Page 25

E than shot his hand out to catch her arm. “Give me the key and wait here.”

He took the heavily decorated key chain and edged her away from her front door.

Last night’s rain had left the sky thickly overcast, but the late morning sun peeked through the clouds.

They’d just picked up her rental car and once she got what she needed from her place, she’d have no reason to come back until this was settled.

Her brow furrowed at him, but she did as he asked. “Do you think he’d come here again?” She hissed. The delicate skin on her forehead crinkled and her eyes clouded with worry.

Shit, he hadn’t meant to scare her.

He jabbed the key into the lock and mustered his best nonchalant shrug. “Better to be safe. I’ll have a quick look around and then come get you.”

“Wait, you’ll need the alarm code.” She rattled off four digits and he moved his hand to the Glock at the small of his back.

He slipped inside and the keypad near the door beeped in warning. He entered the code, silencing it. The cool air conditioning blasted over him when he walked into the entryway. He kept his gun low and his finger near the trigger.

The old hardwood floors creaked beneath his shoes. To his left was a warm family room adorned with dated furniture and a ratty oriental rug.

Aside from that, the house was clean. Nothing appeared out of place or tampered with, but his concern was someone waiting for her to return home. In the kitchen, an abandoned glass of water took residence on the counter next to a bowl of fruit.

Other than that, and the full dish rack of clean dishes next to the sink, the cream laminate surface was free of clutter.

He stopped at the laundry room off the kitchen, and peered out the navy-blue curtain at the back door.

A wooden fence with a gate at the rear and extra parking secured the good-sized yard.

His fingers twisted the cool metal of the dead bolt. That too, was untampered with.

He weaved down the narrow hall and around to the two bedrooms and bathroom. The master bedroom held a queen-sized bed and overlooked the backyard. Like the rest of the house, it was clean and tidy. On his way back to the front door, he peeked into the empty spare room and immaculate bathroom.

“All clear.” The screen door creaked in protest as he opened it. His free hand returned his firearm to the waistband of his pants.

Riley entered, her palms pressed firmly to her flat stomach, her blond hair pulled back into a ponytail and her eyes round. Her usually sun-kissed skin was now pale. His insides curdled at her obvious discomfort. She slipped her sandals off on the doormat, and inched past him.

“Nothing is amiss?”

His hand rested between her shoulder blades and he kept her close to his side. “Everything looks good to me.”

She moved away from him and drifted through the living room and into the kitchen, her arms folded tightly across her chest. “I should turn the air conditioning off. It’s freezing in here.

” She stopped at the window and hit a switch.

The constant rattling of the running fan stilled.

“That’s better.” She dragged her fingers through the end of her ponytail and looked around. “It feels different in here.”

Ethan lifted his eyebrows. He rested his back against the counter and kept his gaze on her. She was so damn uneasy, he didn’t doubt something would feel off. “How so?”

One shoulder lifted slightly and her eyes met his. “I don’t know if it’s just me, but I still feel his presence here. And it feels more intense with what happened last night.”

He nodded. “Your privacy was violated. That’s a hard feeling to shake. Why don’t you look around some more as you pack a bag, be sure nothing is missing?”

She took a soft, audible breath. “Good idea.” Slowly she turned and headed toward her bedroom. A minute later, she came back out, her face white.

“Ethan, can you come in here please?”

His body tensed and he pushed away from the counter and met her in the hall. “What’s the matter?”

She wrung her hands in front of her and the smooth alabaster of her cheeks hollowed out. “Nothing. I—the room feels funny. I’m being ridiculous—”

“Don’t be silly.” He pulled her to his side, her hip nestled into the palm of his hand. He led her back into the room “I checked it out, but how about I stick around while you pack?”

She turned in his arms, rested her head on his chest, and her shoulders heaved on a sigh. “I don’t know what’s shaking me up.”

He smoothed his hands down the gentle curve of her back and pressed his nose to the top of her head. The faint scent of strawberries filled his nose. “You’ve had a hell of a month, that’s what. Now pack some stuff and let’s go.”

She nodded, turned from his arms, and straightened her spine. She scooped an overnight bag from the floor of the closet and began selecting some clothes. She stood on her tiptoes and pulled a leather-bound book from the shelf in the closet.

