Bond, Stephanie - Body Movers 05 by Jill Read Free Book Online Page A

windows on
    the first floor, so if you want to go outside, push this
    button. At that point, the entire system is off. But I don’t
    recommend you do that.”
    She nodded. “I understand.” The house might be wired for
    bear, but if the alarm was off and someone made it past
    the guardhouse, a person would be a sitting duck. The
    neighbors were too far away to be of much help.
    “When you leave the house, there’s a panel next to the
    door leading to the garage. Push the button to reactivate
    the motion detector and close the door behind you.
    There’s no alarm on the garage door, so you have all the
    time you need to get into the Porsche and out of the
    garage.”
    She nodded, mentally reviewing things in her head. “This
    thing isn’t going to go off if I get up in the middle of the
    night, is it?”
    He smiled. “Not if you stay upstairs. The motion detectors
    are just for the first floor.”
    She bit her lip. “And if I set off the alarm by mistake?”
    “Within a few seconds, the monitoring service wil cal to
    see if everything is okay. They’l reset the alarm if you
    need them to.”
    “Okay.” Carlotta smiled. “If you don’t mind, I think I might
    go ahead and turn in. I need to check in with Wes, and let
    Hannah know where I am.”
    “I’m tired myself,” Peter said, then winked. “It’s not every
    day I get shot with a Taser.”
    As they climbed the stairs together, her heart rate
    accelerated and her hand felt slippery on the railing.
    Suddenly the palatial house seemed small, the air
    claustrophobic. When they reached the landing, Peter
    turned to her and lowered a very nice kiss on her mouth.
    She kissed him back, surprised at her all-over reaction. He
    raised his head and studied her face. The air sizzled. She
    wondered if Peter was going to ask her to spend the night
    with him, and what she would say if he did.
    Then he smiled. “Good night, sleep tight.” He disappeared
    into his room and closed the door.
    Carlotta stood there for a few seconds, then retreated to
    her own room, blaming her response on the wine. And
    wondering why Peter hadn’t tried to take advantage of
    her.
    Inside the guest suite, she picked up her cel phone and
    her purse and headed for the veranda. Outside in the
    muggy night air, she glanced over the scattered lights of
    the neighborhood and lit up a cigarette. She inhaled it
    greedily while dialing Wesley’s cel number.
    “Hey, sis,” he answered. “How do you like being back in
    the ’hood?”
    She smiled. “I can’t lie—Peter’s house is nice.”
    “What’s that sound? Are you smoking?”
    She turned her head to exhale. “What? No, I’m not
    smoking.”
    “The Surgeon General says smoking is bad for your
    health.”
    Carlotta frowned. “You’re smoking right now, aren’t you?”
    He exhaled into the mouthpiece. “Yeah. But it’s an organic
    cigarette, so it’s cool.”
    She gave a little laugh. “Peter has plenty of room if you
    change your mind and want to stay here, too.”
    “Thanks, but I’m settled in Chance’s extra bedroom for
    now. He lets me smoke inside. I’l bet you’re out on a fancy
    porch or something, sneaking around, aren’t you?”
    She looked at the exquisitely furnished veranda and flicked
    her ashes away from an upholstered chaise. “Or
    something. Have you been back to the town house?”
    “No. Jack said he’d let me know when the CSI team was
    finished so I can install a security system.”
    She frowned. “When did you talk to Jack?”
    “Uh, earlier. I just wanted to see what was going on, that’s
    al .”
    “Did he have any news?”
    “Not that he shared with me.”
    “Okay. So I guess I’l see you when I see you?”
    “Yeah. I’l check in.”
    “You’d better.” She disconnected the call, then sucked on
    the cigarette until her cheeks hurt. God, it tasted so good.
    She punched in Hannah’s number, but no surprise, her
    friend didn’t answer. Carlotta left her a message with her
    whereabouts