her, making her ache for the life she’d lost, the life she could never have. “Talk to me about what happened. Help me figure out how to keep this man from hurting you or anyone else ever again.”
Her gaze hypnotically followed the motion of his thumb across the napkin, imagining the same gentle caress across her cheek. Then his words jerked her back to awareness. Talk to him about what had happened? Didn’t he realize what he was asking? She’d spent years trying to rebuild her life, to forget the past. She would not relive that horrible ordeal again. She couldn’t.
She jumped up from her chair and crossed to the sink. Opening a cabinet, she grabbed a glass and filled it with water. After a deep sip, she lowered the glass and stared out the window at the bright sunny morning, trying to draw on its warmth and light to chase away the darkness that was never far away.
“Everything okay in here?” Riley stood in the archway that separated the kitchen from the foyer. He glanced quizzically back and forth between her and Richards.
Amanda wiped the backs of her hands across her eyes. She hadn’t cried once since moving back to Shadow Falls, and here she was crying for the second day in a row. She whirled around to face Richards. “I would appreciate it if you would both leave. Now.”
He looked like he wanted to argue, but he gave her a curt nod. “Come on, Riley.”
Amanda followed the two men into the foyer.
Riley stepped outside but Richards paused in the doorway, so close they were almost touching. Impossibly, everything inside her ached for his touch, as if he could wrap his strong arms around her and erase her past.
As if he could save her.
“Amanda.” His masculine voice whispered across her raw nerves, reminding her of everything she could never have. “If you don’t fight now, you’ll be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life. You need police protection and we need your help. Come to the station. Talk to me about what happened. Help me find out who this man is. Help me stop him before he hurts someone else.”
Resentment came to her rescue, drying her tears, giving her the strength she needed. This man had un-bottled her long pent-up emotions . . . emotions she wasn’t prepared to deal with. And here he stood, in her sanctuary, demanding she go to the police station as if she were the criminal.
“I already spoke to the police about my abduction. They interviewed me so many times I lost count. Do you honestly think I would leave out one single detail that might help someone catch the man who butchered Dana?”
His eyes narrowed. “Don’t you mean the man who hurt you , too? You were as much a victim as she was.”
She shook her head vigorously, her throat tightening. “Get out.”
A look of pity crossed Richards’ face as he stepped outside. Anger flashed inside Amanda and she slammed the door shut behind him. She leaned her forehead against the cool wood, dragging deep breaths into her tortured lungs. She didn’t want Logan Richard’s pity and she sure as hell didn’t deserve his concern. Because, in spite of his belief that she was as much a victim as Dana was, he was wrong.
He didn’t know what she’d done.
Chapter Three
T he taller and brawnier of the five FBI agents scanned the faces of the Shadow Falls detectives sitting around the conference room table. Logan had the impression the man was cataloging each person’s features and comparing them to a mental list of the FBI’s most wanted. His hawklike gaze zeroed in on Logan. “Chief Richards?”
Logan nodded and stood. He’d worked with Feds before, but he was also used to working on their timetable. Since calling them this morning, he’d expected they would arrive several days, maybe even a week later, depending on their workload and whether they agreed with his opinion that he might be dealing with a serial killer. Having his secretary usher the Feds into Monday afternoon’s detective
Her gaze hypnotically followed the motion of his thumb across the napkin, imagining the same gentle caress across her cheek. Then his words jerked her back to awareness. Talk to him about what had happened? Didn’t he realize what he was asking? She’d spent years trying to rebuild her life, to forget the past. She would not relive that horrible ordeal again. She couldn’t.
She jumped up from her chair and crossed to the sink. Opening a cabinet, she grabbed a glass and filled it with water. After a deep sip, she lowered the glass and stared out the window at the bright sunny morning, trying to draw on its warmth and light to chase away the darkness that was never far away.
“Everything okay in here?” Riley stood in the archway that separated the kitchen from the foyer. He glanced quizzically back and forth between her and Richards.
Amanda wiped the backs of her hands across her eyes. She hadn’t cried once since moving back to Shadow Falls, and here she was crying for the second day in a row. She whirled around to face Richards. “I would appreciate it if you would both leave. Now.”
He looked like he wanted to argue, but he gave her a curt nod. “Come on, Riley.”
Amanda followed the two men into the foyer.
Riley stepped outside but Richards paused in the doorway, so close they were almost touching. Impossibly, everything inside her ached for his touch, as if he could wrap his strong arms around her and erase her past.
As if he could save her.
“Amanda.” His masculine voice whispered across her raw nerves, reminding her of everything she could never have. “If you don’t fight now, you’ll be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life. You need police protection and we need your help. Come to the station. Talk to me about what happened. Help me find out who this man is. Help me stop him before he hurts someone else.”
Resentment came to her rescue, drying her tears, giving her the strength she needed. This man had un-bottled her long pent-up emotions . . . emotions she wasn’t prepared to deal with. And here he stood, in her sanctuary, demanding she go to the police station as if she were the criminal.
“I already spoke to the police about my abduction. They interviewed me so many times I lost count. Do you honestly think I would leave out one single detail that might help someone catch the man who butchered Dana?”
His eyes narrowed. “Don’t you mean the man who hurt you , too? You were as much a victim as she was.”
She shook her head vigorously, her throat tightening. “Get out.”
A look of pity crossed Richards’ face as he stepped outside. Anger flashed inside Amanda and she slammed the door shut behind him. She leaned her forehead against the cool wood, dragging deep breaths into her tortured lungs. She didn’t want Logan Richard’s pity and she sure as hell didn’t deserve his concern. Because, in spite of his belief that she was as much a victim as Dana was, he was wrong.
He didn’t know what she’d done.
Chapter Three
T he taller and brawnier of the five FBI agents scanned the faces of the Shadow Falls detectives sitting around the conference room table. Logan had the impression the man was cataloging each person’s features and comparing them to a mental list of the FBI’s most wanted. His hawklike gaze zeroed in on Logan. “Chief Richards?”
Logan nodded and stood. He’d worked with Feds before, but he was also used to working on their timetable. Since calling them this morning, he’d expected they would arrive several days, maybe even a week later, depending on their workload and whether they agreed with his opinion that he might be dealing with a serial killer. Having his secretary usher the Feds into Monday afternoon’s detective
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