A Profiler's Case for Seduction(40)

Minutes later she sat at her table, her hands cupping a mug of coffee, seeking the warmth that might steal away some of the cold that had taken grip of her since the moment she’d realized somebody was at her window.

Even after downing a full cup of the warm brew the chill inside her remained and she knew there was only one thing that could take it away.

Mark.

How she longed for his arms wrapped around her right now, his body pressed tight against hers. There was passion there, the joy of life, but also a feeling of safety, of security.

In the short time they’d known each other she knew he was nothing like the men in her past. Despite what he did for a living, in spite of his ability to get into the minds of killers, there was a gentleness, a kindness about him that she trusted.

She wondered if she’d see him today. It was her night off at the bookstore and she’d forgotten to tell him. Each week she had a different night off. Last week it had been Wednesday and this week it was today.

He’d show up to walk her home only to be told she hadn’t worked that day. Would he come by here to check on her?

She knew in her heart he would. He was that kind of man, the kind she’d never had in her life before. Dependable, trustworthy, with a genuine sense of humor and kindness, and she wanted to hold him tight and never let him go. He was a treasure she’d been seeking all her life.

But she knew she could never have him that long. He was a good, moral man, a man who would never understand who she had been, where she’d come from and the character flaws that had nearly destroyed her.

If he ever found out about who she’d been before she became Dora Martin, student and bookstore clerk, his respect for her would vanish, his desire for her would turn to deep revulsion.

No, he could never be hers forever. But he could be hers for a night, a little voice whispered inside her head, a tiny whisper that echoed in all the chambers of her heart.

Surely making love with Mark one time wouldn’t ruin her life plan. Or was it like an alcoholic deciding that a single drink wouldn’t mess up their sobriety?

Want battled with fear, a fear of tumbling into nowhere, of falling back to where she’d been in a past she desperately wanted to forget. She finished her coffee and shoved thoughts of Mark out of her head as she showered and dressed for her classes.

What she needed to do was focus on an answer to the question of who was stalking her and why. Who had been outside her window the night before?

It couldn’t possibly be anyone from her past. Nobody in the small town of Horn’s Gulf, Wyoming, cared enough about her to want to kill her. She couldn’t imagine anyone here who cared enough about her one way or the other to go to such lengths.

There had to be a reason this was all happening, but for the life of her she couldn’t think of one. But somebody had kidnapped and beaten up her sister and no motive had been presented for that crime, a voice nagged in the back of her head.

She couldn’t make that connection to Mark because it would open up all the ugliness of her life, inside her soul. She’d rather be kidnapped and beaten than be exposed to Mark for who she had once been.

Never had she felt the need for a friend as much as she did now. She needed somebody who wasn’t Mark to talk to, somebody who could be a voice of reason in the chaos in her mind.

Micah. She needed to talk to her brother.

She normally dressed up a bit when she was scheduled to work in the store. Today she chose a pair of jeans and a coral-colored sweater since she wasn’t working later.

With her books and laptop on the table ready to grab and go, she sank down on the sofa and punched in the numbers that would connect her to her brother.

It was after eight, he should be up by now, especially since he had two little stepsons who were probably early risers. She knew Micah had met the woman who was now his wife, Olivia, when he’d first been gone to Perfect to stop Samuel from his evil. Micah definitely had a personal vendetta to settle. Samuel had tried to have him killed and one of Samuel’s henchmen had put a bullet in Micah’s head, a bullet that hadn’t killed him but had put him into a coma for months. When he regained consciousness he was more than willing to work with the FBI to do whatever necessary to bring Samuel down.

Olivia had worked with Samuel and, one night, had seen him kill a man. Horrified, Olivia had fled with one of her sons, little Sam, but her other son, Ethan, had been left behind at the day-care center.

She’d run from town and headed into the wooded mountains, seeking a safe house that she’d heard had been established for people who wanted out of Perfect. Micah found her and vowed to get her son back for her.