Obsession by Traci Hunter Abramson

just shrugged, but Charlie didn’t miss the way she clamped her teeth together to keep them from chattering. “Is there an axe at your cabin, or do you need me to find Grandpa’s?”
    “No, I found one.” When they reached his cabin, Charlie pulled his sled off to the side of the road and then reached for Kendra’s. “I can take it from here. Why don’t you go inside and get warmed up.”
    “Are you sure you don’t need any more help?”
    “I’ve got it,” Charlie assured her.
    “Can I at least make you some hot chocolate?”
    “That would be great.”
    “Okay.” Kendra stepped toward her cabin. “I’ll see you in a little while.”
    Charlie nodded. He watched her make her way back to her cabin, noticing the way she shivered again. Then she turned and looked back at him, giving him a timid smile, and he felt an odd sensation seep through him. He managed to smile back, waiting until she slipped inside before turning back to the work at hand.
    He set a log on an old stump that had been fashioned into a chopping block, grabbed the axe, and reminded himself that Kendra Blake was just part of a job he needed to do.
    * * *
    Elias looked up when a knock came on his office door. He waved in Ray Underwood, one of his senior agents. “What’s up?”
    “I think we have a bigger problem than we thought,” Ray told him. “I just got off the phone with LAPD. They told me that someone has gained access to Kendra Blake’s laptop. There was a high-tech spyware program running on it.”
    “Have they been able to trace it?”
    “Not so far.” Ray shook his head. “Whoever this guy is, he’s good. The IP addresses change regularly, and he only gets on for a few minutes at a time—just long enough to download the new data.”
    “Then they need to focus on how this guy got the spyware on her computer,” Elias concluded. “It sounds like they’re dealing with an insider. That would explain how someone gained access to both her laptop and the backstage area.”
    “That’s what the detectives in LA think.”
    “Let them know that we’re willing to offer assistance if they need it. And make sure they keep us in the loop.”
    “I’ll stay on top of it,” Ray assured him before turning to leave the room.
    * * *
    “Here, let me hang that up for you.” Kendra reached for Charlie’s coat as he shrugged out of it. He had already brought in a stack of wood through the back door, leaving it in the mudroom to dry out.
    “Thanks.” Charlie handed the coat to her, tugged off his gloves, and then leaned down to take his boots off so he wouldn’t track snow into the cabin.
    She hung his coat up on the rack that was mounted to the wall near the washer and dryer and then motioned to the door. “Come on into the kitchen. I’ll get you that hot chocolate I promised.”
    “Sounds good.” He followed her out of the storage room and down the hall.
    Kendra glanced over her shoulder at him. “You must be exhausted. I didn’t think you were going to split all of that wood today.”
    “Another storm is supposed to be coming in tonight, and it’s supposed to be a big one. I didn’t want to get caught unprepared.”
    “It looks like it already started.” Without thinking, she reached up and brushed at the snow in his hair.
    He froze at her touch, his eyes locking on hers for a moment. She felt her cheeks heat and quickly snatched her hand back. “I’m sorry. You just . . .” She stumbled over her words and felt her breath catch in her lungs. “You have some snow in your hair.”
    Charlie’s eyes stayed on hers, but he reached up and tousled his hair, causing the rest of the snow to rain down over his shoulders and onto the floor. Then he used his fingers to comb his hair back into place.
    “I, uh, I’ll get you that hot chocolate.” Kendra quickly turned toward the kitchen and reached for a thick mug that was sitting on the counter. She concentrated on measuring out the hot cocoa mix and pouring the steaming