“I know better than to think there are guarantees.” She glances toward the windows like the shadow of a drone will appear outside. That guy could have played it a little cooler. He didn’t have to scare the hell out of her this late at night.

The two guys come back down.

“Everything’s clear,” they tell Emily. “We’ll be keeping a perimeter around your house and the road up to the cliff, so you shouldn’t have any more problems with trespassing. We’re communicating with Mr. Garza. However, if you want to reach us directly, you can call this number. It will ring all the guards closest to you.” He hands her a business card. “Any time of day or night.”

I know it’s his job to be there for Emily at all hours, but any time of day or night makes me jealous. It’s a stupid kind of jealousy that I immediately stamp out. Jealous of a security guard. It’s a new low.

“Thanks, guys,” I say pointedly. “We’ll talk later.”

They go out the door, and Emily’s shoulders sag. She pushes her hair back from her face and turns in a slow circle, looking around her living room. “I didn’t see anything wrong with it before,” she admits. “Now I don’t know whether we’re just sitting ducks.”

“You’re not.”

“That’s what those men say, but men don’t always know what they’re talking about.” Her voice has started to show some strain. Emily’s struggling not to get louder. I know how terrible she’d feel if she woke Paige up because of this. She paces to one side of the living room, then comes back.

“Emily.”

“What?” Her eyes snap up as if she’s surprised to see me.

“Come over here for a minute.”

Emily steps over, suspicious. “For what?”

I put my arms around her and hold her close. “I probably don’t know what I’m talking about, but you seem pretty freaked out.”

“Who wouldn’t be freaked out?” She feels small in my arms. Her heart’s beating fast. “They came in here talking about drones and perimeters. God knows what else they’re doing out there. Makes it seem like everything’s going to get so much worse.”

“Again, I’m not claiming to be an expert on the subject, but I think the security team is going to stop that from happening.”

“Stop things from getting worse?”

“Yes. That’s why they’re here now instead of later.”