Her Stolen Past. Lynette Eason

blinked. “Oh. Sorry. I was lost in thought. Again.”

      “It’s okay. I just said your house is clear.”

      She let out a relieved breath and set the cat on the floor. “Thank you. Once I lock the door behind you I’ll feel all right.”

      “Who’s your friend?”

      “That’s Chaucer. He’s a pretty independent little guy, but when I’m gone for a long time, he likes to be held for a few minutes when I first walk in.” The cat sniffed Brandon’s shoes and must have decided he was okay as he rubbed against Brandon’s leg.

      Brandon leaned over and scratched the cat’s ears while he debated whether Sonya should feel safe behind her locked doors or not. How serious was the person who’d left the note on her car? Pretty serious if it was the person who’d broken into his house to deliver the same message.

      She must have sensed his hesitation. She walked over and patted his arm. “I’ll be fine.”

      Brandon still paused, wondering if he should leave. Finally, he said, “All right. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

      “At five.”

      “At five.” Brandon forced himself to walk away and climb into his car. He gave the area one last sweep and didn’t see anything that made his nerves spike into alert mode.

      But that didn’t mean it wasn’t there.

      * * *

      Sonya twisted the dead bolt. The lock clicked and silence descended. She shuddered as the house took on an ominous feel now that she was all alone. “Stop it,” she muttered.

      Exhaustion swamped her. She had to get some sleep. Seven in the morning would come fast.

      And yet, how could she sleep knowing someone felt threatened enough to leave a note on her car? And to break into Brandon’s house...

      All of a sudden, she didn’t feel so safe. Her locks looked flimsy and she couldn’t remember if her bedroom window was latched.

      Swallowing hard against the fear that wanted to take hold of her, she headed to her bedroom. At the entrance, she paused. “He said it was clear. There’s no one in there.”

      Saying the words out loud helped, but still...

      She stepped over the threshold and went straight to the window, felt the latch and found it locked. Her breath whooshed from her lungs. “Get a grip, girl.”

      After a quick shower, she threw on a T-shirt and cotton shorts and turned the air conditioner down a notch. She kept her cell phone close. A glance at the clock made her grimace. Almost ten o’clock. The thought of falling asleep and having someone break in while she lay unaware made her stomach turn.

      For the next thirty minutes, she paced and prayed. And listened. Nothing happened. No one tried to get in.

      She sank onto the couch, pulled a blanket around her and rubbed her bleary eyes. She leaned her head back and sighed. Chaucer hopped up in her lap and nuzzled her chin. She rubbed his ears and he purred.

      A noise from the kitchen.

      She jerked, breath hitching. Chaucer jumped to the floor with a protesting meow.

      Then Sonya realized it was only the ice maker. She got up to pace again, angry with herself and the fear she couldn’t seem to kick. She had to sleep if she was going to be worth anything tomorrow at work.

      Sonya sidled up to the window and looked out. Then blinked in surprise. A strange car sat snugged up next to her curb. She drew back, fear flushing through her once more. Was there someone in the car? Another peek through the window confirmed someone in the driver’s seat. Okay, someone in the car was watching her house. Why? Who?

      Had the other incidents not happened, she wouldn’t have jumped to that conclusion, but at this point and after everything she’d been through, she was going to go with that first thought. Someone was watching her.

      Sonya pulled her phone from her pocket and hit the number to speed-dial Brandon. She hated to wake him, but needed him to know about the car.

      “Hello?”

      “Hi, this is Sonya.”

      “What’s up? Are you okay?”

      “I’m sorry to call you so late, but I wanted you to know there’s a car parked out in front of my house on the curb and there’s someone in the driver’s seat.”

      “Ah. That’s Frankie Lee. He’s a buddy of mine. He’s a detective and also helps out at Parker House. I didn’t feel right leaving you all alone and called him to be your backup.”

      Relief and a smidgen of anger swept through her. “That would have been nice to know.”

      A slight pause. She thought she might have hurt his feelings. “Sorry. I thought you might have gone on to sleep and I didn’t want to wake you,” he said, the stiffness in his voice making her wince.

      The anger faded as fast as it had surfaced. “No, it’s fine. Wonderful, in fact. I’m sorry I snapped. The truth is, I was having trouble settling down. Now that I know someone is watching out for me, I’ll be able to sleep.”

      “Well, good.” The stiffness was gone. “I’m dropping this letter off at the lab, then I’m heading home for a couple of hours of sleep. I’ll see you after your shift.”

      “Sounds good.” She paused.

      “You need something else?”

      “No, no. I guess I just wanted to say thank you.”

      “You’re welcome, Sonya.” His low voice turned husky and warm, and shivers danced up her spine with the three words. And the way he said her name. She liked it. It made her feel—cared for. Something she hadn’t felt since her mother died.

      She hung up and with one last relieved glance out the window headed for her room to get some much-needed sleep. And while glad for the security outside her home, she couldn’t help the niggling of unease that inched up her spine. Somehow she knew that while she might sleep easier tonight, the person watching her wasn’t far away.

      He was waiting—and planning—for the next moment to strike.

FIVE

      Monday morning Brandon glanced at the clock on his desk at the police station and rubbed his chin. He’d snagged only a few hours of sleep last night, yet they’d been enough to refresh him.

      Knowing Sonya was at work and under the watchful eye of Frankie, Brandon had felt comfortable enough to come in and work on his cases without worrying himself to death about her safety.

      Brandon knew Frankie would call him if something came up. He hoped nothing did, of course. And now, in an hour, he’d pick up Sonya at the hospital and take her to meet Heather Bradley’s family. Time had slowed to a crawl and he had to force himself to focus. However, excitement stirred inside him, distracting him.

      He wasn’t sure if it was the thought of seeing Sonya again or the possibility of discovering she was a missing child from twenty-eight years ago.

      He stopped to consider that. Wariness rose as he realized seeing Sonya rated higher on his excitement meter than finding out if she was a Bradley. He’d have to add another layer to the crumbling wall around his heart.

      His phone rang as he kept up the internal dialogue about why he couldn’t allow a romantic interest in Sonya to grow. “Yeah?”

      “Tough day?”

      Holt Granger, his buddy at the lab. Finally. “Not especially. Why?”

      “You sound grumpy.”

      “I’m not grumpy.”

      “You sure? Because you sound grumpy.”