Page 24 of Twin Threats In Austin
The right answer would be wishing he was in Mesa Point. But who did Rochelle have?
Chapter Nine
“I’m good here,” Camden said, much to Rochelle’s surprise. If she had family alive, her answer would be different. That was the not-so-funny part about life. You didn’t realize what you had until you lost it. Seven months ago, Rochelle had a mother. Two years ago, she had both parents. Now?
Orphan. Even as an adult who was more than capable of providing for herself and living her own life, the word stung.
The fact Camden wanted to be here meant more to her than she could afford to let on.
“Okay, then I’ll grab those blankets.”
Without waiting for a response, she headed toward her linen closet, where she kept spares. After retrieving them, she handed them over. Camden had already figured out the foldout part of the bed. She hoped it wouldn’t be too uncomfortable. He was probably being nice earlier when he said he could sleep on pretty much anything. The thought of him in bed with another woman shouldn’t be a sucker punch. The two of them weren’t in a relationship.
The events of the night had shaken her up. No one had ever come to her home to stake it out until she arrived. No one had ever fired at her in her own front yard. And no one had ever wanted her dead so badly.
An involuntary shiver rocked her body. She would attempt sleep after a shower. Given how much her mind was spinning right now, she highly doubted her racing thoughts would calmdown enough for her to get any real rest. She’d give it the ole college try and see what happened.
“Coffee maker is in the kitchen,” she explained. “It takes pods. Everything you’ll need is within arm’s reach of the machine.”
“Got it,” he said as he took the blankets. Their fingers grazed, shooting an electric current through her hand and up her arm straight to her heart.
Nope. She couldn’t afford to give in to an attraction to this man even if he was game, which she highly doubted. They were both professionals. They cared about their careers. They cared about their reputations. If news of a fling got around, her credibility on the job would be compromised.
Rochelle couldn’t risk it no matter how much her traitorous heart argued otherwise. “I’ll leave my door open. Holler if you need me.” The open door was more for her benefit than his.
“Will I disturb you if I’m up and around?” he asked.
“Normally, I can sleep through a tornado.”
Camden nodded and smiled. “I promise to make less noise than that.”
Rochelle hesitated for a long moment before tucking her chin to her chest and then heading down the short hallway to her bedroom. After a quick shower, she slipped into an oversize Led Zeppelin concert T-shirt and pulled the covers up to her neck.
Sounds from the other room reassured her that someone was awake and alert. Having Camden here calmed her racing mind. Before she realized, she’d dozed off.
Ringtones jarred her from a deep sleep. Rochelle bolted upright. Feet on the floor, she threw covers off and tried to get her bearings as panic took hold.
The phone. It was only her cell.
She blindly reached for the noisemaker on the nightstand. Her hand swept over the alarm, knocking it off.Cool. Smooth move.
In the next second, a tall male figure blanketed the doorway. Camden.
The light flipped on a moment later.
“Everything alright in here?” he asked, a concerned look darkening his features as he drew his eyebrows together.
“Phone,” she said, able to see clearly as she snatched it. The call rolled into voice mail before she could answer. Time read: 6:12 a.m. She muttered a curse. “It’s my supervisor.”
Camden took the couple of steps to close the distance between them. The mattress dipped underneath his weight as he sat next to her on the bed. Rochelle’s pulse raced as she breathed in his warm, spicy masculine scent. Heat pooled low in her belly as the insides of her thighs flamed.
Rochelle glanced down, realized her T-shirt had come up on her thighs, revealing her purple silk panties. With her free hand, she pulled her shirt down her legs to cover.
Once the voice mail was finished, she tapped the screen, held up her phone for facial identity software to confirm her, and then tapped again until she could read the voice mail. If her supervisor was in a mood and yelled at her, she preferred to read the message rather than hear a voice.
Victim number two has been identified and located. Same MO. I’m sending over details. However, the body is being transported back to Austin as I leave this message.
Camden’s muscled arm touched hers as he leaned in to get a better look at the screen. “Damn.”
