04 - The Ugly Duckling by Iris Johansen

Author:Iris Johansen
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Man-Woman Relationships, Beauty, Mystery & Detective, Personal, General, Contemporary, Fiction, Psychological, Romantic Suspense Fiction, Murder, Suspense, Attempted Murder, Greece, Revenge, Surgery, Plastic, Terrorism
ISBN: 9780553569919
Publisher: Bantam
Published: 1996-04-15T05:00:00+00:00

Eleven

No one was following her.

It was only her imagination, Tania told herself. She was being an idiot.

But relief flooded her as she pulled into the driveway.

Home. Safety.

She sat there for a moment, her gaze on the rearview mirror. The only car that drove by was a day care van loaded with kids.

See, she was being paranoid. This was Minneapolis, not Sarajevo. She got out of the car, popped open the trunk, and took out the first bag of groceries.

"Let me carry that for you."

She jumped and whirled.

Phil was coming up the driveway. "Sorry. Did I scare you?"

"I wasn't expecting you."

Phil took the sack from Tania, grabbed the other two in the trunk, and closed the lid with his elbow.

"You should have called me."

"I thought I could manage." Tania smiled at him as she started up the driveway toward the house. "And, besides, that's not your job."

"Keep me busy. Now that the summer's over, I don't have enough to do with the garden." He grimaced. "I don't know why I'm here anyway now that Nell is in Idaho with Nicholas."

"You're a great help to us." She didn't look at him as she unlocked the front door. "Did... Nicholas tell you to watch out for me?"

He frowned. "What do you mean? He said to wait here until he contacted me and help out with anything you asked me to do."

"But not to follow me and keep an eye on me?"

"No." His gaze narrowed on her face. "Some creep been following you?"

"No." She entered the foyer and led him toward the kitchen. "It's probably my imagination. I haven't actually seen anyone. It's just a feeling. Why would anyone want to watch me?"

He grinned and gave a low whistle. "Who wouldn't?" He sobered. "But there are a lot of weirdos wandering around. You can't be too careful these days. Suppose I go with you next time you run your errands?"

She shook her head. "I'd feel foolish. It's my imagination."

"So what?" He set the bags on the counter. "It will give me something to do."

"We'll see." She started to unload a bag. "But I thank you for the offer."

He hesitated, staring at her, before moving toward the door. "You and Dr. Lieber have been great to me. I don't like the idea of you worrying. Just give me a holler if you want company."

She smiled affectionately as she watched the door close behind him. Phil had become an integral part of their lives in the past few weeks. He happily drifted around, chopping wood, washing the cars, puttering in the garden. It gave her a warm feeling to see him look up and wave as he worked in the garden.

Her smile faded as she tossed an empty bag into the recycling bin. She hadn't thought Nicholas would assign Phil to watch her. Why should he? Nell was the one in danger, and Nell was not here. This was America. There were no snipers waiting in the ruins to butcher the unwary.

But her instincts had been

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