The Phoenix by Rhonda Nelson

Author:Rhonda Nelson [Nelson, Rhonda]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Men Out Of Uniform
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-12-01T00:00:00+00:00

8

A SOFT, MUFFLED THUMP at his door awakened Jay from a halfhearted sleep. He quietly heaved himself up from the bed, grabbed a small flashlight and shrugged into his robe, then thrust his feet into his shoes.

Honestly, she was so damned predictable.

Jay had strung a thread of dental floss from the bottom of her door and attached it to a counterweight tube of toothpaste on the inside of his room, a few inches from his own door. When she opened her door, it pulled the floss tight enough on his end to slide the toothpaste forward, thus providing a thump loud enough to wake him but hopefully not her.

Sure enough, when he opened his door, hers had been left a fraction of an inch ajar, and a quick peek with his light confirmed an empty bed. She couldn’t claim she needed to go to the bathroom because there was one in her room. It would be interesting to see what sort of story she’d provide when he found her.

Jay turned the flashlight off and, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dark, carefully made his way downstairs. He’d made his way through all of the lower rooms when he heard the telltale sound of a lock being thrown. And not just any lock. A deadbolt. He felt his eyebrows wing up his forehead and swore hotly as his gaze shifted to the window. What the fu—

She was going outside?

It was bitter cold. If memory served—and it typically did—the low for tonight was five degrees. Jay headed to the front hall, where he found the alarm system had been disarmed and the door left partially open. He considered shutting it and waiting for her until she returned, letting her do a Little Match Girl impression before allowing her back into the welcoming warmth of the house.

Because he had to know what she was doing, he rejected that plan and made his way outside. He scanned the yard, looking for any sign of movement, and finally hit pay dirt when he glimpsed a flash of white near the gatehouse. Jay frowned, more intrigued than he’d like to admit. He’d talked to Burt, but other than the older man confirming the “probing” comment he’d made to Charlie and providing Jay with a pamphlet, as well, he hadn’t pulled any sort of a vibe from him.

Evidently, Charlie had noticed something. Otherwise she wouldn’t have braved this bone-chilling cold to search the little office unobserved.

Or so she thought.

Hiding behind the shrubbery, Jay covertly made his way toward the gatehouse. She’d already gotten inside—evidently her lock-picking skills were first-class, he thought drolly—and was bent over a drawer, aiming her own small flashlight into its depths. She read various bits of paper, occasionally frowned, swore and discarded them, then moved to the bottom cabinet of the built-in desk. Though he couldn’t see what she’d found, if anything, it wasn’t long until she straightened once more and turned to the fridge.

Nothing of note in the cabinet then, he concluded.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.