sneaked into plenty of places they weren’t supposed to. Thinking of Cody brought Shay’s attention back to the woman in his bed. Who was she? Did he love her? Want to spend the rest of his live with her? Grow old with her? How many had there been before this one? It shouldn’t matter; it was his life, but she couldn’t stay and watch. Why would he kiss Shay if he had a girlfriend? Was he just trying to exorcise old ghosts so he could move on? As Shay was? The thought left her feeling as hollow as a straw.
If she hurried, maybe she could leave before he noticed. She could go back to Leesburg, call and apologize, say Renee had called. Shay slipped up the basement stairs. Faint voices came from the kitchen. She hurried into Lachlan’s bedroom, passed his unmade bed, and slipped out the back door onto his cobblestone patio. She ran toward Nina’s, stopping once when she thought she would throw up. After a few steady breaths, she continued to the house.
The white cat was waiting at the front door. It stood, tail swishing, as Shay approached. “Move over, cat. I’m in a hurry.” The cat didn’t move, so Shay stepped around it. Her hands were still shaking as she opened the door. A soft thud came from the sitting room. She walked to the doorway and stepped on something. Stooping, she picked it up. A book? Her foot struck another one. She flipped on the light switch. A man stood in the center of the room. He had long, blond hair and icy blue eyes.
One second he was by the fireplace; the next he was in front of her, eyes as clear as glass. “You can make this easy… or hard,” he said with a tight smile.
Shay screamed and hurled the book at him, hitting him in the face. She turned to run, but tripped over the cat who had wandered inside. It hissed and darted into the room. Shay scrambled off the floor and sprinted outside. She looked back to make sure the man wasn’t following her and ran headlong into a wall. Someone grabbed her arms. “Cody, there’s—” She looked up and saw it wasn’t Cody, but the man who broke into her shop in Scotland. There were two stalkers? Shay punched him in the nose.
“Damnation, woman. What the hell’s wrong with you?”
“Stay away from me.” She wasn’t sure which way to run. One was in the house, one was outside. She would have to fight. She attacked the man, punching and kicking, when a pair of arms like steel bands encircled her from behind.
“Are all the women in this century bloody deranged?” the man said.
“What’re you doing here? I almost shot you.” That was Cody’s voice, and Shay could smell his scent. He was the one restraining her.
“Shoot him,” Shay yelled.
“You need a new cell phone,” the man said. “I’ve been trying to call you.”
“I haven’t been home much, and I left my cell phone on the charger. I’ve been distracted,” Cody said.
The man looked at Shay and rubbed his nose. “I can see. I didn’t have your home number, only your address.”
“You know this stalker?” Shay demanded.
“I’m not a stalker,” the stranger said.
“Then why are you stalking me?”
“He’s a friend,” Cody said.
“A friend?” Why had Cody sent a
Cody frowned. “What other guy?”
“The one inside the house.”
Cody tensed. “Who’s with you?” he asked the stranger.
“No one.”
Cody released Shay so fast she staggered to catch her balance, and both men rushed past her into the house. Shay hurried after them.
“What in blazes?” Cody looked at the bookshelf knocked over and books strewn across the floor. “Did you see anyone?” he asked the stranger.
“No. I just got here when I heard a scream and ran to help. She came at me like a madwoman.”
“The last time I saw you in Scotland, I thought you were going to attack me,” she said. “You shouldn’t creep around spying on people.”
The stranger gave her an exasperated look, similar to the one Cody wore. “I was trying to protect you.”
“Well, you should have introduced yourself and said, ‘Hey, I’m here to protect you,’ instead of scaring the daylights out me.”
Marcas rushed in the front door, with Lachlan right behind him, hopping as he shoved one foot into his boot. “What’s going on?”
“Someone just broke in here,” Cody said.
“I thought I heard something tearing through the woods,” Lachlan said. His sense of hearing was unmatched.
“Shay, lock the doors. We’ll search the woods,” Cody said. “Let’s go, before the tracks get cold.”
***
The night was dark, the moon hidden behind clouds. Cody tuned in his vision and saw something dart between the trees. He sprinted toward it, but nothing was there. He stood still and listened, sniffing the air. There was a strange smell, almost sweet, and everything was quiet.
Too quiet, he realized, a second before something slammed him into a tree. Cody caught a glimpse of pale hair
