When She Wasn't Looking Read Online Free PDF Page B

his head. “Not going to happen.”
    “I agree.” She decided Jonas could act the hero on this one with her full support.
    Being talked about like a piece of furniture ticked her off, but going with a guy from the FBI terrified her. She’d take anger over fear any day. Fury fueled her, and she would use that energy now to get out of this room.
    Eckert held his badge and tapped it against his open palm with a steady thump. His glare switched to her. “You are wanted for questioning—”
    One minute she looked into Eckert’s face with his lip curled in disgust. The next, Jonas blocked her view. She hadn’t seen him move or heard his footsteps, but his broad shoulders now stood as a wall between her and the guy who wanted to take her to jail.
    “So then you don’t actually have an arrest warrant,” Jonas said.
    The agent dropped his badge back into his pocket. “Look, Officer—”
    “It’s Deputy Porter.”
    “Are you going to interrupt me every time I talk?”
    “Possibly.”
    Walt held up his hands. “Let’s calm down here.”
    Jonas ignored the older man and focused on the agent. “What are you saying she did?”
    “This is not a group interview,” Eckert said. “I need to speak with Ms. Allen alone.”
    She put her hand on Jonas’s forearm. “Can I refuse?”
    Walt shook his head. “You shouldn’t.”
    Jonas’s gaze never wavered. He kept all that intensity funneled at the agent. Courtney vowed to keep her mental shield up, but she had to admit Jonas’s protective nature sent her stomach flipping.
    “Someone tried to kill Ms. Allen a few hours ago,” he said. “That same person tried to kill me. So until I know what is going on, she stays with me.”
    “I think we can agree I’m not a threat to her.” Eckert looked around the room. When no one backed down or nodded in agreement, he blew out a long breath. “Or maybe we can’t.”
    Rich slipped into the seat next to her bed. “We’re all law enforcement. You can talk in front of us.”
    “Fine. Embezzlement.” Eckert dropped his verbal bomb and stopped talking.
    The longer the silence stretched, the more Jonas’s eyes narrowed. “What?”
    The word blurred in Courtney’s brain. She felt her jaw drop and her eyes bulge. “By me?”
    Eckert took out a small notebook and started reading. “Your husband—”
    “Again with the husband thing.” A rough scream rumbled up her throat but she pushed it back. She settled for throwing up her hands and talking through clenched teeth. “For the last time, I am not now nor have I ever been married.”
    Eckert’s mouth opened and closed twice before any words came out. “That’s not possible.”
    Jonas snorted. “I had the same reaction. The Margaret Taynor thing doesn’t make any sense.”
    It was Eckert’s turn to scowl. His gaze bounced around the room. “Who is Margaret Taynor?”
    “Isn’t that who you’re here for?” Jonas asked.
    “No.” Some of the venom left Eckert’s voice. “Are you Courtney Allen?”
    “Yes.”
    Rich tapped on the bed railing next to her head. “So, you have two names but no husband?”
    She let her head fall back onto the pillow. It felt good to close her eyes for two seconds. Without a break, her brain might explode.
    When she lifted her head again, control had returned. All those years of practice came rushing back and she pushed out the pain. “You all have the wrong woman.”
    “Your husband, Peter Allen, has been indicted. He implicated you…” Eckert stared at her. “What now?”
    Her face heated to boiling. Another name from her past, another reminder of all she’d lost. Allen Peters, Peter Allen. It couldn’t be a coincidence, not so close to having the name Margaret Taynor thrown in her face.
    The small corner of normalcy Courtney held on to slipped away. “This can’t be happening.”
    “Do you know Peter Allen?” Jonas’s body stiffened and his voice strained as he asked the question.
    Fighting back the bile churning in her