Harlequin Romantic Suspense April 2021 Karen Whiddon (best fiction books to read TXT) 📖

his phone calls or texts.” To her absolute horror, she nearly broke down in tears. Taking a deep breath, she managed to pull herself together before she spoke again. “I need you to tell me if he told you anything about where he might have gone.”

“He did not,” Jones replied. “I give you my word. And, Carly, it’s after one o’clock in the morning. It’s not safe for you to go out looking for him at this hour.”

“I know.” Then she said the thing that had been lurking in the back of her mind, almost too ashamed to speak it out loud. “What if he took off, Jones?”

“Took off?” Her brother seemed puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“Disappeared.” Though she knew he couldn’t see her, she waved her hand in the air. “I really think he might have figured out someone was after him and leaving was the only way he felt he could keep me safe.” The thought almost had her double over in pain, but if anything, these last two years had made her stronger.

“He wouldn’t do that,” Jones finally responded. But he didn’t seem convinced. “That man is head over heels in love with you.” He paused a moment again. “Though I can tell he’d do anything to keep you safe. Even disappearing if he had to.”

“I can’t go through this again,” she said, her heart cracking. “Honestly, I won’t survive.”

“He’ll come back as soon as he either figures out or stops the threat.” Jones tried to reassure her. “I have to approve.”

“Stops the threat,” she repeated. “That sounds so dangerous.”

“Micha knows what he’s doing and he’ll be careful. You know he got tons of training while he served in special forces.”

“True, but there’s still no reason he couldn’t have told me what was going on,” she argued, heartsick and beginning to feel angry. “A call, a text or even a damn handwritten note left on my table. Something, just so I know he’s safe.”

“You do have a point,” Jones agreed. “Come up here. Being around people will make you feel better.”

“No.” She swiped at her eyes. “Because despite it all, I want to be here just in case he comes back.”

“Just in case?” Jones sounded shocked. “Carly, snap out of it. Now I’m really worried about you. As soon as I get this place closed, I’ll be over. Don’t go anywhere. Promise.”

Wearily, she agreed. After ending the call, she sat at her kitchen table, mindlessly scrolling through social media on her phone. Finally, she put the phone down. How could Micha not understand how disappearing, even for a night, would affect her? She’d been candid with him, sharing her devastation when she’d thought she’d lost him. Why would he do this to her again?

She had to believe he wouldn’t. Which meant Micha very well could be in danger.

CHAPTER 12

Taking every precaution, Micha drove around, making sure to circle Carly’s street at least once every twenty minutes. He only passed a Chicago PD cruiser once, about to turn onto Carly’s street, which he supposed was better than nothing. Still, he’d be making another phone call and asking again for beefed-up patrols.

As he approached Carly’s house, he slowed, carefully checking out the surrounding area. As usual, there were numerous vehicles parked in the street, but it was impossible to tell if anyone sat inside them. Until he made it inside the house, he’d have to assume someone might be.

Her lights were on. Ever since she’d gotten her front window shot out, she’d been antsy about being in her living room. She’d even told him she’d actually felt safer with the plywood there. He understood that. Tonight, he fully intended talking her into staying with Jones or Heath. He couldn’t do what he needed while worrying about her safety. If he wanted to use Carly’s house to trap Andy, she simply had to be somewhere safe.

As usual, he parked down the street from her house and got out of his Jeep, looking left to right and spotting no one. Crickets chirped and even the usual traffic sound seemed muted.

Though the fresh night air relaxed him somewhat, he still checked behind him and kept an eye on the periphery. So far, so good. The cars remained parked at the curb, and no motorcycle or gunshots disturbed the quiet. As he walked up the sidewalk, he got out his phone to call her, wanting to let her know he had arrived so he didn’t startle her. He’d send her a quick text instead, so he started to type.

Looking down at his phone, he only caught the movement on the edge of his peripheral vision, spinning around to face it.

A large body slammed into him, knocking him onto the sidewalk.

“What the...?” Micha swung, landing a right hook on the other man’s jaw. The streetlight revealed little, a man wearing a hoodie, but Micha figured it had to be Andy Shackleford. He must have been hidden behind Carly’s large tree. For all his plans to draw him out, somehow Micha had managed to be caught unaware.

“Damn you,” he cursed, twisting and blocking, all the while trying to get his pistol. But Andy beat him to it, pulling his own gun and stepping back, all the while keeping it trained on him.

“Don’t move or I’ll blow your head off,” Andy snarled. “I mean it.” He glanced sideways toward Carly’s house. “How about we go inside, and you let me mess up that pretty lady of yours?”

“How about we don’t,” Micha responded. He couldn’t let the other man know how desperate he was to keep him away from Carly. In fact, he knew talking wouldn’t serve any purpose. Instead, he rushed toward Andy, ramming him in the chest with his lowered head. Somehow, Andy managed to hold on to the pistol, swinging it around and slamming it into Micha’s head.

Micha went down, dropping hard and struggling to stay conscious. At least they were still two houses down from Carly’s place. He could not let this