Page 34 of Unlawful Seduction

Huh. Every time I’d seen her, the moment hadn’t seemed planned or forced. However, there were books written on clandestine methods of seeking information from decades before.

Still, who had the fucker been texting? Was there any chance Dr. McGregor was a plant and nothing more? With the iPhone likely used as a burner phone, nothing personal would be handled on it, all business operations deleted nightly. If the man was truly a professional anyway. However, sweeping the trash would be necessary. The second application could do that overnight.

My instinct screamed that the assailant had been a tracker. I had to admit I’d spent several months running like a wild animal, attempting to escape a past that would always return to haunt me. From what I’d read online, there’d been no survivors of the fire.

Three dozen men had lost their lives. While the Don’s wife and daughter had been spared, they weren’t players in the organization.

The bad news was that there was extended family, including a brother of then Don Valenti I hadn’t been capable of snuffing out. As soon as I’d enacted the hit, every other family member had easily been placed on lockdown. That was the way of the syndicate world.

I was fucking finished with leaving my surroundings, starting yet another new life. Sure, I had the money to go anywhere, butwhat was the point? I had no family. No friends. I didn’t have a regular job to go to.

“What’s wrong, bubba? Admitting you’re lonely?” The words sounded hollow after speaking them out loud.

Maybe I was. Let the fuckers come after me. It was time to end the feud once and for all.

I tossed the phone on the desk, rubbing my jaw. Finally, something occurred to me. What about pictures? A quick check and I realized I’d been right. I sank onto the chair as I filtered through. The bastard had been following me for a few days prior to deciding to make the hit. From what I could tell, he hadn’t trailed me to the house, but that didn’t mean shit.

I flicked through the group. None meant anything other than he was watching me.

Until one.

The only one on the fucking camera roll that mattered.

How interesting. He’d taken a selfie with the beautiful and potentially dangerous veterinarian. My instinct established the single logical reason why.

And I didn’t like it.

In fact, I had only one thing on my mind.

Extermination.

I jerked up from the desk, bounding from the room. I’d always known my past would come back to bite me. I simply hadn’t realized it would in such a dangerous manner.

CHAPTER 9

Mallory

Huh. The light had flicked on over the front door. I needed to change the photocell into something less sensitive. Another item placed on the to-do list.

I pulled into my driveway, thankful to be home.

Like clockwork, the snow had begun to fall only minutes before. Thank God it wasn’t a whiteout, but by morning, the ground would be covered by several inches of white stuff. I grabbed my boots from the truck, swinging my purse over my shoulder and grabbing the bag of food. Thankfully, I had enough supplies to last for a couple of days and hopefully by then, the roads would be plowed.

At least the township was good about that.

The air was chilly-willy as my dad used to say as I scampered toward the door, now wishing my father had invested in a garage instead of a barn fifty yards away. The light popped on over the door like normal and right now, I was grateful for its sensitivity.With the door unlocked, I rushed in, also thankful for heat. While the heating bills were high, something I’d also need to deal with by having additional insulation installed, that wouldn’t be until spring and I was constantly cold.

The only thing I hadn’t organized was a delivery of firewood. I’d call a company over the weekend.

If the phone lines were operational.

I laughed. When someone said the town wasn’t in the boonies, I’d always told them they’d never lived through a Vermont winter.

As soon as I closed the door behind me, I realized just how dark the house was. Hadn’t I left a light on over the stove? I thought I had. There was nothing worse than coming home in the dark.

I had my reasons why.

A cold and determined shiver raced down my spine. I could work myself into a near panic within seconds thinking about the story I’d concocted about Beckett and thehunters. Whatever issues he was dealing with had nothing to do with me. I dropped the boots in the small foyer, feeling my way toward the kitchen.

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