Alani, oblivious to why they stared, said, “Jackson!” Scandalized, she took one step out. “What in the world’s going on? You’re naked, for crying out loud.” Her gaze went to Marc. “What are you doing here?”

Not only was Alani now out in the open—in the line of danger—but Marc was seeing her in the sheer gown.

Jackson clubbed Tobin in the head with his fist. “Turn around, damn you!”

His shout was loud enough to rattle the leaves in the trees, but it got Marc’s attention off Alani. His expression dazed, his lips parted, Tobin stumbled as he jerked around.

“Get her inside,” Tobin whispered.

Jackson felt his fear, damn him. “You!” He pointed the knife at Alani. “Get back inside. Now.”

Instead of obeying, she got her back up. Mouth pinched, she took another step toward him. “Be quiet before you alert the neighbors.”

Since she’d moved away from the light, she looked a little more decent—but that did nothing for her safety. Jackson wrapped an arm around Tobin’s neck in an unbreakable choke hold and, dragging him along backward, approached Alani. He’d put her inside if necessary, and deal with the consequences later.

Tobin fought him—not that it did him any good. At the moment, Jackson was so furious, he could have snapped Tobin’s neck with ease.

He stomped up to Alani. Through his teeth, he said, “Get in the house. Right now.”

Bristling indignation had her leaning into his anger. “You are not my boss.”

He caught her arm, more than ready to force the issue.

A projectile zipped through the air and struck the house with enough force to splinter a piece of brick. Confused, Alani turned to look, but Jackson knew that sound and reacted without thought.

He shoved Marc away from him and in the same movement drove Alani down. They hit the ground together with bone-jarring force. Keeping her head covered, Jackson rolled and came up with her on the porch, near the picnic table. He upended it so that it shielded her.

“What in the—”

“Bullet.” Gun in hand, on high alert, Jackson waited, but all he could hear was Tobin’s loud, thundering escape. Shit, shit, shit. “C’mon.”

Keeping her shielded with his body, he half crouched, half ran with Alani into the dubious safety of her house. He tucked her into a corner away from the windows and hit the light switch, sending the kitchen into darkness again.

“Jackson?”

“I’m right here, babe.” Rarely did he have to engage in polite conversation in these situations. “Stay down, okay? Someone’s shooting at us.”

“I didn’t hear anything!”

Her panicked tone pulled his gaze like a lodestone. “It’s okay. But you will stay put, understand?”

Nodding, she brought her legs up to her chest. “Are you positive it was a shot?”

“Shush.” Finger on the trigger of the Beretta, Jackson sat near the patio doors, his back to the wall, and waited. He kept his gaze on the door opening, his ears prickling.

Nothing.

And then, too close for comfort, he heard another shot, this one lacking the benefit of a silencer. The resonating “pop pop” of gunfire echoed over the quiet night, followed by a curse before everything went silent again.

Dropping back against the wall, Jackson worked his jaw. Maybe Tobin hadn’t gotten away after all, but what did he have to do with anything?

“It went wide,” Jackson said aloud, as much to himself as to Alani. Tobin had been fearful. Of what? Who? “Either the shooter sucks, or someone interfered with his aim.”

“Interfered?” she whispered. “I don’t understand.”

No, he didn’t, either. Yet. Jackson chewed on his thoughts. Why use a silencer one second, then not the next? “Two guns,” he concluded. “Two people?”

“You’re not making any sense.”

“I know.” He got to his feet but stayed hunkered down. “Woman, don’t you dare move, do you understand me?”

Eyes wide in the darkness, her pale face reflecting the moonlight through the window over the sink, Alani nodded. “I get it. You don’t have to beat it into the ground.”

Prickly to the bitter end. Unable to appreciate her moxie at that particular moment, Jackson said only, “Good. ’Bout damn time.”

He lunged to the other side of the patio doors and shoved them shut, then secured them. Finding the draw-string for the vertical blinds, he closed them. If no one could see them, then they wouldn’t be such easy targets. He darted over to Alani. “Come on.”

She took his hand and, following his lead, hurried around the doorway of the kitchen and into the hallway.

Once there, away from windows, he led her down the hall toward the bedrooms, but again held back. “Stay right here while I check things.”

“Okay.” Her hand squeezed his. “Be careful.”

“Yeah.” She released him, and he went into each room but found nothing. After snagging his jeans and stepping into them, he grabbed up his socks and boots and came back to her with a blanket. “Get comfortable.”

“Here in the hall?”

“Shit just got real, babe, so yeah, for now you wait in the hallway.” When her shoulders slumped, Jackson put one hand to her nape and tugged her into his side. She shivered, as much from nerves as anything, he knew. Holding her close, lending her his heat, he helped her wrap in the blanket. “Better?”