The house was dark and instead of parking close to the yard, I turned around and went back the way I came, parking near a cluster of houses just down the road. Making sure there wasn’t anyone else lurking around (besides me), I walked the rest of the way to his property.
I wasn’t about to knock on the door so I went around the side of the house, peaking into darkened windows and snooping through the bushes. The house was large, made of some kind of stone, and had a lot of wide windows. When I came around to the back, I noticed there was a light on in what appeared to be a family room with an adjoining kitchen.
I tiptoed up onto the back deck, creeping closer to a nearby window. I pressed myself up against the side of the house and then stealthily peaked around and into the house. There was a really tall dining table with four leather chairs sitting in the center, acting as a divider between the spaces. On it was an open laptop and papers scattered all around.
There was no one there. I heard no sounds, even after I stood there for a good ten minutes. No other lights went on or off. The back of the yard remained dark; not even a neighbor’s dog barked.
Maybe he wasn’t home.
I wanted to know what was written on all those papers.
I pushed off the stone and stepped up to the French doors, pulling out a credit card from my coat pocket. Before I attempted to jimmy open the door with my plastic, I had a twinge of doubt… This guy was a Death Escort—an assassin. His house was probably wired to the max with some high-tech security to keep out the crazies.
Then again… wasn’t he one of the crazies?
Besides, Charming practically had a God complex. He probably hadn’t bothered with an alarm because he thought he was invincible.
I snorted in amusement but then froze, afraid someone heard me.
Seconds ticked by and no one yelled, “Hey, you!” or “Freeze!” so I figured I was good to go. I had the door open in seconds, grinning to myself about my expert use of a credit card as I slid it back into my pocket.
The door closed soundlessly and I crept over to the table, my heart pounding so hard that I actually looked over my shoulder, thinking someone else was there.
I was still alone.
I reached out and touched one of the keys on the computer and it sprang to life out of slumber. It was some sort of confirmation for something purchased. A ticket of some kind. I hit back a couple times and was redirected to a website advertising some sort of charity ball.
Interesting.
Charming didn’t really seem like the charitable type.
Next I looked through the papers that were scattered out of a vanilla-colored folder. It was all facts and information about a woman… I came across her photo and recognized her immediately. It was the senator’s daughter.
What was he up to?
I looked back at the screen and I was hit in the face with a gust of wind. The laptop’s lid slammed closed and the papers blew, some of them falling onto the floor.
Startled, I gasped, drawing back away from the table and spinning around to run for the door. But the weird just kept on coming.
The lights flickered off and on, the TV roared to life, and flames exploded out of the fireplace.
I almost peed my pants.
Was this place haunted? Is that why he didn’t have a security system? It would be just like him to buy some creepy place filled with ghosts—ghosts of people he probably killed—and use it to scare the crap out of anyone who stopped by.
The door was just steps away, the darkness like a beacon. It promised concealment if I could just get there… Someone or something grabbed me from behind, locking their arms around me like a set of vices.
A scream caught in my throat and I swallowed it. I wasn’t going down like this. I stomped down, using the heel on my booth as a weapon. When the man howled in pain, I took off again. He grabbed at me and the cap on my head was ripped away, but I kept going. I could buy a new hat… but the rest of me…
Piper’s words echoed through my head. I don’t know what I would do if I lost you too. And I bit back a cry. I’m so sorry, Piper, I thought.
He caught me again, this time around the waist, and hauled me backward up against his chest, which was solid and much wider than me. I will not scream, I will not scream, I ordered myself.
“Who are you and what the hell are you doing in my house?” he growled into my ear.
Are you freaking kidding me? That was him? Forget peeing my pants. I was going to give him a black eye for scaring me like that! “How did you move that fast?” I demanded.
I caught his heavy sigh once he heard my voice. I hope I was irritating the hell out of him right now. “You better have a damn good explanation for why I found you in my house, going through my things, George.”
George! He called me that just to drive me insane. Clearly, I hadn’t done enough damage the first time I stomped on his foot, so I prepared to do it again.
“Ah—ah—ah,” he warned. “Now is not the time to piss me off any more than you already have.”
Before I could do anything, he spun me around, his fingers digging into my arms, but I barely noticed the pain. I barely thought about the way he’d scared me—the way he moved so fast.
He wasn’t wearing any clothes.
His skin was bare and carried the sheen of being slightly damp. His muscles… Dear Lord… He was wearing a towel. A towel that was dipping dangerously low on his narrow hips…
Why! someone inside me demanded. Why is it fair for someone so damn deadly to look so damn good?
The thought shook me and I squeezed my eyes shut. Man candy or not, this guy was not made of sugar.
So I kept my eyes closed and began to scream.
Chapter Five
“Infuriating - to make furious; enrage.”
Charming
“I’m blind!” she screeched. “My eyes!” She began to struggle against my hold and I gladly let her go, giving her a little shove away from me.
“I think I’m scarred for life now!” she said, bringing her hands up to cover her eyes. “Get some clothes!”
“You break into my house and then demand I get dressed?” I growled.
“I see now why you don’t have an alarm. You just walk around half naked. That’s enough to keep anyone out.” She lowered her hands but kept her eyes trained on the floor.
“I was taking a shower,” I ground out, so annoyed that I explained myself without even thinking about it. Then I stopped. I didn’t have to explain myself to anyone.
I took a step toward her, watching as she took a step back. I did it again, angling myself away from the door so she would have to do the same.