Brianna's Navy SEAL by Natalie Damschroder Page B

inside now?” Cable motioned to the front door, and they all started toward the porch. Cable stopped Brie halfway there. “I think it might be better if you go home while I finish this. I'll come over when Downey's done,” he said in a low voice.
    Brianna just shook her head and kept walking. She wanted to see what had been done. A triangle with Darcy Langlais was one thing. A reservation Cable could probably overcome. But this thing with Sid Carothers was something else. If he was a threat to Cable, she wanted out. She couldn't handle the tension and fear that went along with being stalked, and she also didn't want to give Carothers ideas. The bad guys always went after the ones their target cared about most. Cable didn't need to be worrying about her.
    Her throat swelled and began to ache, and her eyes burned. Stupid . She blinked and swallowed, trying to ignore the less physical pain that was swelling inside her.
    She knew what was going to happen before the night was over.
    The damage in the house was minimal, surprising her. She stood outside the living room while Downey took pictures of the ripped cushions on the floor and smashed TV screen, and followed down the hall to the kitchen, which displayed broken glass and a ripped-off cabinet door. That was all.
    "Upstairs?” Downey asked Cable.
    He hesitated and glanced at Brianna. She turned and ran up the stairs before he could tell Downey no. There was something up there he was trying to hide from her. Something important enough that he thought about not even telling the police, just to keep it from her.
    She heard him following her up, though he didn't call out. Downey was spluttering at the bottom of the stairs when Brie reached the bedroom. She gasped. The destruction here was worse. The bed linens were torn and piled on the bed, the curtains yanked from the windows. His dresser had been tipped forward, the attached mirror smashed on the floor.
    "Brie.” Cable put his hand on the back of her neck.
    "I'm okay.” She leaned into the room, bracing her hands on the doorjamb. The clothes in his closet had been pulled off their hangers, some looking shredded. “I don't get why you didn't want me to see this."
    "Excuse me.” Officer Downey sounded irritated. Brianna and Cable moved aside, and he raised his eyebrows. “Nice. Someone really hates you, Addison.” He clicked the camera a few more times, then moved into the room.
    Assuming that gave her permission, Brie followed, moving closer to the bed. “Ohhh,” she breathed. “Now I get it.” The mound of the comforter had hidden the down pillows, both of which had been speared with knives from his kitchen.
    Cable stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders. She shivered, and he rubbed her arms. Downey had asked him about enemies, and he'd told him about Carothers. But Brianna wasn't sure Carothers had done this. Not that she knew anything about him, but this just didn't seem to fit.
    "The letter.” She turned on Cable, and he backed up a step, looking surprised.
    "What letter is that?” Downey asked, jotting notes on his pad.
    Cable frowned. “I got a letter from Carothers. I tossed it onto the foyer floor before we went to the committee meeting.” His eyes met Brianna's, and he looked angry. “It's gone."
    Her own temper flared, then she realized he was angry because he hadn't remembered the letter until now.
    "You sure?"
    Cable turned and led them back downstairs, where he searched the empty hall, looking for cracks in the baseboard and opening the coat closet. Then he went into the living room and moved around the things that had been strewn on the floor. No paper appeared.
    "I'm sure,” he finally said, looking disgusted. “My phone bill is gone, too. And I think there was a flier for insurance or something."
    Downey shook his head. “What would someone want with those?"
    Brianna yawned and hoped Bob would leave soon. Cable glanced at her, then maneuvered Bob toward the kitchen, asking him