Chapter 14
Suzy’s hands shook as she took a step away from the dresser and crashed against the long length of Duke. “Someone was here. I know it.”
His big hands latched onto her shoulders and gently kneaded her tight muscles. “I believe you. The first thing I need to do is make sure no one else is in here now. The kitchen and living room were clearly empty. What other rooms do you have?”
“Just the bathroom across the hall.” For the first time she was grateful she couldn’t afford more than her tiny apartment.
“Stay here.”
She studied the dresser again, roaming her palm over the smooth surface and checking the top drawer to make sure the gold chain with the sun pendant hadn’t fallen in when she’d gotten out clothes earlier.
Nothing.
Dropping to her knees, she checked under the furniture then fell back on her bottom where only dust bunnies stared back at her like miniature tumbleweeds.
“Are you okay?”
The concern in Duke’s voice brought tears to her eyes. She sniffed them back. There were more important things in life than her necklace. The last thing she should be doing was wallowing in self-pity at the loss.
But damn, it cut deep.
Duke crouched beside her. “Suzy?”
“I’m sorry. I’m being silly.”
“No, you’re not. Tell me what’s going on.” He settled to sit beside her.
“My grandfather gave me that necklace. I was always so jealous when he gave one that he always wore to Lane.”
“The bull horn?”
She smiled. “Yeah. Grandpa was a bull rider, and he passed that passion to Lane. They always shared this little world I was never a part of, and I hated being on the outside. Grandpa always called me his sunshine. He’d sing me the song because it’d been my mom’s favorite.
So when he gave me that little golden sun, it was like having a piece of him and Mom with me all the time. ”
“Which means there’s no way you misplaced it, and I’m sorry it’s gone. I want to scour this entire apartment with you, just in case, but if you’re right, that means someone broke into your apartment. We need to call Spencer.”
She hung her head and squeezed her eyes shut for a beat. “I really like Spencer, but I’ve seen him way too much the last couple of days.”
Duke chuckled. “I couldn’t agree more. Why don’t you finish packing while I make the call? Make sure to keep your eye out for anything else that’s missing or moved. Anything at all that seems off. Can you do that?”
Drawing in a shuddering breath, she nodded.
Duke stood then extended a hand for her to hold.
She slipped her palm in his and let him pull her to her feet and crush her against his chest. With his arms around her and her face buried in his warmth, she felt safe.
Felt happy despite the turmoil bubbling in her gut.
“Can we stay like this for just a second?” she asked, circling her arms around him.
He rested his chin on her head. “For as long as you want.”
Breathing him in, she soaked up the moment. The quiet. The simplicity. Because as soon as she stepped away reality would come crashing down and drag her back to the shitstorm that was now her life.
Once her nerves were settled, she sighed and took a step back. “Okay, time to finish packing. Anything in particular I should bring?” She forced a lightness to her voice she didn’t feel.
Smirking, he raised his brows.
The fire from before returned with a vengeance but now wasn’t the time to reignite it. She slapped at his chest. “Never mind. Go make your call.”
With Duke gone, she went to her dresser and found everything she’d need for a couple of nights away. Her hand hovered over the lacy black panties and bra set she seldom wore. Glancing over her shoulder, she could only see the outline of Duke’s shoulder and hear the low, gravelly timbre of his face.
A shiver shot down her spine, and she scooped the sexy intimates from their spot before she lost her nerve.
Standing in front of her bed, she took mental stock of everything she’d grabbed that now lay out in front of her. She’d have to collect some toiletries from across the hall, but other than that, she should be set. She just needed to find a bag big enough to fit everything in.
Walking to the closet, she swung open the door and terror clawed at her throat. Taped to the inside of the door, a collection of pictures of herself stared back at her.
Duke kept an arm securely tucked around Suzy as they sat on the couch and went over more details with Spencer. He hated the look of fear etched on Suzy’s face. Fear that hadn’t left since she’d found the photographs in her closet.
Candid shots of her smiling at the bakery while talking with Millie. Moments snapped while pushing Parker down the street in his stroller. A photo of Suzy leading her horse from the barn.
Someone had followed her and captured flashes of her life then invaded her privacy by taping them inside her closet.
In her home.
He fought the urge to storm outside and scour the entire town until he found Chrissy and made her pay for inflicting even an ounce of pain—of fear—on Suzy. The woman was unhinged, and there was no telling what she’d do next.
“Is there anything else beside the necklace and pictures you found?” Spencer asked.
Suzy shook her head. “No. I went through the apartment and didn’t see anything else. I don’t know if I could stomach anymore.” She sank further against Duke.
He tightened his hold on her.
“And are there any signs of forced entry? Evidence that points straight at the woman you feel is responsible?”
She stared up at Duke.
