Extreme Measures by Rachel Carrington Read Free Book Online Page A

focused on the omelet, attacking it with his fork.
    Erin dabbed her mouth with a napkin and slid the chair away from the table. “I’m going to go take a shower.” She picked up her glass to carry it to the sink, but the handle of the terrace door rattling behind her took her mind off moving.
    Matt was on his feet in one fluid move. Placing one finger against his lips to silence her, he unsnapped his holster with the other hand.
    Her mouth so dry her tongue felt like a wad of cotton, she couldn’t have spoken if she wanted to. Fear rooted her to the spot, and Matt had to forcibly move her to one side. He slid past her, a lethal combination of muscles and power. She barely noticed the weapon he held in one hand, but the tense set of his jaw told her more than she wanted to know.
    “Get down.”
    The tone more than the words caused her to rock back on her heels and grasp the edge of the table. She saw his lips moving, but he might as well have been fifty miles away for all she heard.
    He jerked his hand toward the floor for emphasis. “Erin, get on the floor. Now.”
    The glass dropped from her numb hand, splintering when it connected with the marble floor. Crawling around the shards of glass, Erin sought shelter on the other side of the island, her heart pumping so fast she could barely hear Matt’s next move.
    She peeked around the corner in time to see his hand sliding up the wall next to the door to lower the light switch, plunging the room into darkness. Erin gnawed her lower lip. Could he see someone? Every ounce of panic she’d felt when he’d mentioned Stuart’s name came rushing back.
    Had her brother really tracked her down? What if he had? He wouldn’t go back to prison easily. She might not have seen Stuart in several years, but he’d always been determined. If he wanted something…or someone…he wouldn’t give up without a fight.
    The terrace door opened with a creak. Erin covered her heart with one hand and squinted in an attempt to see through the darkness. Had Matt opened it? His hand hadn’t turned the knob, had it? Without a light, she could only make out shadows. But all the noises were magnified.
    A boot stepping on the metal rim of the door jamb. The heavy lurch of a foot connecting with the floor. And then the rustle of Matt’s starched white shirt seconds before he leaped forward to tackle the unknown visitor.
    Mumbled grunts and cries of pain made Erin crawl toward the living room, desperately searching for anything she could use as a weapon while she cursed Matt for not leaving the light on.
    Why hadn’t he just waited for the intruder to walk in and used his gun to keep him in abeyance until help could arrive? Why did he have to do everything the macho way?
    Spying the ornately carved owl she used as a book end, Erin scrambled to her feet and snatched it from the bookcase. She’d taken two steps back toward the kitchen when Matt’s voice froze her in her tracks.
    “Get to your feet slowly. Keep your hands above your head.”
    The light came on in the kitchen, and Erin clasped the owl to her chest while her legs wobbled.
    “Who the hell are you?” The bark of the words bounced off the walls.
    She peered around the corner, and her knees went weak with relief. A little uncoordinated, she half-walked, half-stumbled into the kitchen. “No, wait! It’s Hal, my next door neighbor.” Setting the owl on the table, she hurried forward, one hand touching Matt’s forearm.
    He lowered the gun only marginally. “Then what the hell is he doing opening your back door this late at night, and how in the hell did he get onto your balcony?”
    Hal’s shoulders shook, and his eyes behind the glass frames were huge and watery. “I was…I always,,,”
    Tucking his gun in the waistband of his slacks, Matt took hold of him and spun him around, his eyes seeming to dare the man to lie. “You always what? Are the two of you lovers?”
    Fury ignited inside of Erin, and she punched him in the arm. He