Page 19 of Strictly Forbidden

Groaning again, I pulled the lever for the hood, blowing on my hands before climbing out. I’d even forgotten my gloves in my haste. As I cursed under my breath, I moved to the front of the car, fighting to get the hood open. The flashlight highlighted a beautiful engine and little to nothing else. Who was I kidding to think I could find the source of the problem? Still, I did my due diligence, trying to remain upbeat when now I wanted to crawl under the covers.

A rumbling sound from behind me caught my attention and I froze, every muscle tensing.

“I still don’t have my cape, but I can offer a hand maybe.”

His deep voice was even more penetrating that before. But at least it was friendly and recognizable. I turned toward him, laughing at seeing the huge truck idling in front of me. “I don’t know what you can do. It just died on me.”

“I’m no mechanic but let me take a look.” As he stepped out of his truck, his long legs drawing my attention, a series of shivers coursed down my spine.

“What do we have?” He yanked off his gloves. I held the flashlight as he leaned over, touching certain parts of the engine while tugging on a couple of hoses. “I must admit, I don’t see anything wrong. Your battery isn’t fully charged but it shouldn’t be giving you any problems.”

His voice was husky but clear, evoking a sense of protection.

“How do you know that?”

“See right there? It has a charge of eleven point nine. You probably should replace it soon.”

“Oh. I guess I’ll need to call a tow shop.”

“If you’d like, I’ll take you home. I got a buddy who might be able to figure out what’s happening but likely not until in the morning. I promise the dude is on the up and up. He’s also reasonable.”

I took another deep breath, trying to keep from shivering. He noticed I was looking around and lifted both his arms as if in giving up.

“Hey, I promise I’m no serial killer. Just a hungry cowboy in search of food.”

He had a way of disarming all my defenses, making me feel more at ease.

“Don’t worry. Max can ride up front with us to protect you in case I do anything funny.”

Now I laughed.

“If it’s not too much trouble.”

“Hell, no. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be awarded that cape. You know?”

CHAPTER 6

Kage

Fire.

I had no business playing directly in the kind of flames that could easily engulf me. While I hadn’t intended on doing anything but finding out if the pairing was everything I’d hoped from seeing the photograph, I’d become entranced into learning more about the lovely young woman.

That had turned into stalking her.

Shame on me, but I hadn’t been able to pull away.

I’d learned a hell of a lot the last couple of days, including that she was hiding behind two personas. One was that Noel Young wasn’t her real name but even more than that, she wrote under an entirely different pseudonym, which had taken a few old contacts of mine to learn. I liked what she’d chosen, Anastasia Rothschild. It sounded aristocratic. But Noel suited her, a happy name, even though I’d seen the kind of sadness deep in her eyes that suggested utter mental and emotional agony.

What little I’d been told about the reason she needed a support animal she’d barely corroborated with what she’d told me. But there was no doubt by the ugly sadness in her eyes that she hadn’t escaped her demons.

Maybe my buddy had had difficulty finding out much about her real life because the attack had been so brutal she’d been provided with a new identity or maybe she’d done that on her own.

Now here I was, standing inside her house after helping her with her groceries.

Her home was beautiful, the furnishings plush yet simple. But I knew money when it was displayed even in such quiet sophistication. Her books were the reason, all bestsellers. Hell, I’d even purchased one the day before, attempting to find out what went on inside that pretty head of hers.

“Are you sure about this, Noel? I don’t want to intrude. I’m just some random guy you met in a grocery store.”

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