Page 16 of Baited

“Let’s have a look inside Ms. Reynolds’ residence. After the break-in last week, I want to be sure it’s clear.” The blond, curly haired officer nodded, his mouth set into a no-nonsense line. He might be young, but at least he’d taken the report seriously and had been thorough.

A pale, shifting shape near the stairs snapped Ethan’s attention to his house. Riley stood, her arms folded across her chest, her blond hair hung limply against her breasts. Although her skin took on an ashen shade, her eyes had brightened and had lost the far-off daze that had rattled him before.

He met her at the walkway and stopped a few inches from her feet. Her gaze shifted across the yard to her large, Victorianhouse and then landed back on him. He followed her line of vision and watched the two police officers enter through her front door. Her arms still wrapped around her waist as if letting go would make her crumble into a million pieces.

“How are you feeling?” His fingers vibrated with the need to touch her, to inspect her wound himself…but even more, he ached to hold her.

“My head feels like it was split in two,” she said, her lips slanted into a smile. “But other than that I’m fine. Joe was happy to search my house and he promised they’d patrol the neighborhood tonight.”

Ethan bunched his shoulders. “You can’t possibly want to stay there.”

She kicked a stray stone with the toe of her work shoe and shrugged. “The locks were changed after the break-in. My guess is he attacked me in the alley because he couldn’t get in the house. As long as there’s no sign of entry, and the police are keeping watch, I should be fine for tonight at least.”

“Riley, that’s crazy,” he growled. Her sharp green orbs flicked to his, and fire shot from her irises.

“I’m getting an alarm system installed tomorrow. It’s one night.”

He ran his hand over his hair and let loose a breath. “Then let me crash on your couch.”

The ice melted from her eyes and the lines of her face softened. “I appreciate the offer. But I’ll be all right.”

Joe and Officer Jacobs exited her house and came across the lawn, they slipped their weapons into their holsters and stopped short of Riley. “All clear. I don’t see any sign of forced entry or anything suspicious. We’ll have a couple cars circling the neighborhood all night, so sleep easy.”

Riley smiled, but the corners of her mouth faltered. Ethan’s blood bubbled to a low simmer. Goddammit, she was beinghardheaded. He wasn’t surprised she hadn’t taken him up on his offer, but how the hell was he supposed to sleep knowing someone was trying to hurt her?

Riley thanked Joe and the officers said good night and headed to their cruisers. She turned to him, dark circles lined beneath her lower lids and red streaks cracked the usually bright whites of her eyes.

“I’m going to bed now.” Her gaze flitted down his body to his slack hands at his sides and slowly came back up. “Thanks for…everything, Ethan.” Her tone was soft, almost regretful.

He stretched his hand out and caught her elbow. “I’ll have my windows open all night.” He reached into his back pocket and fished a loose card from it. “If you change your mind about me crashing there, I can be over in a second. If you hear anything strange or just want me to have a look around, call me.”

Her fingers closed around the white cardstock paper and her shoulders relaxed.

“Thanks. I’ll sleep easier just having you next door. G’night.”

And just like that, her armor had cracked. Not enough to let him in, but enough to make a spark of hope spread through him.

“Good night,” he said. He watched her turn away and enter the house. One of the lights flicked on inside and he climbed the stairs of his porch. Inside, he opened all the windows and took up camp on his couch where he’d be at closer proximity to the windows that faced her property.

A break-in last week, a note on her windshield yesterday and an attack today…something was going on. There was no way in hell the incidents weren’t connected. He just hoped to hell Joe was doing his due diligence. Riley had been a closed book since he’d moved in and he couldn’t help but wonder what the cause of her impenetrable armor was. Did she have a stalker? A deranged ex-boyfriend maybe?

He needed answers and he was determined to get them.

***

“Where the hellare you at now, bro?” Cal’s voice boomed in his ear. Ethan groaned and threw back the covers and glanced at the clock. It was eight a.m. Seattle was three hours behind him.

“Don’t you have anything better to do than call me at five in the morning?” Ethan snapped.

“You were sleeping? But you’re three hours ahead. Are you sick or something?”

Cal had been one of his best friends since their military days. Before meeting Lana, Cal had been a Freelance Security Contractor—a life with no boundaries or red tape. He’d changed his entire career since his last job had been to kill Lana, and instead, he’d saved her.

Ethan yanked on a pair of jogging pants that he’d discarded on the floor last night and shuffled to the kitchen. The muscles in his back ached from sleeping on the too-soft couch cushions two nights in a row. He hadn’t talked to Riley yesterday, but when he’d come home from the gym there had been a security system company van in her driveway.

He flicked on the coffee maker and scratched his beard. The breeze that blew in through the open windows was already warm, warning him it was going to be another scorcher today. He moved the curtain and scanned Riley’s house, her car gone from the driveway.

“No, I’m not sick. But I was up late last night.” Checking out the window at every slight noise. Aside from that, he couldn’t get Riley’s drunken act at the bar last week out of his head. With the recent threats being made on her, that strange behavior kept spinning in his mind, raging at him that it was the answer to the missing link.

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