Page 49 of A Soldier's Destiny
Chapter 17
Rori was waiting for him in the living room when he got upstairs. She looked like she was ready to go to sleep, it didn’t help that he’d had her up most of the night before. But she needed to be awake for a while longer because of the concussion protocols. “How are you feeling, can I get you anything?”
“I’m good.”
“How about some coffee?”
“I don’t think so. Can you sit with me?”
“I wish you would have let me fill the prescription for the pain pills. You’re going to need them in the morning.”
“I’ll be fine. I hate those things they make me loopy.”
“Tylenol?”
“Maybe in a bit. I want to talk.” It was never a good thing when a woman said those words. It’s one of the first things men learn.
“What do you want to talk about?” he asked as he sat next to her on the couch. She was leaning against one of the arms, and he picked up her feet and draped them over his lap. He rubbed one foot and then the other without even thinking about it. They were so tiny compared to his size thirteens.
“Mmm, that feels good. But don’t try to distract me.”
“I’m not.” She was wearing leggings and a t-shirt, and with hair curling around her face and shoulders, she looked adorable. It brought back memories of the night before when he’d tangled his fingers in her hair as he’d made love to her. Just thinking about it gave him an erection. “What do you want to talk about, Angel?”
“I want to know what you and Chase were talking about. I know it was about me, and I have a right to know.”
“I wasn’t trying to keep anything from you. I was hoping to get more information first.”
“What did you find out?”
“Did Jim ever tell you he had a twin sister?”
“He had a twin?”
“Yeah, and she took his death really hard. Her family had to commit her to a private facility for a while after he died. She’s been in and out a few times since then.”
“Oh wow, that’s awful. But what does she have to do with me?”
“We’re fairly sure she’s the one behind the phone calls. Alex was able to trace them back to her.”
“Why would she mess with me? I’m surprised she even knows who I am. I told you, I never met any of them.”
“We figure she saw the piece in the paper about you and the bakery. In her twisted mind, she probably blames you for Jim’s death.”
“But that doesn’t make any sense. It was a terrorist attack.”
“It’s probably easier to blame you. She’s not stable so it doesn’t have to make sense to us, just to her.”
“But he was in Paris long before I got there.”
“She’s unbalanced and that makes her dangerous. Honestly, I think she’s behind everything that’s been happening to you.”
“Really? She’s here? In Willow Haven?”
“Not that we can tell. We have proof she was in Boston yesterday but that doesn’t mean she didn’t hire someone to hurt you or worse. You could have been killed today. Probably would have been if I wasn’t with you.”
“But if she’s not here…”
“If she hired someone she’s just as culpable.” Worry wrinkled Rori’s brow. He didn’t want to keep information from her, but he hated upsetting her especially after all she’d been through already. She needed to be calm and not have extra stress.
