in a cold sweat. Shaking her hands out, she stood up, panic overriding her good judgment. Her pulse hurt as it pounded loudly in her head. She paced in the tiny bathroom, unaware of her surroundings. Unable to cope. “Damn it!” She swept her hand across the countertop, knocking everything to the floor. “I won’t be afraid!”
“You have to be afraid.” Jared’s voice rang out strong and confident. He yanked her by the shoulders and heaved her to his chest with steady arms. “This guy, whoever he is, has snapped. We need to believe he’ll stop at nothing—”
“To kill me?” She pounded on Jared’s chest. “Why me? What the hell did I ever do?” She’d spent her life making sure she treated people better than she’d been treated as a child. After her father had died, her mother slowly began to rot in a bottle of whiskey. Her brother up and married the first woman who could guarantee his freedom from the hell of poverty, only to get a good dose of hell in another form.
Then her stepfather entered the picture, turning her already turbulent world upside down. He belittled her and her mother. He used his strength and power to keep them down. She swore when that man had been put behind bars that she’d never let another soul dictate her life.
She’d make sure everyone in her world knew they were loved and cared for. Every chance she had, she found a way to praise the people around her. Things as simple as helping the elderly across the street, or bringing a neighbor you barely knew dinner when they’d broken their leg, were the rules she lived by. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
That rule just bit her in the ass. She felt violated, and now distrusted the world. Everyone around her was suspect, even Jared, according to the cops. Although she could certainly vouch for his whereabouts last night.
“If not you, it would be some other unsuspecting victim.”
She glared at him, shoving from his embrace. “It’s got to be George. He’s the only one who makes sense. These are things he used to say.”
Jared rubbed his unshaven jaw. “George is in jail, and he doesn’t have a lot of money.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Most criminals of this nature need a payoff of some kind. Either a personal one, like a vendetta, or money. If George was behind this, either someone owed him big or George gave him money. Money he doesn’t have.”
Fear gripped her as she stared into Jared’s blue-green eyes. Eyes that told her being afraid would be the smart thing to do. Doing everything she could to protect herself from some psycho would be her only possible chance at survival. “Eddy had a fetish for underwear.”
“Excuse me?” Jared narrowed his eyes.
“He bought me sexy underwear all the time. He had a weird thing going on with them.”
“How weird? I mean, I like to see women in their underwear.”
“Oh, how do I say this?”
“Just say it,” Jared said impatiently.
“Eddy seemed more interested in the underwear than me.”
“I still don’t follow.” Jared smoothed a hand across his head. “Sexy underwear is something every guy likes to see on a woman.”
She looked around and took in a deep breath. “I caught him once…well, the day we broke up…” How did she say this without making herself look like a fool? She closed her eyes, then said, “He started…masturbating. He’d rather do that than actually have sex.” She squeezed her eyes tighter.
“Did you make fun of him?” Jared asked.
She opened her eyes slowly. “I wouldn’t say I made fun of him. But it kind of wigged me out. Then he reminded me of the time I used the wrong name. He was jealous.”
“Of me.” Jared shook his head. “Damn it.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her through the house while barking orders.
Before she knew what hit her, she was sitting in front of Detective Jenkins, filling him in on the details of her short-lived relationship with Eddy Houser. All
“You have to be afraid.” Jared’s voice rang out strong and confident. He yanked her by the shoulders and heaved her to his chest with steady arms. “This guy, whoever he is, has snapped. We need to believe he’ll stop at nothing—”
“To kill me?” She pounded on Jared’s chest. “Why me? What the hell did I ever do?” She’d spent her life making sure she treated people better than she’d been treated as a child. After her father had died, her mother slowly began to rot in a bottle of whiskey. Her brother up and married the first woman who could guarantee his freedom from the hell of poverty, only to get a good dose of hell in another form.
Then her stepfather entered the picture, turning her already turbulent world upside down. He belittled her and her mother. He used his strength and power to keep them down. She swore when that man had been put behind bars that she’d never let another soul dictate her life.
She’d make sure everyone in her world knew they were loved and cared for. Every chance she had, she found a way to praise the people around her. Things as simple as helping the elderly across the street, or bringing a neighbor you barely knew dinner when they’d broken their leg, were the rules she lived by. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
That rule just bit her in the ass. She felt violated, and now distrusted the world. Everyone around her was suspect, even Jared, according to the cops. Although she could certainly vouch for his whereabouts last night.
“If not you, it would be some other unsuspecting victim.”
She glared at him, shoving from his embrace. “It’s got to be George. He’s the only one who makes sense. These are things he used to say.”
Jared rubbed his unshaven jaw. “George is in jail, and he doesn’t have a lot of money.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Most criminals of this nature need a payoff of some kind. Either a personal one, like a vendetta, or money. If George was behind this, either someone owed him big or George gave him money. Money he doesn’t have.”
Fear gripped her as she stared into Jared’s blue-green eyes. Eyes that told her being afraid would be the smart thing to do. Doing everything she could to protect herself from some psycho would be her only possible chance at survival. “Eddy had a fetish for underwear.”
“Excuse me?” Jared narrowed his eyes.
“He bought me sexy underwear all the time. He had a weird thing going on with them.”
“How weird? I mean, I like to see women in their underwear.”
“Oh, how do I say this?”
“Just say it,” Jared said impatiently.
“Eddy seemed more interested in the underwear than me.”
“I still don’t follow.” Jared smoothed a hand across his head. “Sexy underwear is something every guy likes to see on a woman.”
She looked around and took in a deep breath. “I caught him once…well, the day we broke up…” How did she say this without making herself look like a fool? She closed her eyes, then said, “He started…masturbating. He’d rather do that than actually have sex.” She squeezed her eyes tighter.
“Did you make fun of him?” Jared asked.
She opened her eyes slowly. “I wouldn’t say I made fun of him. But it kind of wigged me out. Then he reminded me of the time I used the wrong name. He was jealous.”
“Of me.” Jared shook his head. “Damn it.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her through the house while barking orders.
Before she knew what hit her, she was sitting in front of Detective Jenkins, filling him in on the details of her short-lived relationship with Eddy Houser. All
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