Lie by Night: An Out of Darkness novel (Entangled Ignite) by Cathy Marlowe

through my things.” She set her fork very deliberately next to her plate. “And I already told you about the note.” It’s not like there was anything in it that could harm Jacob. But the other note…well, she’d shredded Jacob’s cryptic message, just as her brother had instructed.
    She was still trying to decide how much to trust Cole. His rifling through her things did not work in his favor.
    “Yes, you did. I…ah, we’ll discuss this later.” He disappeared into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.
    She stared after him, surprised by his abrupt departure. The man was rude. She resumed eating. And untrustworthy. And annoyingly attractive—hell, he was downright hot with his piercing blue eyes, strong jaw, and broad shoulders. She frowned. It wasn’t fair he’d looked so hot before his shower when all she’d looked like was a hot mess.
    Still, if the intensity of his appraisal mere moments ago was any indication, maybe he hadn’t found her quite so unattractive after her shower. Taking another bite, she admitted she could be annoyed with him and not only find him attractive, but also enjoy the masculine appreciation in his gaze.
    Her enjoyment faded as she wondered what Jacob looked like. What he’d had to eat in the past twenty-four hours. A memory of the last meal they’d shared danced through her memory—spaghetti at her place a month before he disappeared. He’d seemed tense, his normally clear, brown eyes clouded with secrets. She’d had trouble keeping her eyes off the thin scar that ran along the line of his jaw near his left ear. He’d earned it on a mission the year before. Funny how, in retrospect, that scar seemed to scream at her that Jacob was in trouble.
    Unable to eat the last few bites of salmon, she pushed back from the table and climbed onto the far side of the bed, making sure the robe stayed wrapped securely around her. Closing her eyes to await Cole’s return, she tapped her fingers in rhythm with the monotone tick tock of the antique mantel clock.
    …
    Inside the bathroom, Cole’s phone vibrated again. He yanked it from his pocket. After impatiently waiting almost an hour for Zach’s return call, here it came, right when he and Emma were about to have a real discussion about her presence on the island.
    “Stevens.”
    “Cole, are you okay?” Stress radiated through the phone line. Nice his friend was worried about him, but really, Zach knew Cole was the best he had. Cole flipped on the shower to cover the sound of his conversation.
    “I’m fine, but you’re not going to believe this. Just as the warehouse was about to blow, Emma Bailey showed up. Armed with nothing but pepper spray.” He snorted and gave Zach a quick rundown of events, including his discovery of the note. “I don’t think she’s involved with Alistair, but she’s involved somehow.”
    Expecting an immediate response, Cole heard only silence. “Zach? You there?”
    “Yeah, I’m here.” Energy crackled through the line. Something was wrong.
    “What is it?”
    “Alistair disappeared from the psychiatric ward last night.” Zach exhaled loud enough for Cole to hear it. “He’s free.”
    Those two words changed everything. Innocent or not, Emma was a pawn in a game where the stakes had just been raised.
    As long as Forrester languished in prison, they’d been fairly successful in monitoring his communications and interfering in his attempts to resume full operations—the man may have fooled authorities, but Weston Security knew he remained a threat. Despite the clandestine nature of Alistair’s activities, they’d managed to keep their own actions above board. Even the destruction of the warehouse hadn’t violated any law. After all, Zach was next of kin, and with Alistair in the mental ward, the property’s care had reverted to Zach.
    Cole leaned tiredly against the sink as they discussed the gunmen and their high quality weapons and communications equipment. Although it was