Nightfall by Denise A. Agnew Read Free Book Online

arrive. Her mouth was so dry she thought she’d choke, and for a moment she felt like she might hyperventilate. It’s okay, Patty. Don’t be a wuss. Alexander’s coming. You’ll be fine. On the other hand, if Dominic had gone loopy she worried for Alexander’s safety.
    Several minutes went by, and she tried to rein back her internal impatience. With lousy roads and ice, making it to her house would take longer than usual. Minutes passed with no sound from the front door or in the house that she could hear.
    “I don’t hear him anymore,” she said.
    “We’re coming down your road now.” She heard the vehicle accelerate and also heard Alexander and whoever was with him cursing.
    Half afraid that Dominic had entered the house without her knowing it, she stayed in the bathroom.
    “We’re outside your house, Patty,” Alexander said. “Stay inside the bathroom until I tell you it’s clear to come out, all right?”
    Minutes passed in what seemed a lifetime. She heard Alexander order Mark around the back.
    Not long after she heard the crackle of a radio and Alexander said, “He’s not here. You can come out.”
    Relief made her knees almost buckle. “Thank God.”
    She disconnected the call and stuffed the cell phone in her pocket as she left the bathroom. Cautious, she looked out of the peephole on the front door and saw Alexander before she yanked open the door. Alexander wore a parka, but he also had a big gun in his right hand and the fiercest expression she’d ever witnessed on him.
    Mark stood nearby and said to Alexander, “I’ll take watch out here.”
    She opened the screen door, and Alexander stepped inside. She didn’t know who moved first, but his left arm slung around her waist, and he hauled her against him. Patty slipped her arms around his neck and held on. She buried her face against his shoulder as waves of relief rolled through her.
    “You all right?” He kissed her temple and squeezed her gently.
    “Now I am. You got here fast.”
    “Really not that far away. I drove like an asshole.”
    She smiled at his choice of words as she looked up at him. “I’m not sure whether I like that or not. It’s icy out there. You could have gotten in an accident.”
    “Yeah, all that cursing you heard was me trying to keep the SUV on the road.”
    They closed the door and he suggested they sit on the couch. She sat on the edge, her heart still ticking at what felt like eight hundred miles an hour. She drew in a deep breath as he sat beside her. He placed his gun on the table. Impressions flew at her. He wore a black utility vest of some kind; perhaps it was a bulletproof vest, too. She remembered Dominic wearing something similar back in the day. Otherwise he was in a sock hat, sweater, jeans, and boots. He looked dangerous as hell. A strange, reactionary feeling rocketed through Patty. At first she couldn’t name her feelings. Fear certainly. But there was a lot more mixed into the soup. Like a hunger for him that was raw and potent and made her feel twenty-five and in love.
    Love? Not possible.
    Sexual attraction because she was hyped up on adrenaline? Probably. She didn’t trust the feelings. What if she hadn’t learned her lesson with Dominic? She’d felt a bit like this with him when she was young. How could she know if her feelings around Alexander now meant anything genuine?
    He took her left hand in his and squeezed gently. “You’re sure you’re okay?”
    “Just angry that Dominic is pulling this crap.”
    “You and me both.” He caressed her fingers. His mouth tightened into that no-nonsense line she’d seen before; this time he looked like he could eat nails for breakfast. “After the cops get a report, I’d like to take you back to Sentry Security.”
    “Staying here wouldn’t be wise,” she said. “Dominic changed the rules.”
    He half smiled, relief softening his features. “Good, I’m glad you’re staying with me. You’ll be safe with me. I won’t let anything