Page 29 of A Soldier's Destiny
“Thank you, Jasper,” she mumbled. Her eyes were so heavy, and she couldn’t fight off sleep any longer. “Night.”
She thought she heard him answer but she wasn’t sure.
* * *
“Good night, my sweet angel.”
She was everything he never knew he wanted. He’d dated more than his share over the years, but they’d never pulled on his heartstrings. Hell, he’d forgotten most of their names before they’d left his bed. He wasn’t proud of it, but he’d never promised them anything. Never planned to settle down. Delta Force had been his life. There wasn’t room for anything else. Or hadn’t been until Paris when a little woman with huge blue eyes burrowed into his heart and refused to leave.
After all the dead ends he’d run into, he’d been about to give up on ever finding her again. It was strange how the universe worked. Chase believed that everything happened for a reason, maybe he was right. What were the odds he’d go to work for him and end up meeting the woman who had haunted his life for the last two years? He wouldn’t have taken that bet. But there he was, with Rori’s head lying on his chest, and her body curled around his.
Pulling the clip holding up her hair, he put it on the nightstand and ran his hands through her curls releasing the scent of her pineapple shampoo. Soft, and fluffy. It had been the truth when he’d told her he wanted her. It was torture having her soft body wrapped around him. He hadn’t been with a woman in longer than he could remember, and now the one he wanted was within reach but strictly off limits.
When he was sure she was asleep, he gently slid out from under her. He’d have loved to stay, but it was only nine and he needed to give Chase a call to see if he could check out a few things. He was used to functioning on only a few hours of sleep, and as long as he was in bed by midnight, he’d be fine.
Stopping by his room, he grabbed his laptop and sat at the kitchen table. After transferring his notes from his phone to the computer, he gave Chase a call.
“Brennan.”
“Hey, Chase.”
“How did the rest of the day go? Any more trouble?”
“It was okay. But she wouldn’t go out for dinner. Today really shook her.”
“I’m not surprised. Willow Haven is not exactly immune to that kind of thing, but it’s not really common either. Did Steele find out anything at all?”
“Not that he told me. I figured you’d hear before I do, he’s your brother. But I’m hoping you can have Alex or Rock do some digging for me. They’re much better at that shit.”
“No problem. Whatever you need. What did you find out?”
“The trouble started after a TV reporter interviewed her. Do you remember when they came here? Rori said it went viral on social media. After that the harassment started and has continued for the last six months, she just didn’t bother to tell anyone. She is one hell of a stubborn woman. If Lily hadn’t been there when the window was shattered she’d probably have found a way to keep that quiet too.”
“Any thoughts on who might be behind it?”
“No, that’s what I need your help with. I think it’s either someone fixated on her from the interview or who knew her or her fiancé.”
“It was Jim something, right?”
“James Marshall, the third or the fourth, she wasn’t one hundred percent sure. The family is on the east coast somewhere, old money and run a law firm. But Jim was a journalist in Paris. Rori never met his family. Hell, they came to Paris to retrieve his body and bring it back home and they never even stopped by the hospital to check on her. It just feels off to me.”
“Understood. Send me anything else you come up with, and we’ll start working it in the morning. If there’s dirt out there, Alex will find it.”
“I’m counting on it.”
“Don’t be surprised if you have more of us stopping by tomorrow.”
“I won’t, I figured you’d be all over this one since she’s a home town girl.”
“Exactly. Hell, I knew her when she was younger and her parents too. She’s become our own little celebrity here. Like you said, the TV coverage and social media made her famous or infamous. Snowbirds and tourists come here and visit the bakery.”
“She deserves good to happen to her, not all this fucked up shit.”
“And that’s why you’re on the job. I know you’ll keep her safe. Steele and Ethan are doing what they can. But so far as you saw for yourself, there’s not a lot to go on. But hopefully, Alex will be able to dig some stuff up.”
“I sure hope so. I don’t want to wait until the guy fucks up to catch him.”
“Exactly. I’ll get back to you tomorrow.”
