Ghosts of Fire by Maureen Smith

Author:Maureen Smith [Smith, Maureen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Literature & Fiction, United States, African American, Romance, Romantic Suspense, Mystery & Suspense, Suspense
Amazon: B00EBBRB7E
Publisher: Wordsmith Enterprises
Published: 2013-08-02T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 21

After showering and getting dressed, Nick insisted on following Rachel back to her condo. “Just in case,” he said tersely, and left it at that.

Rachel didn’t have the desire or inclination to protest. Part of her had hoped to prolong the dreaded return to her apartment for as long as possible.

A very big part of her.

Once on the road, she found it hard to reconcile the brightness of the morning with the terror she’d endured only the night before. Her horrifying encounter with the faceless madman now seemed unreal, a figment of her imagination.

But she knew better.

When she and Nick arrived at her front door, he instructed her to wait out in the corridor while he checked her apartment for a possible intruder.

Rachel didn’t resume breathing until he returned, motioning her inside.

“Nothing seems to have been disturbed. After I leave, lock the door and call the police to give your statement. If your Lincoln Man is in the neighborhood, the sight of the police should deter him from trying anything stupid. I’ll be back in an hour.”

Surprised relief washed over Rachel. “You’re coming back?”

Before he could respond, there was an insistent knocking on the door.

Rachel nearly jumped out of her skin, her startled gaze flying to Nick’s face.

His jaw hardened as he quietly moved toward the door and positioned himself behind it. When he gave Rachel a short nod, she called out shakily, “Who is it?”

“Rachel?” came her father’s worried voice. “Rachel, it’s Dad. Open up, baby.”

Rachel shot Nick a panicked look.

His expression was grim as he stepped from behind the door. Visibly bracing himself for the confrontation with her father, he nodded for her to open the door.

“Thank God you’re okay, baby,” Robert Calloway exclaimed, rushing into the apartment and gathering Rachel into his arms. “I’ve been calling you since last night. I got worried when you never answered your phone. I didn’t know where you—” he broke off abruptly.

Rachel stiffened in his arms and drew back in time to see the flash of shocked anger on his face. His incredulous gaze swung from Nick to Rachel. “What the devil’s going on here?”

Rachel cringed. “It’s not what you think, Daddy—”

“My God, Rachel, what happened to your forehead?” The color drained from Robert’s face as he noticed the ugly bruise for the first time.

“I’m okay,” Rachel quickly reassured him, throwing a desperate look at Nick over her shoulder.

“What in the world is he doing here?” her father demanded, returning his glare to Nick. “Did he hurt you, baby?”

“No, no, of course not. It was nothing like that, Daddy.”

“I think you’d better tell your father everything that happened,” Nick murmured, starting toward the door.

Robert moved aside, glowering at him.

Rachel felt lightheaded. “Nick,” she called to him in a quaky voice.

He turned with his hand on the doorknob, his expression inscrutable.

She tried to smile. “Thank you, again. For…everything.”

Nick nodded curtly. Without sparing another glance at her father, he turned and left, closing the door firmly behind him.

Robert whirled on his daughter. “Nick? You’re on a first-name basis with Nicholas Hunter now?”

“Daddy, please.

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