Courage Under Fire by Sharon Dunn

Author:Sharon Dunn
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-06-25T12:49:33+00:00

ELEVEN

Noah watched as the last of Lani’s martial arts students shuffled out of the dojo and headed toward the locker rooms. A few parents waited in chairs in the viewing area along with Noah and Scotty while others must have run errands and would pick up their ten-year-olds in a few minutes.

“Great class. See you next week,” said Lani as she stood at the front of the room with her hands on her hips. She even looked great in a martial arts uniform. Her long blond ponytail set high on her head.

In the days since their night at the castle, things between them had seemed a little frosty. Lani had been pushing to be back out in the field, arguing that the stalker was going to get to her no matter what. Why did her training have to be stalled? The logic of the argument wasn’t lost on him. She even wanted to know why she had to be stuck at a desk with him. Her saying that hurt. Didn’t she like being around him? Or was it just the inactivity that was hard for her? Lani was a woman of action. Maybe her coldness had nothing to do with him and was just because she was so frustrated by the confinement and the need for protection.

Still, anytime Reed or one of the other officers was available, she’d chosen them over Noah to be her protection. That did feel personal. Tonight, none of the other officers were free, so he got to see her in action teaching her class. Lani was a natural teaching the kids using humor while still maintaining control.

Noah rose to help Lani put away some of the equipment. She handed him a spray bottle and a cloth. “You can sanitize the mats. I’ll put this equipment away and then I got some paperwork I have to do in the office on the third floor.”

“Take Scotty with you,” he said.

“Sure, no problem.” She offered him the faintest of smiles. She commanded Scotty to follow her and disappeared through a door which he assumed led to an office.

It wasn’t that she was abrupt or even dismissive toward him, it was just that he could feel distance between them. He sprayed down the mats as the last of the parents drifted away and noise from the locker room died out.

He enjoyed the time he spent with her so much. And yes, he was attracted to her. He admired her compassion and her integrity. When he wasn’t around her, he missed her easy laugh and animated storytelling.

He heard a door slam somewhere. His heart squeezed tight as concern for Lani’s safety rose up in him. He dropped the spray bottle and hurried in the direction Lani had gone. The door led to a narrow set of stairs which Noah took two at a time. The building must have been a residence at one time, these narrow stairs for servants to travel up and down the floors without being intrusive.

The stairs led him to a door on the third floor that was slightly ajar.

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