Free Everything to Lose by Katie Reus Page A

internal sigh of relief when no one was in the hallway. A muffled grunt came from the direction of the kitchen and he tensed. That made sense, he realized.
    The rest of the house was fairly secure, with windows high off the ground, including the first floor. It would take a giant or a ladder to get through one. The most obvious place of entry would be the kitchen because it connected to the back deck. Someone could also get through the window of the guest room with the small balcony but that would require equipment.
    Inwardly, he cursed his complacency as he moved down the stairs, back against the wall. He hadn’t used cash and the cabin wasn’t connected to him but he still should have been smarter. He had no one to blame but himself for his incompetent behavior. If he wasn’t so worried about bedding Caitlyn 24/7, maybe his brain would be clearer.
    When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he grabbed a small vase off the foyer table and crept past the wall and toward the front door. From where he was, he had a partial view of the kitchen opening and could see a shadow moving around. His main objective was to get outside and lure whoever was inside after him but if he could subdue them before getting outside, that would work just as well.
    No matter what, he had to keep Caitlyn safe. God couldn’t be that cruel to take her away now. Not when they’d come so far. The chance of anyone else being in the house was slim. Antonio Lewis worked alone and if Coleman ordered him to make a hit, Sean doubted he’d bring anyone with him. He only had a second to make a decision. Hoping it was the right one, he threw the glass vase as hard as he could in the direction of the front door.
    The loud crash resounded with an overwhelming reverberation and just as he hoped, a shadowy figure came barreling through the kitchen archway, gun out like an idiot. From his crouched position by the long-legged table against the wall, he waited until the man’s back was completely to him.
    “Don’t move,” Sean shouted as he jumped from his hiding spot.
    The man stopped in his tracks, gun still in hand. His arm twitched slightly and the weapon waivered.
    “Don’t be stupid. So far, you’re only in trouble for breaking and entering. Don’t make this worse for yourself.”
    He paused, then his shoulders loosened. “All right, I’m putting it down.” He slowly bent down and dropped the nine millimeter.
    “Now turn around and kick the gun this way.”
    The dark-haired man did as he was ordered and when Sean got a good look at his face, he wasn’t sure what was going on. The man standing in front of him was most definitely not Antonio Lewis. In fact, he was certain he’d never seen him before. He wasn’t one of Coleman’s regular thugs.
    Before Sean had time to contemplate anything, the man in front of him glanced past him, his eyes widened, then blackness engulfed Sean.
    * * * * *
     
    Thankful she’d left her phone in her jeans, she retrieved her cell from her back pocket. With the neon blue light, Caitlyn felt around for something long and thin enough to fit through the closed door. When her hand landed on one of her toiletry bags, she reeled in a shout. She fished around until she found a nail file.
    A crash sounded downstairs, and her heart beat an erratic tattoo against her rib cage. The thought of anything happening to Sean tore at her heart. Especially when she planned to wring his neck herself.
    It only took a few seconds to wiggle the flimsy lock free but when she finally got it to push up, she slid the door open with gun in hand. She tripped over one of his bags but the plush carpet broke her fall, muting any noise. A pair of handcuffs had fallen from the bag so she shoved them in her back pocket just in case. From downstairs, she heard Sean shouting at someone. She was moving toward the bedroom door when a dark shadow passed under.
    Crap! If Sean was downstairs, then someone was coming after him and he had no clue. Her throat