He gave a little shake of his head. “No, but it’s clear someone has followed Suzy the last couple of days. All signs point to Chrissy.”
Spencer flipped his notepad closed and slid it in the back pocket of his pants. “I’m not saying they don’t, especially since there are no other suspects to dig into at the moment. But I have to keep my mind open to all possibilities.”
Duke worked his jaw back and forth so he wouldn’t argue.
What Spencer said made sense. There was no clear evidence that Chrissy was responsible and for all he knew, she was long gone.
But in his mind, there was no other option.
His gut told him everything he needed to know, and if he couldn’t prove it, at least he could keep Suzy safe until someone else did.
“Do you need anything else from us?” Suzy asked. “I don’t want to be here longer than necessary. It’s tainted, the energy off. I want to go.”
“I’m all done,” Spencer said. “I’ll head to the station and see what else I can uncover. I’ll keep you posted if I find anything, but until we have more answers, I recommend staying under the radar as much as possible.”
“That’s the plan,” Duke said.
Spencer dipped his chin and left.
“You have everything packed?” he asked, facing her.
She nodded. “I wasn’t sure how much to bring.”
“As much as you want. I don’t want you to run out of stuff or feel like you don’t have something you wanted. I mean, we can always come back here, but it’d be better if you grab it now.”
A small smile touched her mouth, and she smoothed her palm on his cheek. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For everything. For being here with me through all this. For offering me your home and your protection. I can’t imagine going through this without you.”
“If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be going through it at all.” He couldn’t help but laugh at the irony. “I’m sorry for that.”
“I’ll tell you the same thing I told your sister. None of this is your fault, and you have nothing to apologize for.”
He appreciated the sentiment, but it didn’t do much to extinguish the guilt eating him alive.
“No matter, we should head to my place. I’m still starving.”
She jumped to her feet. “Oh, that’s right. We were going to order lunch to take with us. We can head to the Dusty Armadillo and get something quick.”
His stomach growled at the thought of his favorite burger. “I’ll call ahead so they can start the order. What do you want?”
“I’m in the mood for some comfort food. I’ll take the mac and cheese with a side salad.”
“Is that enough food?”
“Have you seen the size of their mac and cheese? I’ll probably have leftovers.”
“I don’t know. I might have to finish anything you don’t.”
“Go for it. I’m going to get my things.” She laughed then dipped down the hall.
He took out his phone and found the number for the local restaurant.
When the hostess answered, he spat out both their orders then added a few appetizers for the hell of it.
She assured him the meal would be ready in fifteen minutes.
By the time he put his phone back in his pocket, Suzy stood in the living room with a bag at her feet. “Ready?”
Standing, he collected her bag then put the strap on his shoulder. “Ready.” He followed her out the door and down the stairs. Cold air kissed his cheeks as he stepped outside.
Not wanting any space between them, he claimed her hand. “We have a couple of minutes before the food’s ready. How about we head back to the candy store and grab some desert? I hear the chocolate covered peanuts are the best.”
She grinned up at him. “Mac and cheese and chocolate? Sound like a great date.”
Staring down at her, he wrinkled his nose. “Not exactly how I wanted to wine and dine you.”
“No? You didn’t plan this whole situation just so we’d both finally admit our feelings?”
“I don’t recall you telling me too much about any of your feelings beyond calling your brother a jackass.”
Playing coy, she raised a slender shoulder. “It was important you knew right away that Lane’s opinion doesn’t matter to me—at least in this circumstance. The rest of it…we have time to get into all of that.”
The wind whipped a strand of hair in front of her face, and he swept it back and tucked it behind her ear. “You’re right. We’ve got nothing but time. I don’t want to rush anything between us.” Leaning forward he hovered his lips above her ear. “Anything.”
She gripped his shoulder, and soft little purr escaped her mouth.
He hurried and kissed her earlobe then backed off before he did something illegal on the city streets, surrounded by a growing number of holiday lights and colorful booths.
“Oh my,” she whispered. “I may be in for more trouble with you than I imagined.”
He hooked his mouth into a smirk. “Never.”
Amusement lit her eyes for a split second before they flew wide. “Oh my God.”
“What is it?” He whipped around to search for whatever had caused the color to drain her from her pretty face. A flash of blond hair caught his attention as a woman exited a café down the street and headed in the opposite direction.
A ball of cold, hard fury circled inside him. “Go inside with Mrs. Gurly. Stay there until I get back.”
He waited a beat to make sure Suzy was safe then took off down the sidewalk. He skirted past clusters of people adding holly-adorned wreaths to lamp posts and workers carrying in the last-minute touches for booths. He kept his gaze fixed on the back of the blond head.
She turned away from the square.
Shit.
He pushed his pace into a dead sprint until his lungs burned. He reached the corner and swung onto the connected sidewalk and came face-to-face with Chrissy.