His Obsession
br
ate-night news anchor says robotically to the camera. Th
every single
ews anchor continues, "and were considered persons of interest to Inte
e. If only they had the good sense to quit while they wer
tongue in disapproval. "Serves them right, I
I ask her, paying
e a ligh
s grainy, but it's very obviously of a young woman. It's not just any young woman, eit
qu
ho currently remains at large. If you spot this individ
ers. "That's her! The wom
ly. "Quiet. You
cking my line of sight. She shakes her head, her hands on her hips. "Monsieur Rochefort
standing up to peer down my nose at he
to call t
N
criminal. A criminal sleeping right down the hall from your
ituation. I, however, am not a normal person -though I certainly pretend to be. If Penelope knew the truth about wh
tate simply. "I'm asking
g to intimidate a grizzly bear. It takes a minute or two, but she eventuall
what you're doi
lway
the household slee
fore prying off the license plates and scratching out any identification numbers. By 2:00 a.m., the vehicle is dropped off at the nearest scrapyard, scheduled to be
, the windows, everything. It's not that far off from my
y been here for three days -and unconscious for the majority of it- but that's all it took for her to completely
Chet would even consider letting his own daughter join his crew. If I were in charge, there's no way in hell I'd let Odette anywhe
ear the thought of anything happening to Odette. Perha
t quite right. What I
ra
thoughts of Raquel
burn and fire behind her dark chocolate eyes. The way her sultry voice is a violin
ation is for weak men, and I'm anything but. Besides, I'm sure that this whole matter will be wrapped up in a mat
ment in the kitchen. Quiet shuffling, the clinking of
et
water with both of her tiny hands. Raquel's dressed in a simple white tank top and black s
going on?
g a big sip of her drink. She says noth
east, I think that's what she said. I thi
. "She
.. Y
ter's voice in two years. I've taken her to see countless speech therapists an
el with Odette. "What are yo
fact that she's more comfortable speaking to a complete stranger than she is with me.
uel says softly. "I think she
daughter in French. "Di
e learned by now not to
and go back to sleep. Do y
ows Raquel a cute little wave before heading back upstairs, her e
comments fondly.
y teeth.
at was my favorite
H
ha
as the type of perso
asks dryly. My grasp on American humor isn't t
be resting
help herself t
bring it
I checked, my legs
sassy for someone who showed up half dead on my doorstep just three days ago. A normal
he top shelf to your
her tiptoes, reaching as high as she can for the pain killers. She's too short, but she doesn't stop tryi
I ask, part
mbles, contin
going to
r, reaching past her smaller frame to grab the aspirin. When she takes a step back, he
oans, soft
the dark kitchen to see the blush blooming across her cheeks and neck. Her eye
g involved -more than I already
an who doesn't take e
or. I have to remind myself that while she may be up and about, she's still recovering. No matter how rou
of her breath. Raquel leans her body against mine, her hands gripping the front of my
timid and not at all like the stubborn s
self and the kitchen counter. The cute little ga
want from m
e swallows har
y i
who you are. W
furiatingly beautiful woman bef
my old tattoo. She frowns, a flicker of recognition flashing across her eyes. She doesn't let me escape, moving so swiftly that I hav
s open. "You'r
ss. "I am an
d knows you,"
op
a part of
g inside me fracturing. "
ha
a part of
stand. You're
ew," I snap. "The Red Ravens wer