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sympathy kiss from Celeste, but that wouldn t happen now. Maybe never.
Never, you jackass.
Not if he let her have her way.
Which he would, damn it. He sure as hell wouldn t let his feelings for her turn him into an
asshole stalker like Darrell. Shit, shit, shit. He didn t like the idea of abandoning Celeste. After
all, Darrell was out there, and he wasn t going to stop. If he was a true sociopath, or even
honestly insane, Celeste could still be in danger.
He d come down on her harshly, but at the same time, if she felt she couldn t be with him
because of his job, so be it. A cold, hard knot of discontent took up all the room in his stomach.
He wasn t hungry. Still, he didn t leave the kitchen, contemplating what his next move with
Celeste should be. Regardless of the sharp pain churning inside him, he owed her the oath of his
profession. To serve and protect. He d call and reassure her she had his professional protection
regardless of their personal relationship dissolving.
He clenched his fists at his side. He d do this, even if it ate a hole clean through him.
Mick started toward the kitchen phone when it rang. He picked up, half hoping to find Celeste on
the other end. The voice was female all right, but not the one he wanted to talk with the most.
 Mick, this is Leigh Strong. Her voice sounded whispery and out of breath.  I--I--you have to
come right away. I went up to Celeste s house and, oh God--Darrell Huntley is in there with her
and he has a gun on her.
Mick s heart turned into a block of ice.  What?
 She was supposed to meet me tonight for dinner but when she didn t show up and she didn t
answer her cell phone or home phone, I knew something was wrong. I drove by and when I came
up to the front of the house, that s when I saw Celeste through the living room window with
Darrell pointing a gun at her. Leigh s voice rambled quickly, out of breath.
 Son-of-a-bitch! Fuck! Mick moved, running to his bedroom for his shoes and his weapon.
 Did you call 911?
 Yes. Oh, God, Mick-- She sounded tearful.
 Get away from the area.
 But--
 Now!
 Okay.
 I m on my way.
Mick tossed the phone on his bed. He jammed his feet into his athletic shoes and grabbed his
weapon. Within seconds he ran for the door, Glock steady in his hand. He d call his brothers on
the way.
An almost paralyzing fear threatened to eviscerate Mick, to destroy the cop within and make him
only one thing.
A man terrified for the woman he loved.
* * * *
 Have a seat. Darrell s voice held the warmth of a caring man inviting his sweetheart to make
herself at home.
Celeste couldn t stop staring at the gun in his hand. One day at the firing range didn t qualify her
to know what type of pistol he brandished.
Darrell waved the gun, gesturing.  Better yet, let s sit in the living room.
As he urged her to walk in front of him, panic threatened to rise. She wanted to scream, to run, to
escape. Fight or flight. None of that would happen soon, she knew. Underestimating this man s
smarts would get her killed. Darrell held dark depths she hadn t experienced, and that frightened
her more than anything
Darrell lowered his weapon, which surprised Celeste. Relief made her so weak she sank down
onto the couch. Once her mind resolved the shock, the way he d taken her off guard, shame
blindsided her. She should have paid more attention to her surroundings. She should have done
something. No, with that gun leveled at her, she didn t have a choice. She didn t possess the right
self-defense moves, what little she d learned, to disable a man armed with such a weapon. Any
move now would prove foolish, if not fatal. She didn t have a good read on his mental state, and
his actions and mood told her any action without a reasonable assessment would do more harm
than good.
If Darrell s assertion he was a sociopath was correct, well, her situation was even more
precarious. He would have no compunction, no remorse, no concern past his own needs. If
Darrell had been insane, she could more easily deal with him. At least then he d have emotions
and feel deeply.
As Darrell stared at her, never looking away, Celeste understood she dealt with the worst
opponent she could face. On the other hand, dating him for a month had given her insight
another woman wouldn t have. She could use his predictability to her advantage. He might be a
doctorate-holding psychologist, but she wasn t at a complete disadvantage.
Darrell s crooked smile, the one he always bestowed on her, held no reassurance. Though she
held sway over showing fear, that same dread ate a hole in her control and threatened to shred it.
She struggled to keep the tremble from her voice, the shaking from her hands.
I ll survive this. I will.
His intense stare impaled her to the spot, two cold orbs void of human compassion.  You didn t
expect this, did you?
Her mouth went dry, her heart revving.  No.
The smile didn t retreat, and the gun swung level with her head. She held her breath, stark terror
finding a grip, then receding. If she had to die, so be it.
But oh, how she wanted to see Mick again.
God, Mick. I love you.
Knowledge sideswiped her, but it gave her strength. She would live to see Mick and tell him the
one thing he couldn t know.
I love you, Mick. I love you.
Darrell s grin grew wider, and only his unflinching stare said he knew the effect on her and
didn t give a damn.  You think we re getting out of this alive, Celeste?
 Yes. She had to believe it. Nothing else would maintain her sanity.
 Come on now. Things will be damned dull if you don t say more. He spoke slowly and sure,
his voice modulated by unwavering self-confidence and a heart as unaffected by sentiment as [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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