Bonaparte's Belle: A SEALs of Honor World Novel (Heroes for Hire Book 24), Dale Mayer [read an ebook week .TXT] 📗

“I don’t think so, but I could be wrong.”

He wondered just where this was going.

She looked at him, smiled, and said, “Enough barriers are between here and there,” she said, “that I don’t think he can get to me.” But she stepped back and said, “And I haven’t been out here for very long.”

“Any time is too long,” he said, “if he has any idea what he’s doing.”

“Well, that should have proven to you that he’s not capable because that shot was a good ten minutes ago.”

“It did wake me,” he admitted.

“I’m not surprised,” she said. “A sound like that is something you recognize for the rest of your life.”

“And yet there’s no sign of who it is?”

“No, not at all. And I know, by the time I get out there, he’ll be long gone.”

“How far can he go?”

“Well, miles in any direction, in theory. And to their own property, if it’s the brothers,” she said. “It isn’t all that far. Maybe three miles cross country.”

“And it’s a clear night with a full moon,” he added.

“Exactly.”

“So what is the purpose? Just to make you nervous or something?”

“Well, I’ve wondered that myself,” she said. “I can’t see how they would think that would be very effective. I’ve spent a lifetime here, and I work in law enforcement, so I hardly think a stray bullet will make a difference.”

“And what about when they start killing your dogs?” he asked.

She nodded. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ve thought of that too. And, of course, it’ll make me mad as hell. If I could prove who it is, I’d have stopped them by now. But you know what it’s like to get proof on something like that. With the dogs, I’ll come home one day, and it will be done.”

He frowned at that, as he looked down at the happy dogs milling at his feet. “You know it’s a shitty thing that people do just to hurt you.”

“It’s the shady things that people do as a warning,” she said. “Abusing animals to hurt their human owners. Because people suck.”

“That they do,” he murmured, then sighed. “If you tell me where to go, I could certainly go out and take a look.”

“I was just getting my boots on,” she said, pointing down. “I’m watching to see which direction he goes.”

As Bonaparte stared at her, she smiled and said, “Really, I’m not giving up by any means. But I do have a good idea of who this is and what he’s doing. If that shiny reflection moves in that direction,” she said, “it’s the guy Ronnie from the restaurant.” Even as they watched, they saw another wink of steel moving in the right direction. She nodded. “Bull’s-eye.” She immediately stepped into her boots, and then, with her rifle in hand and the dogs beside her, she stepped off the porch and headed in that direction.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he said. “Where are you going?”

“To have a talk with my neighbor,” she said and didn’t slow down at all.

It was all he could do to grab his own gear, and, without even a shirt on, he raced behind her. “The least you could do is wait for me.”

“You don’t have to come,” she said. “This is my fight, not yours.”

He snorted at that. “You can stop that line of thinking right now,” he said. “That’s bull.”

“If you want to come along, your company is welcome. Just so you know what you’re getting into.”

“Oh, I know what I’m getting into,” he said. “The shit falls not very far from the stick, and, in this case, we saw the stick.”

She laughed at that. “You could be right,” she said, “but I’ve never been able to catch him.”

“And you don’t really seem to think you will now either, do you?”

“Nope,” she said. “This is just a game to them, and I’m not even sure it’s them, versus a hired hand.”

“Which would be even worse, since that would be murder for hire.”

“You know what? I’m not sure if that’s even the case yet,” she said, frowning. “I think they could have done a better job if it were murder for hire. They could have taken me out anytime.”

“Yet they haven’t. So why is that?”

“I think it’s the last resort honestly,” she said. “I think they want the property, but they’re hoping to get it without having to kill me.”

“Well, that would certainly reduce their exposure, wouldn’t it?”

“It would,” she said cheerfully, “but it won’t work. So how long until they give up on that idea?”

Chapter 5

Angela had seen this time and time again, only she didn’t walk out in the middle of the night afterward. But tonight? She was just fed up and pissed off enough that she wanted to see if her shooter would really go to the property she thought he was. Angela stomped through the brush, not even making any attempt to stay calm or quiet.

“You want to make this a little more stealthy in our approach?” he asked.

“Nope,” she said, “I don’t.”

He just shrugged and let her go.

She appreciated that; it was a sign of a mutual respect growing between them. When they finally got to the neighbor’s place, she studied the layout, looking to see any changes made to the place. Lights were definitely on in the kitchen, projecting into the backyard. She walked a wide perimeter around the house, which was close to her property’s boundary. Another reason Ronnie probably wanted her land. There were all kinds of reasons, but she didn’t have to make excuses. They wanted it, but they couldn’t have it, so they would be immature about it.

Just then, on the far side, she watched somebody open a gate and step through.

Instantly Bonaparte stiffened beside her. “There’s our shooter.”

“Yeah, it sure is,” she said, “but I need that rifle to prove it.”

“That’s easy enough,” he said and disappeared from sight. She swore silently, as he melted around the corner and, like a shadow, blended from tree to tree