Bodyguard/Husband by Mallory Kane Read Free Book Online Page A

quick. He’d have to be careful. His question had reminded her that she wasn’t safe in her own house.He’d intended to use this first night to let her get used to having him around, become comfortable with him.
    Too late now. This information was too important.
    “Who has access to your house?”
    She picked up her fork and drew circles in the congealing cheese. “Nobody, really. Debi, of course. And Uncle Virgil. I always lock my doors.” She stopped.
    He watched her, waiting. Carefully keeping his expression bland, he resisted the urge to prompt her.
    She toyed with her food and took a sip of coffee. “You think this person who is obsessed with me broke in and stole my cup?”
    “You don’t seem like the type to lose things. You’re methodical, precise. You leave nothing to chance. After two weeks away, you knew exactly where the bread was.”
    She laughed shortly as she picked up her plate and took it to the sink. “That’s because Debi never looks in the freezer. She orders out. It’s really not a big deal, Jack. I’m sure Debi broke the cup and threw the pieces away. Just forget it.” Her eyes flashed.
    “Have you misplaced anything else in the past year or so?”
    She sighed in exasperation. “I lost a makeup kit a couple of years ago. I’m certain Debi borrowed it and never brought it back. I’ve misplaced Brad’s class ring, but it’s probably in a box somewhere. And I couldn’t find a particular nightgown when I was packing for this trip.”
    Jack’s skin prickled. “When was the last time you saw the nightgown?”
    She wrinkled her brow. “Back in October. I bought it for—” Her cheeks turned pink and her eyes turned sad. “I’d never worn it.”

    “What color was it?”
    She stared at him, confusion clouding her gaze. “W-white.”
    “And where did you keep it?”
    Her throat moved as she swallowed. “In the second drawer of the chest in my room, on the right side under some…other lingerie. Maybe Debi…”
    Jack watched her slow journey from disbelief to doubt. “Is that really what you think?”
    Her eyes were on him, the doubt gone, replaced by fear. “You’re telling me he comes into my house when I’m not here and takes things that belong to me.”
    He felt her silently begging him to reassure her, but he couldn’t. He needed her to accept the reality of her situation, the reality of a killer who would do anything to possess her.
    “Holly, there is someone out there who knows which of your possessions are most important to you, who watches you, who roams through your house while you’re not here. The sooner you come to terms with that, the sooner we can catch the bastard.”
    He waited for her to crumple. Once stalking victims accepted the truth, they experienced an overwhelming helplessness and fear that sprang from a loss of control of their life. Some of them never recovered from that, even after the stalker was caught.
    Her shoulders bowed and she gripped the edge of the counter as her face drained of color. Her eyes were huge, their golden-brown depths reflecting bewilderment and a flicker of panic. The corners of her mouth were white with tension.
    He wanted to go to her, to gather her into his arms. It was an unfamiliar urge, an uncomfortable one. He’d received a few hugs from frightened or grateful victims, but he’d never in his life initiated a hug. He was pretty sure this was the first time he’d even thought about it.
    “How does he get in without anyone seeing him?”
    “He knows what he’s doing. Your neighbors may even have seen him around and thought nothing of it. Remember, it’s probably someone you know, someone your neighbors know.”
    Holly felt the words peppering her like hail, stinging as they hit. Her mug rattled as she set it down. She wrapped both hands around it, holding it still, using it to stop herself from shaking. “How—how likely is that?”
    He shrugged. “It would be hard for a stranger to be inconspicuous in this town.