Page 10 of Guarded Hearts

Her stomach gave a tiny, unwanted wobble at the burning look he pinned on her.

“Look, is there any way this issue can be wrapped up quickly? I have to leave in two weeks.”

His brow hiked up.

“There’s an art expo in Germany. A buyer’s trip.”

“Stalking cases can take months. If you want this to go faster, you’ll have to work with me. The police gave back your phone so I can take a look at it, right?”

She nodded.

“I need to go through calls, messages, contacts and your photos.”

She stiffened. “Why do you need my photos?”

“Sometimes the stalker ends up in photos without you realizing it. Plenty of photos have revealed a stalker lurking in the background.”

Fear rippled through her, and she crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly chilled.

“Have you had any other incidents? Any phone calls? Other strange gifts?”

Layne racked her brain. Between all the traveling she did and all the people she met on a daily basis, she would be hard-pressed to think of it all. When she thought of that text… Another shiver broke over her.

She looked up into Carson’s eyes, all animosity gone. “There was this one time.”

“Tell me.”

The way he gritted out those words sent a different sort of shiver through her. This one was entirely too pleasant for how it reminded her of the young man she knew.

“I was in a bar in New York. Someone standing behind me told the bartender to give me my favorite drink.”

“Fresh-squeezed lemonade.”

She blinked at him. Back in the day, thathadbeen her favorite.

He gave himself a small shake. “That’s probably changed.”

“It’s still my favorite regular drink. My favorite alcoholic beverage is a Manhattan.”

“Of course it is.”

She let the stab at her home city slide. “The guy said, ‘Give the lady a Manhattan.’ When I turned around, nobody was there.”

That same hollow feeling filled her stomach that she felt then and today.

“And you didn’t call the cops? You didn’t ask the bar to view the security footage to see who was standing behind you?” Carson made a quick move, slicing his fingers through his dark, slightly wavy hair.

She curled her fingers, feeling the texture from times past.

“I never thought of it. I just figured the guy chickened out.” She nibbled her lip, considering the possibility that a small event which happened months and months ago could be connected to the current one.

Carson made a quiet noise like tearing paper. When she raised her gaze, she found him staring at her mouth.

Slowly, as if she was backing away from a panther about to pounce, she released her lip from her teeth. “Something happened after the bar incident. I never connected the two…and it could benothing.”

“Let me decide if they’re connected.”

God, that was hot as hell. Carson always did take command. Now…his presence was as big as the rest of him.

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