A Man of Secrets by Amanda Stevens

Author:Amanda Stevens
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 1996-03-25T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

Natalie opened her eyes. It took her a moment to get her bearings as she lay there, trying to focus. Trying to remember.

Then it all came back to her. The destruction to her home. The hand flying out of the darkness to strike her. And the body lying on the floor.

Spence!

Natalie tried to get up, but pain shot through her skull and a wave of dizziness washed over her. She tentatively probed her temple with her fingertips, and felt the knot where she had been struck. But when she brought her fingers down, they were dry. No blood, thank God.

Then…what were those stains on her clothes? Natalie sat up and stared down at the front of her white blouse. In the moonlight, she could see the dark drips across her chest and for a moment, she wondered if she’d sustained another injury. But other than her head, she felt no pain.

Gingerly she touched the spots on her blouse and found they were still wet. When she lifted her fingertips to her nose, her stomach rolled sickeningly at the unmistakable metallic scent.

Dear God, she thought. It was just like the night Anthony had been murdered. She’d been knocked unconscious, and when she’d awakened, her clothes had been stained with blood. Anthony’s blood.

Not again, she thought dizzily. Please, not again.

Not Spence.

She struggled to get up, gazing around to find the figure she’d glimpsed on the floor. The moonlight was brilliant enough for her to see blood on her own clothing, but not bright enough for her to locate a body on the floor. There was something wrong with that picture, but Natalie didn’t take the time to sort it out. Using the door frame for support, she pulled herself up and felt for the light switch.

Light flooded the room, illuminating every nook and crevice. There was more blood on the floor, along with her glasses, but nothing else. No body. No Spence.

Natalie leaned weakly against the wall, closing her eyes, trying to ignore the pounding in her head. What was happening here? What was happening to her life? How had it suddenly gotten so out of control? She had never felt so helpless, not even when she’d found out she was pregnant. Not even when Anthony had threatened to take away her son if she didn’t agree to his terms.

Where, in God’s name, was Spence? It seemed he was always disappearing when Natalie needed him the most.

The door beside her opened, and she gasped, jumping back, looking around wildly for something with which to defend herself. But as if summoned by her silent plea, Spence walked through the door.

His presence was hardly comforting. Blood trickled down the side of his face, and his own shirt was splotched with big red circles. His eyes seemed to have a hard time focusing on her.

“Natalie,” he said, sounding relieved. “Are you all right?”

“I think so,” she said hesitantly. “Are you?”

“At the moment, that’s debatable.”

He came into the room and Natalie realized for the first

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