Page 43 of Finding Amanda

"Nah, this'll probably be enough. I can print some stuff out, but I won't have time to look at it for a couple of days."

"Can you bring it to me?"

"Sure. How about I drop it by in the morning before work?"

"That's fine. Bring it by our house. I'm having an alarm installed at seven."

"Great. See you?—"

"Wait! Did you dig up anything on Sheppard?"

"A little. I'll have something for you in the morning."

"Thanks. I owe you one."

Chris snorted. "You saved my life. I'll never stop owing you."

"You know what? You help me keep Amanda safe, and you'll be saving my life. Then, we'll be even."

CHAPTER TEN

Amanda straightened her tank top, tugging it to her waistline while she ran down the stairs. "Coming!" she yelled, her sweatshirt trailing behind her like Linus's blanket. She called over her shoulder, "Girls, you have five minutes until breakfast."

At the bottom of the stairs, she slipped, righted herself, and shuffled across the wood floor to the front door. She unlocked the deadbolt and yanked it open without looking through the peephole, but it wasn't Mark on the other side of the door, it was Chris. He wore a dark suit with a turquoise shirt and matching tie. His closely-cropped hair and clean-shaven face would still fit in the Marines, but the roll that hung over his pants was an accessory he'd added since retirement.

"Oh, hi." She smiled, crossing her arms over her tank top, protection against the blast of cold air.

He didn't return her smile. "Is Mark here yet?"

"Nope. He should be any minute, though. Come on in."

She stepped aside to let Chris through, then closed the door behind him. After three precise steps, he stopped, standingstraight as if at attention. A manila envelope hung from his left hand.

"What's up?" she asked.

"I have some stuff for him. He told me to meet him here at seven."

Amanda glanced at the digital clock on her microwave. "He's a little late. Can I get you some coffee or something?"

"I have a cup in the car."

She nodded.

He lifted the envelope and tapped it against the palm of his right hand.Tap, tap, tap.

She realized two things quite suddenly. One, this was the first time she'd seen Chris since she and Mark separated, and two, Chris, usually very friendly, was glaring at her. Although she'd known Chris had been Mark's superior in the service, she'd always thought of him as a kind, gentle man, never seeing him in a tough Marine demeanor. She'd never been able to picture him carrying a gun, either, but the image wasn't so difficult to conjure now. He looked angry and, when she looked into his icy gray eyes, terrifying.

She forced another smile. "What's in the envelope?"

"He gave me some names to look up," he said, still tapping the envelope on his palm. "This is what I found."

"I can't believe you let him drag you into his paranoia." A nervous chuckle escaped. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."

"Do you know his nickname?" he asked.

Amanda slipped on her sweatshirt, suddenly needing the protection, and not just from the cold. "Uh . . . you call him pro, right?"

Tap, tap, tap."Do you know why?"

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