Hero - The Ambush: Special Forces Romance Read Online Free PDF Page A

Delivered anonymously, the content too personal and detailed to be from a casual observer.
    Shit.
    It was the boutique mentioned in the last threatening letter Devlin received. The sender had mentioned it specifically, along with other details. Like how she'd purchased a blue ombre scarf after a late brunch. It had even described the exact purse she'd been carrying.
    I felt the hairs on the back of my neck bristle.
    I followed her inside and turned to study the front windows. It was an open fishbowl to the busy street. Everyone from tourists to celebrities to office workers walked by. In a town where everyone drove everywhere, this was the kind of place a stalker could stand lost in a crowd.
    “How often do you shop here?” I asked Leighton.
    “Why? Are you guarding my bank account now too?” she asked.
    I watched as she sauntered over to a counter of handmade jewelry. The bits of blown glass and leather tassels were wildly expensive, but she trailed her hand across them and idly selected a necklace. She then took the necklace with its pale blue glass and white gold accents over to a rack of blouses. Standing there, matching the necklace to an equally overpriced silk blouse, she was in full view of anyone on the street.
    Shit. If this was her usual way of shopping, it was no wonder someone was able to get details of what she was doing. I just hoped that meant no one on Devlin's staff was involved. She wouldn’t be safe at his place then.
    I knew Devlin was adamant I not tell his granddaughter about the threatening letters, but I needed to ask questions to figure things out. “Is this a regular stop on your marathon shopping tours?”
    “Getting tired, tough guy?” Leighton asked. “I thought this was what you wanted, a job that kept you up and going so you can convince the army to give you a clean bill of health too. So you can leave...” She shook her head sharply, and I knew she wasn't going to finish that sentence.
    I didn't let it distract me. “What I want is to know how often you shop at this particular place.”
    “Whenever the mood strikes me.” Leighton slipped a blouse off the rack, and tossed it and the necklace down next to the register. She handed the clerk a credit card without looking. “Though, I suppose that's hard for you to understand. You need feelings before you can have moods.”
    My stomach twisted. “And here I was wondering why anyone would dislike you.”
    Her eyes fixed on some spot over my shoulder. “Yeah, I get it. Everyone gets tired of my company. I'm better off alone.”
    She pushed past me without looking up and marched back onto the busy street.
    “Sir, her credit card, her purchase,” the clerk squeaked.
    “Thank you.” I grabbed both and hurried out the door, my chest tight at the thought of her without me.
    Leighton was alone. Alone in the exact place the person threatening her had watched her only a week ago. The tone of the letters had been growing impatient, and I knew the sender was ramping up to take action. This wasn't the sort of stalker who'd simply disappear. Any time Leighton was alone, she was in danger. She could be injured in plain sight, in dozens of ways, with no one the wiser.
    I caught up to Leighton quickly and dragged her through a white doorway. “ Get off the street.” I spoke through gritted teeth, hoping she couldn't hear the fear under the annoyance.
    I couldn't lose her.
    She struggled down the equally white hallway until we found ourselves in a small corner of an art gallery. Wrenching her arm free of my grasp, Leighton ducked behind another display wall until we were entirely out of sight. I followed too close, struggling not to tell her the reason for my concern.
    When Leighton turned to me, she almost bumped into my chest, forcing her to stumble back. I put my hands on her waist to steady her, and our eyes locked. It was exactly the way we'd stood on the driveway a few days ago when she kissed me. I saw the memory blaze in her eyes, and