No One But You by Maureen Smith

Author:Maureen Smith [Smith, Maureen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2015-01-16T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Althea had just stepped out of the shower when she heard the doorbell, signaling the arrival of Damien or the pizza delivery guy—neither of whom she’d expected for at least another fifteen minutes.

Hurriedly she threw on an old Stanford T-shirt and a pair of pink sweatpants with no underwear. Halfway to the front door, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in a wall mirror and realized she was still wearing her shower cap. She snatched it off her head and hastily combed her fingers through her hair before continuing to the door.

When she glanced through the peephole, no one was there.

Frowning, she unlocked the door and opened it enough to poke her head through. She peered up and down the corridor. It was silent and empty. Yet she felt a cold draft, a whisper across her skin, as if someone had just walked past.

Someone did, silly. Whoever rang your doorbell.

Shaking her head at herself, Althea ducked back inside her apartment and closed the door, sliding the deadbolt into place. Someone had probably wandered onto the wrong floor and rang her doorbell by mistake, she decided. The apartment building’s twenty-four-hour front desk attendant and intercom system were supposed to alleviate security concerns by controlling visitors’ access to the property. But Althea had noticed different people entering the building by following tenants inside, and none of them were ever stopped by the attendant, whose nose was usually buried in a newspaper or a paperback novel. She’d been meaning to bring this up to the building management, but she’d been too preoccupied with the case to remember.

But suddenly she felt jittery, and she was reminded of the cold sensation she’d felt yesterday evening when she looked out her office window. She’d felt as if someone was lurking in the shadows of the parking lot, staring up at her apartment. Watching her.

She’d promptly dismissed the feeling, telling herself she was just edgy and out of sorts because of the kidnapping investigation, and because she’d been trying to stave off dark, sinister thoughts about the past ever since her plane touched down in Maryland. She didn’t believe someone evil had been watching her last night any more than she believed that same person had just rung her doorbell.

So why are your hands so clammy?

Frowning, Althea wiped her damp palms on her sweatpants and started across the room to build a fire. She’d just taken three steps when the intercom buzzed. She let out a startled cry, nearly jumping out of her skin.

A moment later she swore under her breath, feeling like an idiot. A paranoid idiot.

She retraced her steps to the door and pressed the intercom button. “Yes?”

“It’s me. Damien.”

She mentally berated herself for the surge of relief that swept through her at the sound of his deep voice. She buzzed him in, then rushed around picking up after herself. By the time he rang the doorbell, the living room was spotless and a sedate fire was crackling in the fireplace.

Her pulse quickened at the sight of him in her doorway.

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