“Is that her journal?”

Riley dropped down to her heels and tucked the journal in her bag. Her cheeks were tense, her jaw firm. “Yeah. I still have a lot of it to read.”

“You’ve had a lot going on. How about you relax once we get to my place and try to finish it?”

Her eyes lifted to his, which were crisp and bright with enthusiasm. “I plan to.”

Ethan winked and folded his arms over his chest and paced the room, taking in every nook while she continued to pack.

A paisley comforter covered the bed, and a nightstand held an alarm clock and bedside lamp.

The room was simple with an old dresser against the wall and the comfortable, worn rocking chair he had sat in and watched her while she slept the other morning.

Another old, wooden chair with a blanket folded on it sat in the corner.

Three picture frames crowded the top of the dresser.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and strode to it.

Riley was in every picture. Her hairstyles varied in each one.

In one, she had her blond hair in a bob, the other similar to how she wore it now, and in the last one she was a rich brunette.

In the last picture, she cuddled a young boy on her lap.

His eyebrows rose. Damn, even as a brunette she was sexy as hell.

Her skin was brighter and the green of her eyes jumped through the glass.

He plucked the frame from the dresser. “When were you a brunette?”

A bra hung from her fingertips as she peeked around the closet door. His gaze landed on the inky black lace. Lust curled inside him. A flush crept up her cheekbones and she shoved the bra in the bag and dropped it to the floor.

“That was a couple of years ago, with my nephew Cruz. The other picture is”—her breath sucked in—“where’s the other picture?” She stood on her tiptoes and lifted each frame as if another one would appear.

“There was just three.” His senses went on high alert. “Is one missing?”

Her eyes were wild, and her tongue jutted out to wet her lips. “Yes, the one of Hanna and me. It’s…it’s gone,” she rasped.

He gripped her elbow and turned her to face him. Her hand rose to hover at her forehead, her breath came out it sharp puffs. “When did you last see it?”

“I don’t remember. I’m sure I would have noticed it missing if it’d been gone since the break-in.”

“All right. You need to look around and make sure nothing else is missing. The front and back doors were secure, so I need to check the windows.” Her chest rose and fell erratically. Terror flashed through her eyes, its sharp edges pierced yellow through her green irises.

He ground his teeth. The cocksucker was going to pay. “Sit down for me, okay?” He backed her up to the bed and she sat. “I’m going to do a quick look around.”

She nodded and dropped her face into her hands, her elbows on her knees. It took every will in Ethan’s body not to go to her. Not now.

He checked the bedroom window first. They sat about five feet above ground level, which wouldn’t make it easy for someone to get in, but it sure as hell wouldn’t make it impossible either.

His fingers traced the seal. It was locked.

If someone got in through a window, they would have gone out the same way.

They couldn’t lock the dead bolt on the doors behind them without a key.

And with the new security system, there was no way they would have entered other than through a window.

He moved away from the glass and crossed the room to the door, his gaze drifted to the closet. He stopped dead in his tracks.

“Christ,” he breathed. He stalked to the closet, moved her bag from its spot on the floor, and stared up at the ceiling.

“What is it?” Riley’s small voice shook from behind him. Anger shot through him. He went to the chair in the corner and carried it to the closet. “Ethan, you’re scaring me.”

“I need you to be quiet for a minute. I’ll tell you in a second.”

Her arms folded tightly across her chest and she sat back down heavily on the bed.

He stepped up on the chair and stared at the small door above his head.

Why the hell would there be an attic access?

The floor above was a rented suite. It made no sense.

The house was old, so it was possible it had been closed up ages ago on the other side. But if there was…

His fingertips hovered on the thin, wooden square door. His breath came out slow and steady through his nose. If there was access on the other side, he had to be really quiet.

He pressed up.

“What the…?” Riley whispered.

He didn’t turn away to look at her. The door didn’t budge.

He pressed harder and still it didn’t give even a millimeter.

The tension in his neck eased and he worked his jaw.

No, it wasn’t likely the landlord could rent a suite with access like this between the two units going unnoticed.

Hell, this would lead right into the floor above.