Recon Marines II: Marine's Heiress, The by Susan Kelley

man’s throat and dropped the rifle so he
could pull his pistol. Before the man’s breathe woofed out of his
chest, Vin had the gun pressed against the man’s temple.
    “ No! No, Vin.” Emma put
her hand on Vin’s shoulder, warmth soaking through his shirt. “He’s
my friend. It’s only Dillon.”
    Dillon whimpered in the silence. The
only other sound was people breathing. No one even
moved.
    Vin tucked his pistol back into his
weapon belt and snatched up his rifle as he rose. Moe strode
forward and helped Dillon to his feet. People started talking
again, walking around the moose and some jogging off to collect the
needed tools.
    Emma touched Vin’s shoulder again. “He
wasn’t hurting me, Vin.”
    Vin thought he saw pity in her dark
eyes but that made no sense. He wasn’t the one picking himself off
the ground. “He shouldn’t have touched you so … roughly.” Vin
wanted to say Dillon shouldn’t have touched her at all. But then
another thought had him looking closer at the trembling Dillon.
“Where were you? Why are you just now arriving?”
    Dillon swallowed and looked to Emma as
if expecting her to help. “I … I live in the last house on the
north end of town. I didn’t hear anything until the shot woke me
up.”
    Vin knew he didn’t read emotions well
in others, but he sensed the lie. He itched to grab the man’s
throat again but Emma wouldn’t want it. “The north end?”
    “ Yes. The very last
house.”
    Vin stepped toward Dillon, shaking
Emma’s hand off his arm. “So you didn’t noticed the open gate when
you heard a disturbance?”
    “ Open gate?” Vannie asked.
“Are you saying this behemoth busted through our gate?”
    Vin watched Dillon’s expression,
searching for guilt. “No, I’m saying someone opened it, and this
poor dumb animal wandered in.”
    Moe overheard and cursed softly. He
grabbed Dillon’s arm and pulled him back through the alley,
speaking over his shoulder to Vannie and Vin. “Come with me.” Moe
led them down the middle of the street, keeping a firm grip on
Dillon. Emma trailed behind them.
    “ Hell’s balls,” Vannie
cursed when the open gate came into view. “Who would have done
this?”
    “ Don’t swear, Vannie,”
Emma said. “Dillon didn’t do this if that’s what you’re thinking,
Vin.”
    “ Of course I didn’t.”
Dillon jerked his arm from Moe’s grasp. “I was sound asleep until
that shot blasted through the night. Why would anyone do
this?”
    “ Anything could have
walked in through here,” Vannie said.
    Vin realized he should have closed the
gate as soon as he noticed it. “I better check the rest of the
village.”
    “ I’ll go with you,” Emma
said.
    “ No you won’t.” Vin
started toward the houses on the eastern side. “Close that gate,
Vannie.”
    Emma tagged along behind him, her small
boots snapping a quick cadence to keep up with him. Vin walked
faster so by the time he rounded the corner behind Dillon’s home,
she was trotting. And making a lot of noise. He stopped and turned
to face her.
    She stopped also and folded her arms,
her flimsy blouse emphasizing how skinny her limbs were.
    “ You’ll only be in my
way.”
    “ Someone has to watch your
back.”
    “ I don’t understand your
jokes.” And being so close to her while she wore such light
clothing didn’t help clear his thoughts.
    “ You can’t make me angry
so don’t try.”
    Vin blinked, struggling to make any
sense of her comment. He should have stayed hidden in the forest
instead of trying to live among these people. A rustling sound
distracted him.
    Emma opened her mouth to speak again
but Vin placed his finger on her lips. Her breath flitted across
his calluses. He jerked his hand away, cursing himself for touching
her. He gestured over his shoulder. Now he would have to keep her
right beside him.
    They continued along the back of the
houses until Vin paused. He needed Emma to stop moving. Her
footballs sounded as loud as gunshots to him. The