Out of Circulation (Hemlock Creek Suspense Book 1) Read Free Page B

apartment."
    Molly gasped. "You're not moving back out there, are you, with some home invader running loose?"
    "I don't know. But I'm not leaving my things flung around like that."
    "Let me help," he said. "It's the least I can do, and if those men come back..."
    Conflicting emotions played on Katie's face. She finally gave in. "Okay, I could probably use an extra set of hands. Cleanup isn't Molly's thing."
    Molly stuck her tongue out at Katie, but didn't deny what she'd said. "I'm going to find Mom. Let us know if you need anything. Especially if you need anything, Ace." She winked.
    Ace trailed behind Katie, secretly pleased he'd gained access to her apartment. Maybe he could do some unobtrusive snooping.
    Now if only Katie would respond to him as warmly as her sister. He determined to crank up his friendliness factor...or would that even work?
     
    ****
     
    Watching Ace throw himself into cleanup duties, Katie felt somewhat repentant for her distrustful attitude. The man truly did seem committed to helping, and for the love of everything, he was so easy on the eyes. She pretended not to notice, but the way his muscles strained at his T-shirt sleeves attested to why he was a bodyguard. Not to mention he was packing a handgun that looked bigger than her dad's. Even though she hadn't gone shooting much since her dad's death, part of her was still impressed with a man who could handle a gun.
    He caught her gaze. "It's a .45. That's a large-caliber—"
    "I know what it is," she snapped.
    "Sorry, I just assumed you didn't shoot. Most women I've met don't."
    "Well, you aren't in Manhattan anymore." She didn't know what had possessed her tongue. She had never been this snippy in her life. She tried to soften her response. "I don't shoot these days. But I used to."
    He nodded. She appreciated that he kept silent and didn't push the issue.
    "So, tell me about your family, now that you've met mine," she said.
    He unearthed a pair of her low heels, depositing them on the couch as carefully as if he were returning eggs to an upturned nest. "Not much to tell. I was closest to my granny, and she died when I was a teen. My dad was always busy at work...my mom wasn't really invested in my upbringing, I guess you'd say. I don't have any siblings."
    She nodded. "And how did you come to be a bodyguard?"
    He shrugged. "I watched my dad. He owned a gun store. He didn't teach me about weapons, but I watched him show them to others." Those intense blue eyes rested on hers. For one moment, Katie glimpsed the rejected little boy in the grown man.
    Bustling around to soften his painful candor, she shoved all her clothes into a big trash bag to sort later. No need for him to go through those. As the weight of the bag increased, she found herself stumbling while she dragged it along.
    He moved to her side, so quickly she didn't have time to react. He spoke softly near her hair. "I can get that for you."
    Ignoring his understated woodsy scent, she pulled the stuffed garbage bag up with both hands, nearly toppling herself. "It's no trouble."
    He gave her a slightly crooked smile, obviously amused. "Of course it's not." He plopped down on the couch, watching her.
    "What are you doing? You could...put all the big spoons back in my drawer in the kitchen or something."
    "Doesn't seem like you need my help." He stretched his arm along the couch.
    "Of course I do! Why did you come over here in the first place?" The bag seemed to grow heavier as she stood.
    He leaned forward, intense. "Then say it."
    "Say what?" Exhausted with her façade of strength, Katie finally dropped the bag.
    "Say you need my help. It kills you, doesn't it?"
    She gasped. Who was this man, to come into her apartment and try to figure her out? To be so glib about her weakness? She would never ask him for help.
    "Just because you're our bodyguard doesn't mean you're allowed to mouth off like that. I can get this place cleaned up just fine on my own, which was my original plan." She started