Monroe, Melody S. - Verdict (Siren Publishing Classic) Read Online Free PDF Page B

chest.
    Footsteps sounded behind her.
    Stay calm. Heart pumping hard, she reached for her bedroom doorknob.
    He stepped next to her and opened the door before she got the chance. “I found something you need.”
    Too close for comfort, she stepped back and looked up at him, his brown eyes close to black. His gaze locked onto hers. Her pulse skipped a beat. She cut the connection and stared at his gun wedged beneath his shoulder. “What?” Blood pounded in her ears. A bullet to the head?
    “Go see.”
    She wasn’t sure of his game, but if she didn’t go along, who knew what he might do. “Okay.”
    Susan swept past him and stopped in the middle of the room, not seeing anything different from when she left a while ago. “I give. What is it?”
    “Your bandages.” He nodded toward the dresser.
    She hadn’t placed the box there. “Where did you find those?” They were the ones the nurse had given her.
    “In your suitcase.”
    She slapped a hand on her hip. Enough was enough. “You looked through my stuff?” Okay, technically, it wasn’t really her stuff since every item was purchased by the FBI, but once she was in possession of the suitcase, she considered the clothes hers.
    “Yes.”
    “That’s an invasion of my privacy.”
    His chest expanded. “I had to search your bags to make sure you hadn’t hidden a cell phone. It’s protocol.”
    She clenched her fists. “Protocol or not, you should have asked my permission.” Though she doubted any such procedure actually existed.
    He chuckled, but the sound held no cheer. “If you’d had a phone, would you have told me?”
    “No, but if you think about it, the only way I could have a cell phone would be if that female FBI agent had purchased one for me.”
    “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
    Something was amiss. “When did you have time to search for the bandages?” He’d been downstairs after she’d cleaned up.
    “When you were showering.”
    She inwardly shivered knowing he’d been so close when she was naked and vulnerable. “Hold it. How did you get into the bedroom? The door was locked.” Her pulse raced.
    “There was a key above the door.”
    “Slick.” The man had an answer for everything.
    “It’s not when your safety is my sole concern.” From the soft tone of his voice and his relaxed stance, she almost believed him, but not quite.
    She pressed her lips together and snatched the bandages to her chest. Heart still in overdrive, she hurried across the room and pulled back the door. “Please leave.” She still wasn’t convinced his relationship with Peter Caravello was on the up and up.
    “Look. We got off on the wrong foot. I’m here to protect you, not hurt you. What more can I say?”
    He stepped forward and ran a hand down her uninjured arm. Her traitorous body reacted, nearly wetting her panties. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push his image from her mind. She failed.
    “Say nothing.” His pinched brow and tight mouth sent a quick shot of remorse up her belly, but she refused to let her emotions override logic.
    The second his butt crossed the threshold, she slammed the door and locked it—not that it would do much good if he had a key.
    Wait.
    She dragged the desk chair under the doorknob and wedged it tight, a trick that seemed to work on TV. At least it would provide her with some sense of security.
    With her ear to the door, she waited until the sound of his footsteps faded and the television switched on. She breathed a sigh of relief, hoping he’d stay downstairs for good.
    With a light tremor in her hands, she reapplied her bandages, thankful her clothes would no longer rub against her nearly healed skin. She purposefully didn’t wrap her injured hands as she needed full mobility if she planned to escape tonight.
    The clock read 4:00 p.m. Her body ached and her mind raced. With only a few hours before dinner, a short nap seemed a good option. The rest would help her regroup, think, plan.
    She must have been