That was the second time he’d referred to Kye as a husband. He wondered why.
Yardley took his hand but didn’t offer her own name. “I’ll put that coffee on.” Kye smiled at her in approval. She got it without him saying it. They needed to be careful, with everything and everyone. He needed to talk to her. Maybe she’d learned something useful.
“Take a seat by the fire, Purdy. I’ll be right back.”
The man had already moved to the fireplace. He reached a hand down to Lily, who had been dozing. “Hey there, puppy. How you doing?”
Lily jumped to her feet and gave a “toller scream,” a series of squeals pitched in a key that could peel paint.
“What the—fudge!” Purdy jumped back, stumbling over a floor pillow.
“Careful. She’s a killer.” Kye barely got the words out before Lily dived behind his legs, still squealing like she’d been stepped on.
The man wiped his mouth with a hand, watching Lily as if she were rabid. “I don’t suppose I could use your facilities?” He jiggled from foot to foot as if needing to emphasize the reason why.
“Top of the stairs. First door on the right.”
“Right. Appreciate it.” He moved quickly toward the narrow staircase back near the front door. As his foot hit the bottom step, Oleg ran up and hit the door of his kennel with his full weight followed by a blood-chilling growl.
The man sprang back from the stairs so quickly he almost fell. “God almighty!” He recovered quickly, meaning he was in good shape, and backed up a few more steps before turning to Kye. “That’s some kinda crazy dog you got here.”
“He’s the shy one.” Kye smiled. “Didn’t you see the sign over the gate? This is a professional K-9 kennel. The mean ones are stashed upstairs. They’ve been known to tip their kennels and escape. Just keep to the door on the right and you’ll be okay.”
The man glanced up the stairs, seeming to measure the need of his bladder versus the need to keep his skin intact. “First on the right. Got it.”
Kye watched him take the stairs, checking him for anything besides his haircut that seemed out of place. And there it was. His jean leg had hiked up, probably when he stumbled over the pillow, revealing a Ka-Bar ankle holster. Kye glanced away before the man noticed him watching.
Mouthing a curse he didn’t want heard, he backpedaled toward the kitchen. It had been five years since he’d been military police. He was rusty. He should have just shut the door on the bastard. Could be nothing. Could be that the trouble he’d been wondering about had just boldly walked up and knocked on the front door. And he’d let the devil in.
Yardley came out of the kitchen just as he reached the doorway. “Coffee’s—” She paused at the expression on his face. Her eyes went wide as they moved left and right past him.
Kye put a finger to his lips and made a pushing motion with his other hand to move her back into the kitchen.
Before she could backpedal, the door to her bedroom opened and David stood there, his face ashen with pain as he leaned heavily against the door frame. He locked gazes with Kye. “I know that man.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Every hair on Kye’s neck came erect as he heard a toilet flush overhead. There were only a few seconds before Purdy would appear again. No time to ask questions. Still, it didn’t take a lot of brain math to put together the two and two of danger he represented. Even so, Kye’s brain was calculating double-time.
Gunnar recognizes Purdy.
Someone shot Gunnar.
Someone followed Gunnar here.
Most likely candidate? That would be Purdy.
He locked eyes with the doctor. “Gun?” His question went out in a mere whisper of sound.
Gunnar barely nodded, his grip on the door frame slipping.
He pointed at Yardley, then the doc, and indicated that they should both move back into the bedroom.
Yardley gave him a defiant look, as if she had something else in mind. But he narrowed his eyes beneath lowered brows, in no mood for a standoff with her.
Gunnar swayed and moaned ever so slightly. It was the barest breath of pain, but it was enough to galvanize her.
As she moved toward Gunnar to help him, Kye leaned in. “Lock the door.”
Yardley nodded and scooped an arm around Gunnar’s waist. Gunnar let go of the door frame, shifting his weight onto her, and threw his good arm around her shoulders.
Kye watched them in a combination of frustration and anger sprinkled with jealousy. He didn’t have time for number three on his emotional Top Ten. Once he’d pulled that door closed behind them it was about a would-be killer and him, and him without any form of protection.