Serving the Soldier - Part 4 (An Alpha Military Romance) by Helen Grey Read Free Book Online Page B

pounding. What had woken me? It was dark out. I glanced at the digital clock on my bedside table and realized it was close to midnight.
    Was Jax back?
    Where had he been?
    Had that noise sounded like a door slamming?
    Then again, why would he slam the door?
    He would've known I was sleeping. I listened for the sound of voices, but didn't hear any.
    Moments later, I heard a little tinkling that sounded like dropping glass. A shiver ran up my spine and the hair on my scalp stood up on end. Had he dropped a glass in the kitchen? Again, doubtful. I didn't hear a sound. Knowing Jax, if he had dropped a glass in the kitchen, he would've sworn, just as I would have.
    Silence.
    The alarm hadn't gone off, so it probably was Jax… wasn't it? I listened for several seconds, but again heard nothing. I quickly scrambled off my bed and tiptoed to my bedroom door, pressing my ear against it. All I heard was the sound of my own heart pounding. If it was Jax, I would hear him coming up the stairs and then venturing into his bedroom. Problem was, I didn't hear a damn thing.
    That thought dropped my heart into the pit of my stomach and I sank to my knees. The only sound in the silence was the crack of my knee joint. My mouth grew dry and my palms grew clammy.
    Intruders?
    There was no way I was going to go out of my room and venture into his office to look at the monitor. If they were intruders—
    I glanced again at my digital clock, the only light in the room other than the moonlight coming in through the window. It was a new moon tonight, so it certainly wasn't much. To my dismay, it suddenly registered on my brain that the digital clock had gone dark. Shit. Had someone cut the electricity?
    Now I was really getting scared. I didn't hear any sound of movement and began to wonder if my mind was playing tricks on me. Had I dreamed the whole thing? Then again, why would the electricity go out? The weather was clear, no storms in the forecast.
    I remained in my hunched position for several moments, my heart pounding so forcefully in my chest that I thought it might burst. My hands trembled as I pressed them against the door, wondering what I should do. Hide under the bed? Lock myself in the bathroom?
    I heard a creak on the bottom stair. Then, nothing more. Was someone slinking up the stairs? Suddenly, I wished I had a lock on my bedroom door. What to do? What to do?
    My eyes wide with fright, I kept my ear pressed to the door, hoping to hear something that would resolve my fears. It was probably Jax, coming home late, and I was being silly. I had been roused from a deep sleep, and the events of the day just had me on edge.
    Still, I heard no other sounds of movement. If it was Jax, I should've heard him walking past my door by now on the way to his own bedroom. I stood slowly, careful not to let myself brush up against the door. My hands shook as I reached for the door knob. I positioned myself just to the side of the door. Ever so slowly, I turned the knob. I held firmly to it so that it wouldn't accidentally snap back into place. One millimeter at a time, or so it seemed, I slowly opened my door, just a crack, just enough for me to peek through. I bit back a startled cry.
    There, at the top of the stairs, I saw two dark shadowy figures. Jax and the Muslim woman perhaps? No, that didn't make sense. Besides, the two figures looked about the same size, and wore dark clothing. They were trimmer and shorter than Jax.
    Definitely intruders! The killers after Jax and his squadron?
    I choked back a sob and very gently and slowly closed the door and allowed the doorknob to latch back into place. I glanced frantically around the darkness in my room, trying to think of something that I could use in my own defense. I should have accepted the offer of the Sig Sauer when Jax first mentioned it, and now I cursed myself for my stupidity.
    Then I spied a dark shadow on the floor beside me and realized it was my purse. I needed to call Jax! I had no idea how