Reckonings. Cynthia Eden

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СКАЧАТЬ And...sometimes, I can see pain in her eyes. Pain and fear.

      The same stark expression that he’d caught in his own sister’s eyes. Jamie had a dark past, one that she hadn’t shared with anyone. He knew the signs.

      He also knew... I don’t want anyone to hurt her again.

      Jamie wasn’t like other women. There was something different about her. Something that pulled at him. Something that called to him. Not just desire, though he sure felt plenty of lust for her.

      The woman had made him laugh that night. Since his parents’ death, he hadn’t exactly had a whole lot to laugh about. Jamie—she was just different.

      He sped up a bit as he headed toward her place.

      Whatever was waiting for Jamie, he wanted to be there with her. She might not be used to threats, but he was.

      His truck ate up the miles. Her home was a little cottage nestled on two acres, a place that gave her plenty of privacy. When he pulled onto her lane, he didn’t see the flash of police lights, and he knew they’d beat the cops there.

      Jamie was already exiting her vehicle. Hurrying to the house.

      Dammit. Davis jumped out. “Jamie, stop!” The burglar could still be inside the place.

      Jamie whirled toward him. He stalked toward her. As he approached, he could easily hear the blare of her alarm and the frantic barking of a dog.

      “You should wait for the cops.”

      Jamie looked over her shoulder. “I have to make sure it’s not him.”

      Him? “Jamie?”

      She pulled away. “You didn’t need to come. I—I’ve got this.”

      Then she was rushing toward her house again. This time, he ran right with her. She unlocked her front door. Stopped that blaring alarm. A big brown dog ran forward, and when the dog saw Jamie, its loud barks gave way to softer cries as the animal pushed his head against her.

      “It’s okay, Jinx, I’m here.”

      Davis eased deeper into the house. He made sure to keep Jamie within his line of sight. Nothing looked disturbed. No furniture overturned. Nothing smashed. Nothing—

      He saw the shattered glass on the floor. “The window.” Davis headed toward it. “The guy probably thought he’d break the glass and unlock it. Then your alarm went off.” He slanted a quick glance at Jinx. “And so did your dog.”

      Jamie had bent near the dog. She was stroking the animal’s broad head. “Jinx is a great watchdog,” she said. “He’s—”

      Jinx snarled and lunged away from her. He raced right out of the front door and into the night.

      “Jinx!”

      Davis was already running after him. “That great watchdog has a scent,” Davis said. And that meant...Is the burglar still here? Now, that didn’t make sense. The guy should have fled the scene as soon as the alarm went off.

      But...

      Davis ran toward the woods on the right of Jamie’s property. The dog was bounding up ahead, and Davis heard the growl of an engine in the air. A rumble... The distinct rumble of a motorcycle.

       He is still here.

      The burglar had been hiding in the dark...waiting for Jamie to return?

      Davis lunged forward, following that sound because his instincts had just shot into overdrive. If the guy had been hanging around, then he’d had other plans—plans that involved Jamie. He’d nearly reached the trees when the light from the motorcycle flashed into him, momentarily blinding Davis.

      He heard Jamie scream as that motorcycle came right at him. Davis lunged to the side, and the bike missed him by inches as it shot past him. He jumped right back to his feet, his eyes on that motorcycle. The rider wore a dark helmet, so he couldn’t see the guy’s face. The dog was running after the bike, but there was no way Jinx was going to catch him.

      “Davis!” Jamie grabbed his arm. “Are you hurt? I’m so sorry!” Her hands flew over him. “I didn’t mean to drag you into this! I’d never want for anyone else to be hurt, I—”

      He caught her hands. The tumble of her words stopped. The growl of the motorcycle was a distant sound now. “What’s going on, Jamie?”

      “B-burglar.”

      He didn’t buy that. Especially because that hitch in her voice had been a telling sign of a lie. “Want to try again?”

       “Are you hurt?”

      He shook his head. “Didn’t even scratch me.” The guy had been too intent on fleeing. His goal hadn’t been to attack Davis. So just what did the guy want? “You said you didn’t mean to drag me into this... What is this, Jamie? Tell me what’s happening.”

      But she pulled away from him. Her arms wrapped around her stomach even as her shoulders hunched. Her dog rushed back to her side and pressed against her legs.

      “Jamie?”

      She looked toward her house. The lights blazed inside. The growl of the motorcycle was gone. And there was still no sign of the cops.

      She’s too isolated out here. What if she’d come back alone and that jerk had been waiting? His hands clenched as he thought of just what sick things the guy might have planned.

      “You were nearly run down. That’s what I meant.” She backed up a step. “I shouldn’t have let you play Good Samaritan tonight. I shouldn’t—”

      He reached out. Touched her arm. Felt the tremble that shook through her. “Sweetheart, sometimes, I can almost feel your secrets between us.” Did she think he hadn’t noticed them?

      She became very, very still. “You don’t want to know my secrets.”

       Yes, I do. And I’m not going to stop digging until I uncover every single one of them.

      “I don’t even want to know them.” She turned from him and headed toward her house with slow, certain steps. “That’s why I spend most days pretending they don’t exist.”

      She kept walking toward her house. Jinx looked at Davis, whined, then hurried after Jamie. Davis’s gaze swept the scene once more. Danger was out there, waiting to close in on Jamie. And whatever trouble the woman had stalking her...he wasn’t going to leave her to face it on her own.

      * * *

      NOT ALONE. NOT ALONE. Not alone!

      His gloved fingers tightened around the motorcycle’s handlebars. Jamie should have returned to that little house by herself. Some hick in a pickup truck shouldn’t have followed her. He shouldn’t have touched her.

       He shouldn’t have been with my Jamie!

      When СКАЧАТЬ