Page 25 of Diagnosis Attraction

“No.”

“You want me to shoot you here?” he asked.

She raised her chin. “You won’t shoot me here. You want information from me.”

His face registered surprise and annoyance. “Yeah, but what if I shoot you in the kneecap?”

“Are you going to risk it?”

CHAPTER SIX

Elizabeth was shocked at her own audacity, yet in the back of her mind, she had been expecting something like this all along. Men had been chasing her, and she’d been worried they were still looking for her. Now, she wasn’t really surprised that one of them had caught up with her.

A horrible thought struck her. The man had come through the house, and Polly had been in there. Had she hidden from him, or had he found her? And what had he done to her?

She clenched her teeth, holding back the questions. Perhaps he hadn’t seen Polly, and she’d gotten to the phone to call 911.

Stalling for time, she said, “What if I still don’t know who I am?”

“We’ll find out if you’re telling the truth.”

The light behind the man changed, and she saw another figure standing there. Was it the other man who’d been chasing her in the car? Then he shifted to the right, and she saw it was Matthew Delano.

Her heart leaped—with relief and fear. Matthew had arrived, but what good would that do either one of them against a man with a gun?

She tried not to look directly at Mattand tried not to give away the factthat there was someone behind the man.

Matt was staring at her with intense concentration on his face, and she realized with a zing of recognition that he was trying to send her a message.

Mind to mind. They’d done that once before when they were touching. Now, he was ten feet away and struggling to do it again.

She strained to understand what he was trying to tell her. It was fuzzy. Half-formed, like a radio transmission that was full of static. She struggled to focus on the words while she kept her gaze on the man with the gun. Finally,words solidified in her head.

If you hear me, raise your shoulder. Then, drop to the ground.

As soon as she got the message, she did as he asked, raising her shoulder then dropping down.

“Wha …”

That was all the man said before Matt was on him, throwing him down where he stood.

The gun went off, a dampened sound as the guy fell. She dashed forward and lashed out with her foot, kicking him in the face. He screamed, and Matt grabbed his hair, lifting his head and smashing it against the concrete patio.

The guy went still, and Matt heaved himself up.

She turned to him. “What are you doing here?”

“I tried to stay away, but I couldn’t. Come on; we have to get going.”

“Where’s Polly?”

Matt’s expression turned grim. “I’m sorry. She’s dead.”

Elizabeth felt her chest go tight, hardly able to process the words. “Dead?”

“Yeah.” He paused for a moment before saying, “He shot her. The silencer kept you from hearing it.”

She moaned. “But …”

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