Broken Silence. Annslee Urban

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ Fisting her ring of keys, she held her breath, cocked her head to listen, hoping it was nothing. Ten...twenty seconds, then a floorboard creaked again.

       A footstep!

      Nerves sputtering, Amber whirled around as her brain maniacally chanted, Get out of here!

      The lights flickered a split second before the power went out, thrusting her in total darkness.

      The rush of blood pounding in her ears merged with the thud of approaching footsteps. Frantically, she grabbed for the dead bolt. As she untwisted the lock, a steely, gloved hand grabbed on to her wrist.

      “You’re not going anywhere!” the man barked as he whipped her around and jerked her hard against his muscular chest.

      The bloodcurdling scream scuttling up her windpipe quickly abated when a gloved hand clamped over her mouth.

      “Amber, it has been a long time,” he whispered, his voice gravelly, distorted. He tightened his hold on her.

      She desperately clawed at her memory, trying to recognize the gruff voice. Nothing registered.

      “Yes, long enough, dear, for you to forget. And if you had been smart, you would have.”

      Forget what? Her attempt to make sense of the man’s words was interrupted by his husky growl in her ear. “Eleven years of silence. Now you’re an advocate for assault victims. Do you really think you can make atonement for past regrets?”

      Panic seized Amber as clarity seeped into her brain. Her assailant was back. He knew she was speaking at the Silence No More fund-raiser and feared her story would go public. Immediately, she began to fight—she kicked out her legs, and her body bucked against his. She screamed into his hand, but it was cut off, coming out as a squeak.

      Muscled arms tightened around her, crushing her lungs, stopping air flow. “Remember, Amber, some secrets are best taken to the grave.” His garbled whisper was hot and fast on her neck.

      As her lungs struggled for a breath, she clawed at the man’s hand hard enough that he slackened his grip from her mouth. She then spluttered, “I don’t even know who you are.”

      His harsh laugh jarred her eardrums.

      He didn’t believe her. A jolt of disbelief morphed into terror, catapulting her back to a dark and cold frat house bedroom. This man was here to kill her.

      Fear suddenly dissolved into rage. No way was she going to let him take her life.

      From deep inside her, survival instincts kicked into gear. Biting her lip, she kicked the heel of her shoe into his shin, then jerked back her head so it connected with his jaw.

      “You little—” His wail pierced the air.

      With dreadful memories spurring her on, Amber broke away. She spun around, lifted the pepper spray on her key chain and sprayed the man in the face.

      He stumbled back, hitting the wall with a thud.

      Gasping and dizzy, Amber burst out the front door and into the street.

      * * *

      Patrick climbed into his SUV, and before he even started the vehicle a shrill ping on his cell phone announced the arrival of a new text message. He grabbed his handset from the clip on his belt and read the text from Liza.

      Enjoyed tonight. Let’s do it again soon.

      “Let’s not.” Patrick shook his head. It was impossible to just be friends with the woman. He clicked off the phone and tossed it on the seat beside him.

      Another ping.

      Really. Ignoring the pesky tone, Patrick plunged the key into the ignition and fired up the powerful V8.

      A third ping.

      “Relentless woman.” Debating whether to silence it, he grabbed the cell phone and glanced at the message. It wasn’t from Liza. It was Amber.

      The police are swarming my house. Someone had broken in and was waiting for me when I got home. Apparently the bomb was meant for me after all.

      Frustration exploded in Patrick’s chest. Yanking the gearshift into Reverse, he peeled out of the parking lot and headed in the direction of Amber’s house. This was exactly what he’d been afraid of.

      He scrolled through the contacts on his phone, punched on Amber’s name.

      “Come on. Come on.” Patrick turned down a side street, taking a shortcut, waiting for her to answer.

      Finally, “Hello.”

      “Amber?”

      “No, this is Kim, a friend—”

      “Kim, this is Patrick Wiley. I met you this evening.”

      “The detective?”

      “Yes. Where’s Amber?”

      “She’s talking to some of the officers here. Don’t worry, she’s okay.”

      Thank You, God. “I’ll be right there.”

      Someone cut in front of him and he leaned on the horn, the thrum of blood pounding in his ears. Ten minutes later he slammed on his brakes and nosed his SUV in between two patrol cars outside Amber’s bungalow.

      As soon as his boots hit the pavement, he saw her. Surrounded by a handful of patrol officers, she stood there with her arms locked around her waist, her face expressionless beneath the glow of police flashlights.

      Patrick approached the small group. His jaw tightened along with his fist when he thought about someone trying to harm her. Even after eleven years, he felt a need to protect her.

      “What do you know, Gil?” Patrick directed his question at one of the officers.

      “It seems somebody broke into Miss Talbot’s house. Got in through the laundry room window. He was waiting for her when she got home.” He nodded toward Amber. “Fortunately, she got away without being hurt.”

      Patrick’s gaze bounced to Amber. “Did you get a look at him?”

      Amber shook her head. “No, the lights were off and it was too dark.”

      “So her attacker got away?” Patrick asked the officer.

      Gil removed his hat, scratched at his sparse hairline. “Yes, sir. Once Miss Talbot got away from him, the crook didn’t hang around. But we’ve got the forensics team working on fingerprints.”

      “Good.” Although Patrick wouldn’t hold his breath. Criminals today were savvy. Too many seasons of CSI. Whoever was after Amber meant business and wouldn’t be careless.

      “And Roberts and his team have their dogs out scouring the area,” Gil added.

      Patrick nodded. “Have you gotten a complete statement from Miss Talbot?”

      “Yes, СКАЧАТЬ