Officer out of Uniform (Lock and Key Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

than she was.
    Without skipping a beat, she grabbed her Shun Premier chef’s knife. It was so sharp, you could practically cut yourself by just glancing at it. Great for use on both meat and vegetables – even ripe ones – it was without a doubt the most dangerous item in her home. She gripped it with her right hand and grabbed her favorite 12” stainless steel skillet with her left, just in case. She could use it as a bludgeon, or a shield if needed.
    Armed with some of her most treasured tools, she approached the front door and rocked up onto her tiptoes, peeking through the peep hole. What she saw took her breath away, and she nearly dropped the knife onto her vulnerable bare toes.
    “Henry!” she breathed a moment later, tucking the skillet under her arm and wrenching the door open. “It’s just you!”
    He stood on her doorstep with a dozen red roses. His grey eyes widened. “You were expecting someone else? I hope…”
    She became conscious once again of her death-grip on the Shun’s handle. “I was worried you might be a serial killer. Have you seen the news?”
    He frowned and cast a quick glance over his shoulder. “Can I come in?”
    “Sure.”
    He stepped inside quickly, closing and locking her door before she could even blink. A little of the tension seemed to go out of his shoulders once he had the locked door at his back, but not much. He laid the roses down on the counter, but not before Sasha saw that his knuckles were white against the florist’s cellophane wrapper.
    “If you saw the news, why did you answer the door?” he asked.
    “Because it was you, of course. I looked through the peep hole.”
    He nodded toward her hands. “The fact that you picked up weapons makes it look like you were considering opening the door even if it wasn’t someone you knew.”
    “Well… Maybe. I wasn’t going to just ignore it. It would be rude not to at least see who was there.”
    Henry frowned. “Being a nice person can get you killed. In a situation like this, politeness is just stupidity.” He was in full-on Grumpy Bear mode now, growling and frowning like he had his own personal storm cloud hanging over his head. “What’s worse – someone’s feelings getting hurt, or you actually getting hurt?”
    Apparently it was a rhetorical question. He strode purposefully across the room, to the windows. The muscles in his arms rippled as he yanked the kitchen curtains shut, then moved on to the living room, where he did the same. He seemed to have forgotten all about the bouquet of red roses he’d brought with him.
    “Uh, Henry?” She laid her weapons down on the counter.
    He turned to face her. “Where’s your bedroom? The curtains shouldn’t be open in there either.”
    Sasha tipped her head toward the short hallway. “On the left.”
    He made a beeline for her room, and she followed him. “Are you going to fill me in on why you’re closing all my curtains?”
    “So no one can see inside.”
    He sounded serious, but she wriggled her eyebrows anyway. “I take it this means you have something really wild planned for us.”
    He frowned at her – not exactly the reaction she’d been hoping for.
    “You saw the news – there’s a murderer out there. You can’t just walk around in here with open curtains. That’s like putting yourself on display, especially this time of day, when it’s getting dark. People can easily see in. You could be shot, or—”
    “Whoa. I saw the news, sure, but I wasn’t aware that this murderer was interested in me .”
    Henry’s eyes were lightless. “Everyone in Riley County is in danger. That includes you. I assume you haven’t forgotten what happened to Liam and Alicia a month ago.”
    “So did you come here to be my personal bodyguard?” She couldn’t resist a little smile, even if the memory of what Alicia and Liam had gone through did make her go cold.
    “I had a feeling you wouldn’t be taking any precautions, left to your own