Free Finally Home (Home Series) by Ann Vaughn

look.
    Lainey looked back and forth between them and then shook her head.
    "OK, if you say so," she said, then looked up at Mike.  "Colt said he's done.  I've got a couple of reports to finish up and then I'll be done."
    "OK," he said, watching her go into her office. 
    "You are so bad," Kacee said, shaking her finger at him.
    "What did I do?"
    "You won't even..."
    "MIKE!" Lainey cried, sending him rushing into her office.
    "What is it, cara ?" he asked, ignoring Kacee's gasp behind him.
    He heard Colt and Tessa come running down the hall as he rounded Lainey's desk to look at what she pointed to on her monitor.  It was a picture of him and her, standing here in her office that morning, arguing.  A target was drawn over his face with a red marker and the words: Get rid of him or I will , was written out beside their images.
    "See if you can trace the I.P. address," he told Colt as he stepped over to her office window.  There was another office building caddy-corner to hers; the shot obviously having been taken from one of those office windows. 
    "My money's on the corner office there," Tessa said, indicating the corner office windows that were level with Lainey's floor.  He nodded.
    "I agree.  Can you head over there, see if you can get into that office?"
    "On it," she said, leaving.
    He turned to study Lainey, thankfully finding her dry-eyed.  She was shaken, to be sure, but she wasn't melting into hysterics.  Her eyes were huge, though, and she seemed a little pale.
    "Look at me," he ordered, using the hard voice he used on his team when he wanted to get their undivided attention.  Her eyes met his, but he wasn't sure she was really seeing him.  "Lainey.  Look. At. Me," he barked, making her flinch.
    "Mike, come on," Kacee started but stopped when he held a hand up to silence her.
    Lainey blinked, then took a deep breath and really looked up at him.
    "I'm all right," Lainey said, and he could see some color returning to her cheeks.
    "Everything will be all right," he assured her.
    "It was sent from that building," Colt said, coming to stand beside Mike as they looked out the window again to the office in question.
    A few moments later, Tessa approached the window, and called Mike's phone.
    "These offices are under renovation and are between tenants," she told him.
    "Are there any computers in there?" he asked. 
    "No.  The building manager said that a couple of technicians have been in and out today.  He's bringing me the sign-in logs."
    "How did you manage that?" he asked, since they had no real authority to see any of that.
    "You're forgetting I am a part-time deputy for Shane.  I showed him my badge.  Not my fault he didn't really look at it."
    "Nice.  I'll be sure to let Lainey's father know so we can cover our bases.  See what you can find out and then head back."
    "Will do.  This is definitely the office, though.  Views match."
    "Copy that."
    He ended the call and cursed low, under his breath in Italian. 
    "Nothing good?" Colt asked.
    Mike shook his head.  "There have been technicians in and out of there.  The building manager is bringing Tessa the logs but..."
    "SHIT!!!" Colt yelled at the same time Kacee and Lainey screamed, tearing out of the room at a dead run.
    As they watched, Tessa was attacked from behind and was in a fight for her life with a man wearing a ski-mask.  Mike had never felt more helpless in his life.  He directed Kacee to call 911 but he couldn't leave Lainey unprotected.  Colt was on his way over, but he had to go down ten floors in this building, cross the street, go up ten floors in the other building and find the right office.  Tessa was holding her own, but the initial blow she'd taken from behind was slowing her down.  He saw Colt hit the street, dodging cars and people and dashing inside.  He'd made it down ten flights in record time, but he was afraid it wouldn't be fast enough.
    "Oh, God, oh, God!" Lainey cried, seeing Tessa go down.  "Mike!"
    "She's