Just Past Midnight. Amanda Stevens

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      Praise for

       AMANDA STEVENS

      “Breathless, chilling and unforgettable. When you crack open an Amanda Stevens book, prepare to be thrilled.”

      —USA TODAY bestselling author Patricia Kay

      “Once again Ms. Stevens blends just the right amount of suspense, conflict, love and hope.”

      —Romantic Times on The Tempted

      “Amanda Stevens pens a masterfully suspenseful tale with great characters readers will love, hot passion and nail-biting intrigue.”

      —Romantic Times on His Mysterious Ways

      AMANDA STEVENS

      The author of over thirty novels, Amanda Stevens is the recipient of Career Achievement awards in both Romantic Mystery and Romantic Suspense from Romantic Times magazine. She has been nominated for numerous Reviewers’ Choice awards and has been a RITA^® Award finalist in the Romantic Suspense category. She resides in Houston, Texas.

      Just Past Midnight

      Amanda Stevens

      CONTENTS

      CHAPTER ONE

      CHAPTER TWO

      CHAPTER THREE

      CHAPTER FOUR

      CHAPTER FIVE

      CHAPTER SIX

      CHAPTER SEVEN

      CHAPTER EIGHT

      CHAPTER NINE

      CHAPTER TEN

      CHAPTER ELEVEN

      CHAPTER TWELVE

      CHAPTER THIRTEEN

      CHAPTER FOURTEEN

      CHAPTER FIFTEEN

      CHAPTER SIXTEEN

      CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

      CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

      CHAPTER NINETEEN

      CHAPTER TWENTY

      CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

      CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

      CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

      CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

      CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

      CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

      CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

      CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

      CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

      CHAPTER THIRTY

      EPILOGUE

      CHAPTER ONE

      Allentown, Texas

      IT WAS JUST PAST MIDNIGHT. Danielle Williams lay wide awake, watching the distant flicker of lightning outside her window as the minutes ticked away on her bedside clock. If she didn’t leave soon, she’d never make it back before the storm hit.

      But the delay couldn’t be helped. Her parents had waited up for her brother, Nathan, who’d promised to be in hours ago for a long, heart-to-heart about his future. And then when he’d finally dragged himself home, he’d been drinking. The ensuing confrontation had ended as it always did, with her father in a rant, her mother in tears, and her brother moody and defiant as he stomped up the stairs and slammed the door to his room.

      All was finally quiet now, except for the occasional creak and groan as the old farmhouse settled. Nathan’s bedroom was just across the hall. He’d probably be up for hours, but Dani knew that he’d have his headphones on and wouldn’t hear a thing when she slipped out. He didn’t even acknowledge their mother’s knock when she came upstairs a few minutes later to make the first overture. Nathan ignored her, as usual, and after a slight hesitation, the soft knock sounded on Dani’s door.

      She ignored it, too, which wasn’t like her. Normally, she tried to play the role of peacemaker in the family. Tried to provide a calm spot in the storm where her mother could come to seek refuge from her husband’s temper and her son’s downward spiral. Tonight, though, Dani had needs of her own, and so she pretended to sleep even when her mother called out her name.

      At the plaintive note in her mother’s voice, guilt tore at Dani, but she remained steadfast. Tonight was just too important. She couldn’t get sidetracked with family issues.

      Her stomach in knots, she kept her eyes closed and her breathing even until she heard her mother’s footsteps going back down the stairs. She waited until her parents’ voices faded behind their closed door. Then, throwing off the covers, she rose, fully dressed, to steal across the room to the window.

      Climbing onto the wood-shingle roof, she paused to gain her balance before she crept to the edge. Then she lowered herself to the top of the fence, and from there she dropped six feet to the ground, landing on her feet with a soft thud.

      She’d performed that same maneuver countless times, but never after dark and never to slip out of the house without her parents’ knowledge or permission. Nathan did. Or he used to. Now he just came and went as he pleased, did as he pleased, and their father’s threats of kicking him out of the house didn’t seem to faze him. Maybe because he knew that’s all they were—threats. Their mother, usually so submissive and conciliatory, wouldn’t stand for anything more. She had a blind spot when it came to Nathan.

      Dani didn’t understand what had happened to her brother. At nineteen, he was two years older than she, and someone she’d looked up to—until six months ago when he’d dropped out of college without warning. He’d come back home a changed person—in appearance and personality. He’d let his hair grow, wore unkempt clothing, and played music in his room twenty-four hours a day—obscure bands that Dani hadn’t heard of.

      He was so different from the brother she’d said goodbye to six months ago that it was like having a stranger in the house. He refused to look for a job, refused to go back to school, refused to even talk about his future. He spent his days sleeping, his nights partying—and the drinking…well, Dani suspected that was the least of his vices.

      She missed the old Nathan. Ever since her parents adopted him ten years ago, he’d been the doting, protective older brother. Despite the friction that had always existed between him and their father, Nathan had been someone Dani could count on, confide in. Now she couldn’t even tell him about…tonight.