Embattled Home Read Free Page A

he stepped into the room. “No camera, I promise. And your ex didn’t send me here. I came on my own.”
    “Why?” she snapped.
    “I just wanted to check on you. I feel sick for letting you get hurt.”
    Lora took a moment to scan his somber face, and all she could see was truth in his vivid blue eyes. At least she thought he was being truthful. She wasn’t a great judge of character recently. “I’m fine. It wasn’t your fault.”
    He scrubbed a long hand over his short, walnut colored hair. “It was, though. I’d been there for hours, long past when I should have been off-duty, but something didn’t feel right. I could tell you were nervous by the way you were acting and I should have been more aware.”
    Lora was torn. He seemed like a decent guy, just hired to do a job, but she was royally pissed he’d been watching her like that. “Well, I’m fine. I appreciate your stepping in when you did. Don’t feel guilty about it. We’re done.”
    For several long seconds he stared at her before glancing at the floor. When he looked back up, there was a determined look on his face. “Don’t worry about our investigation. We are officially off the case. I talked to my partner and if there’s anything you need us to do, please let us know.” He fished a business card out of his wallet and stepped close enough to the bed to set it on the rolling table. “I called the jail. Derek will at least be kept for the night because they smelled alcohol on his breath, but it’s up to the judge what happens in the morning.”
    Lora’s insides tensed up when he stepped close, but she didn’t let him see that. She stared at him as hard as she could with her good eye and left the card where it lay. “I don’t believe I’ll need your services.”
    Frowning, he turned away and crossed to the door. “That’s fine, ma’am, but if he bothers you, let us know.”
    Lora didn’t respond to his slow drawl and he walked out the door. She had a glimpse of scuffed gray cowboy boots before he disappeared.
    Panic raced through her and she suddenly felt all vulnerable again. Her stomach shivered with fear, and she felt very alone sitting on the big bed. Slipping down off the mattress, she tried to drag the big recliner they kept for visitors over to the door with her good hand. It took her a while, but she eventually got it wedged underneath the handle. The nurses wouldn’t appreciate it, but she would hear a person coming for several seconds. It would give her some time if she needed it.
    After tugging on the locked window and crawling into bed, Lora finally allowed herself to relax. Emotions started to swamp her. Unfortunately, that also allowed the tears to come . Five minutes, damn it, to cry. Then you’re done .
    Chad’s heart ached in his chest when he heard the woman crying softly in the room. It tugged at his emotions, getting him choked up. He wanted to go back in and pull her into his arms and rock her until she stopped being fearful. The door was blockaded though. And even if he made it in, she certainly wouldn’t want his attention.
    He gritted his teeth in frustration as he leaned against the wall. Lora O’Neil seemed to be a woman with heart, willing to fight for her child. Over the weeks he’d been watching her, Chad had found himself admiring her for her vigilance with their safety. The girl wasn’t out of her sight at all, and the people that watched her seemed just as devoted. Lora worked at the local high school as a secretary, never missing a day or breaking her routine. It was why she’d been so easy to follow. He knew where she was going to be at all times. The only aberration was on Wednesdays, when she went to the big white house in Arvada. She would stay a few hours, then head home. Saturday mornings she took the girl to one of the parks in the city and then went grocery shopping.
    The little girl would be worried when her mother wasn’t there to cook her breakfast in the morning.
    Walking down the