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He’d rushed over without stopping to grab his gun, but no matter, he was well versed in hand-to-hand combat. There was no doubt in his mind that he could overpower the intruder, who was only about five-eleven and thin, maybe a hundred and thirty pounds. He just needed to get Karine out of harm’s way first.

“Let her go,” he repeated.

“You want me to let her go?” the man said in a voice that sounded as if he was trying to disguise it. “Fine.”

The masked man gave Karine a hard shove, propelling her forward unsteadily.

Omar caught her before she fell headfirst into the countertop. The intruder darted from the kitchen and back toward the living room and front door.

He steadied Karine, studying her for injuries. Even in bare feet and pajamas, she was statuesque. Her long, light brown hair was disheveled from the attack and her toffee-colored cheeks were pink with fear and exertion. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Yes,” she said, shaken, but with no obvious injuries that he could see.

“Okay. Stay here,” Omar ordered before taking off after the man.

The front door was open. He ran outside onto the porch, looking up and down the street, but saw no one. Whoever had broken in was gone, lost in the shadows.

Omar walked back into the house, locking the front door, then doing the same for the rear sliding-glass doors leading from the porch to the kitchen.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, joining Karine on the sofa, pulling her in close. She wasn’t the only one shaken by the intrusion and he needed to feel her warmth to assure himself she hadn’t been hurt.

He pulled away enough to look down on her while still keeping his arms around her. “Not much of a welcome to town, is it?”

She gave him a tight smile. “So far, I’m not impressed.” She pulled out of his arms. “How did you—”

“I was out on my back porch, having a beer and unwinding from the day, when I heard you scream.”

“Thank goodness you did. Who was that guy? I guess the house has probably attracted a lot of vagrants sitting here vacant like it’s been for the last couple of months.”

“Actually, I have been keeping an eye on it for you. I didn’t get a good look at whoever attacked you, but no one’s been hanging around here. At least, not that I’ve seen.”

“Oh, well...”

“We need to call the sheriff’s office and file a report.”

“Oh, I don’t think all that is necessary. It’s late and—”

“It’s definitely necessary.” Omar pulled his phone from his pocket. “You might want to take a look around and see if anything is missing while we wait.”

“I wouldn’t even know if there was anything missing. The trustee rented out the house as a furnished rental, and while everything here is technically mine, none of this is really mine. Everything I brought with me is upstairs in the master bedroom.”

It was just as well. He didn’t want her leaving his side, and he didn’t think whoever had broken in had done so to rob the place. The house had sat empty for the last several months, giving any burglar the perfect opportunity to ransack the place well before Karine’s arrival.

He reported the attempted burglary and was told a car would be sent right out, then he called Lance and conveyed what had happened.

“This was not exactly the way I imagined my homecoming.”

“I’m just glad you’re here.” Omar put an arm around Karine’s shoulder and pulled her to him. “And that I was close by.”

And that was exactly where he planned to be until he was sure she was safe in Carling Lake.