’s no need to panic.” He touched Lilly’s shoulder reassuringly. “Okay?”

Goldie appeared in the upstairs hallway, awoken from her nap. “I got the same alert, David. I’ll lock up behind you and stand guard.”

Lilly made a grab for David’s hand, instinctively and naturally, holding it tight for a couple of seconds. She didn’t want him to be hurt, especially now that they had grown so close. Astrid noticed the gesture of affection and pinched her lips in an expression of displeasure, folding her arms and stomping up the stairs, passing Goldie on her way down.

“We’ll talk later,” David whispered, withdrawing his hand. “Stay safe.”

He walked to the door, turning and winking at her before leaving the house. Lilly’s belly went into a kind of free fall just at the sight of that wink, and she gently reminded herself that she mustn’t behave like a love-struck teenager. She had been a love-struck teen when she’d met Rylan, overlooking his faults and quashing her misgivings because he sent her stomach into a swirl. Now a sensible woman in her thirties, Lilly needed to behave with more maturity, to protect both her and Astrid from another letdown. There were a ton of complications associated with any new relationship.

Skipping up the stairs after Astrid, Lilly could clearly see that the most serious complication was her daughter’s feelings.

“There’s no need to look so worried,” she said, entering the bedroom and locking the door behind her. “David told us it’s not a high alert.”

“I think you should let me call Dad,” Astrid said, sitting on the double bed and pounding a pillow with her fist. “If I go stay with him, you and David get to be all alone, just like you want to be.”

Lilly knew exactly what had made her this upset. “You saw us kissing this morning.”

“Yes, I did, and I can’t believe you would be interested in a man like him, Mom.”

“What do you mean—a man like him?”

“He’s so straitlaced and boring.” She punched the pillow again. “And he doesn’t like me.”

Lilly placed the gun on the dresser and sat on the bed next to her daughter. “Oh, honey, that’s not true. I happen to know that he thinks a lot of you. You remind him of his own daughter.”

“I already have a dad in my life, so I don’t need another one, thank you very much.

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