Kindred Spirit - Noah Harris Page 0,31

high alert, but he knew better than to question it.

And there it was. A soft sound from the back of the house, in Levi’s bedroom.

A gentle squeak.

Jacob took a deep breath, gently nudging Levi awake. “Levi.”

Levi thankfully didn’t groan or complain, his eyes flashing open. It was hard to tell in the soft moonlight, but Jacob thought the man didn’t look nearly as groggy as he should have. Before he could say anything, Levi’s eyes widened, fear crossing his face.

“Jacob,” he whispered softly.

Holding a finger to his lips, Jacob carefully pulled himself out from under Levi. The other man tilted his head but kept himself still as Jacob slid silently off the loveseat. Carefully straining his ears, Jacob listened, hearing another soft sound, this time a creak, and then another, still coming from the bedroom. His instincts told him the first sound had been the window opening, and the second had been someone walking.

He pointed, making sure Levi knew to keep himself where he was as Jacob soundlessly took up position beside the hallway’s entrance. The house was almost completely silent, and Jacob heard a rustle of fabric, the creak of another board. Whoever it was either didn’t know how to be quiet, or they didn’t think they would be heard if they made sure not to make too much noise.

Jacob smirked, waiting patiently. He was more than willing to show someone just how badly they had messed up. He would very much like to know how Levi knew someone else was with them in the house, but Jacob would wait until later for that. The man knew, and even more importantly, he’d looked terrified when he realized, so Jacob bet that through whatever means Levi had learned the truth, he knew more about the possible danger.

Another sound, this one right around the corner. A dark figure stepped into sight, looking in the opposite direction to Jacob as they scanned the room. They took a step forward, sweeping the room and stopping cold when he spotted Levi crouched on the loveseat. The moonlight caught a flicker of something shining in the figure’s hand, and that was all Jacob needed.

He stepped forward, smoothly gripping the intruder’s wrist and twisting it behind his back. A sharp but decidedly masculine cry rose from the figure, and the long knife in his hand clattered to the floor. Jacob placed his leg between the other man’s, twisted it around his knee, and yanked back as he shoved forward with his arms. Jacob went down with him, making sure to add some of his weight to the intruder’s collision with the ground.

“And what do we have here?” Jacob hissed, giving the wrist another twist.

The man cried out, but not loud enough to cover Levi’s cry of warning. Instinct and training pushed him away from the man, rolling just as another man dived forward. There was a flash of metal as the knife missed Jacob by inches. Not only were there two men in the house, but they were as determined to kill them as they were noisy.

Jacob’s back hit the wall, left sitting as the second man swung toward him again. Jacob dived, using the wall to push himself forward into a roll. Smoothly popping to his feet, he turned around, shoving his foot into the second figure’s knee. A horrific scream broke through the night air as the man staggered into the wall, no longer able to stand on both legs.

The first was already gaining his feet, and Jacob lashed out, catching the man across the head with his bare foot. Pain flared along his foot and ankle, but he ignored it as he kicked the knife away. The first man was no longer moving, out cold from the blow to the head. Which left only one more to worry about.

He caught sight of Levi darting into the hallway and let out a breath of relief that he was out of the crossfire. No sooner had the thought flit through his mind before the remaining man reached into his black coat. Jacob lunged forward, catching his wrist, not flinching when the gun went off with a roar and there was the sound of shattering glass.

Keeping his grip with one hand, he drove the palm of his other up and into the man’s chin. Slapping against the wall, the stranger’s grip loosened, and Levi yanked the gun from his grasp.

“They were right,” the man grunted, still unable to stand on one leg.

“About?” Jacob asked, voice even.

“The