Page 35 of Mistletoe and Malice
She dabbed at her cheeks with her cloth napkin. “No, please. Don’t apologize. I agree with you. She needs to tell you everything. Tell all of us everything.”
Riley’s grandfather regarded him with eyes creased with concern. “I had no idea it had come to this. Please do whatever you have to do to keep our girl safe.”
“Yes. Please, take care of my daughter.”
“That’s exactly my plan, Mrs. Hudson.”
“Please, call me Candace.” She pushed her plate away. It appeared Hilda’s stellar breakfast would go unfinished.
“Candace. I’ll take care of her.”
Mr. Hudson shook his head. “Why is this happening? When she’s done nothing but help people her entire life? Is it because of me? Our money? Is it because of some business deal Iwas a part of that somebody wasn’t happy with? Why is this happening?”
“I wish I could tell you, Mr. Hudson.”
“You can call me Drew. I think it’s appropriate we’re on a first-name basis since it appears you may be living under my roof indefinitely.”
It certainly did. From his first day on this gig, Colton had hoped nothing else would happen, proving the attack had been isolated, and he could salvage some of his holiday vacation time. With this new information, the stakes had been raised. Everything in him said her life was on the line.
“Drew. I wish I could tell you why this was happening. If we had the motive, we’d be closer to nailing this guy.”
“You think it’s one person and not more?”
“With the threatening notes—and, if it’s the same person, the guy trying to grab her—it reads like a stalker. One guy. But is it someone who simply saw her and became infatuated? Is it someone she went up against in court? Is it because she’s a Hudson? We need to know more.”
“And, of course, convincing my daughter to stay in is a futile effort.”
Colton knew that all too well. Tech Ops had been working on next week’s schedule since Thursday.
The bathroom door opening pulled his attention to the arched entry from the dining room to the living area. But Riley never appeared. “I should check on her to apologize. If you’ll excuse me.”
Candace nodded. “Of course. Although you owe no apology for being honest.”
He put his napkin next to his plate and stood. An apology was definitely in order, but he needed to know what happened in those green eyes after his not-so-gentle reprimand. She’d gone somewhere. In her mind. Somewhere that scared her.
He needed to know where. What she saw or heard. What had literally made her sick.
After taking his plate and glass to the kitchen, he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and headed back through the formal living room to the main staircase. He’d taken three steps up when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted her sitting in the family room, her legs curled up under her and a pillow clutched to her stomach as she stared into the fireplace.
Not wanting to startle her or interrupt her thoughts, wherever they may be, he walked to the mantel and stood in silence. Her focus never left the tall flames, as if she wasn’t even aware of his presence. The heat from the fire warmed his jeans-clad legs, and his sweatshirt bearing the Petersen logo would probably carry the smoky aroma of burning logs the rest of the day.
“Riley, I apologize if I?—”
“He knew me.”
He inclined his head. “What?”
“He knew my name. Called meMiss Hudson. He knew me.”
Confused, he regarded her for a moment. “You’re not talking about the phone call or the cards.”
“No. The creep. Last week. It all just came back to me, but I can hear it in my head, plain as day. He knew exactly who I was.”
A chill traveled over his skin, despite the flames behind him. “That’s where you went. A few minutes ago. You’d blocked it out before, but now you remember.”
Her eyes traveled to his. “I’m sorry, Colton. I never meant to mislead anyone. I honestly didn’t remember until five minutes ago.”
The stark fear painted in the lines of her face pulled at his gut. His natural protective instinct wanted to do everything in his power to make her feel safe again. But the temptation to take her in his arms disconcerted him. Certainly not standardprotocol, yet in this moment, his entire body longed to do just that.
