Paternal Instincts by Elizabeth August

Author:Elizabeth August [Elizabeth August]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781459273238
Publisher: Harlequin

Chapter Eight

Eric woke alert, his body tensed for action. He recognized the cause immediately. Many times in the past, a primitive instinct deep within had warned him when death threatened. It was that instinct that had woken him.

He lay still, listening. He heard nothing but Roxy’s gentle breathing, then he realized that it was what he didn’t hear that was important. He didn’t hear the insects. Something or someone had quelled their chirping. A soft thud caught his attention.

He placed a hand over Roxy’s mouth, then woke her.

She looked up at him in groggy confusion.

“We have an intruder,” he said in her ear.

His words brought her acutely awake. “Are you sure it isn’t Jamie wandering around the house?” she whispered back when he released his hold over her mouth.

“Whoever it is came from outside. Call the police.” Slipping out of bed, he grabbed up his sweatpants and pulled them on.

Roxy picked up the receiver, to hear nothing but silence. “The line’s dead,” she whispered, panic spreading through her.

The frown on Eric’s face deepened. Their night caller was a professional. A creaking sound reached his ears. It was the third step from the bottom of the staircase. Thank goodness old habits die hard, he thought. Rule number one when entering a new environment: Learn all you can about it. By the second day he’d been in this house, he’d taught himself to recognize all the sounds it made.

In the moonlight coming through the window, Roxy saw him raise a finger to his lips, cautioning her to be silent. With a wave of his hand, he motioned for her to get out of the bed and go into the closet. Obeying, she rose, lifted her nightgown from the floor and pulled it on before heading to the closet.

Eric placed pillows where they each had lain and covered them with the sheet, then he made his way to the door and flattened himself against the wall.

Roxy had started to the closet when she suddenly froze as fear for Jamie spread through her. She listened. To her relief, she didn’t hear the squeaky floorboard in the hall near his room. She did hear a slight rustle and knew the intruder was coming their way.

Seeing her still in the bedroom and realizing their night caller had reached their door, Eric frantically motioned for her to lie on the floor.

She obeyed. As the door was slowly pushed fully open, she saw a large dark form and a glint of silver. Their uninvited caller had a gun. The barrel seemed extra long, she thought, then realized the weapon had a silencer. At least, it looked like the ones she’d seen in the movies.

There were several slight whizzing sounds, each followed by a pop as if someone had punched a pillow. Next came a startled gasp followed by something hitting the floor, then the black-clothed body came flying across the room. Jumping up, she switched on the light, to see Eric and the ski-masked intruder squaring off like two fighters in a karate movie.

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