Page 32 of Liar For Hire (For Hire 1)

Janessa jerked awake in bed. Her heart pounded, and she pressed a hand against her chest. Something thumped somewhere in her house, and she jetted from the bed to land catlike on the floor. Okay, from the outside observer, she was probably far less graceful. Regardless, she crouched on hands and feet, grateful she hadn’t gotten tangled in the sheets.

The mystery sound didn’t repeat itself. Still, she was sure someone moved around in her place. She’d shut her door when she went to bed, and it remained shut. Running on tiptoe she scurried to the spot behind it and flattened her back against the wall.

Footsteps brushed over the hall carpet. Her throat went dry. She scanned the dim lighting in her room to try to find something—anything—to use as a weapon. Maybe the closet. She inched along the wall in that direction until her fingers grazed over something she hadn’t thought of.

Two years ago, she and Declan had attended an anime convention with a client. That same client had purchased Declan a wooden sword. Janessa received what she called a shinai, a kendo sword made of bamboo. The shinai looked more to Janessa like a lightweight stick, but she figured it was hard enough to do the job should she have to crack someone over the head.

She wrapped her fingers around the shinai and crept toward the door. By the time she stepped into the hall, everything around her lay in silence. Nothing stirred. She tried to sense any movement and got nothing. Maybe it was all her imagination? A dream?

Just when she started to tell herself she looked like an idiot for creeping about in the middle of the night with a kendo stick, she turned on the lights and came to the front door. Her heart stopped. The door wasn’t locked, and neither was the swing door guard engaged.

“Ms. Waverly.”

She yelped and spun around. In her living room was none other than Patrick Sevelle, standing there like he waited for her to invite him to sit down and have a glass of iced tea.

“What are you doing in my apartment in the middle of the night?” she demanded. “And how did you get in?”

“That’s not important.”

“Excuse me?”

“I thought we could leave well enough alone. My plans were in place, and everything was running smoothly. Things have changed.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The door behind her opened, and she looked back. Another man strode inside, followed by a woman. Janessa almost fainted when she realized the man who came in was the same man who had been watching her house.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she shouted. “Get out!”

She raised the kendo stick above her head and swung hard. The man didn’t even flinch. He caught the stick, and she tumbled forward when he snatched it away. Her palms burned. She fell to her knees on the floor.

“Be careful,” Patrick told the man. “We don’t want to stir him up too much.”

The woman spoke up. “It doesn’t matter, sir? He’s crippled. What can he do?”

“Don’t underestimate him. Besides, I want everything to stay within the margins of my plans. No deviations. Got it?”

“Yes, sir.” Both the woman and the man nodded their heads with respect to Patrick.

Patrick bent toward Janessa and held out a hand to her. “Come with me, Ms. Waverly. We have a long way to go before we reach home, and I have a meeting at noon I can’t miss.”

She got to her feet on her own, ignoring his hand. “I’m not stopping you. Get out.”

“You’re coming with me.”

“No, I’m not.” She started past him, trying to hide rising panic.

He caught her arm. She jerked to try to get free, but his grip tightened.

“Get your hands off me.”

“I’m afraid I must insist.” His politeness grated on her nerves. “You see, I’ve determined that the only way I can control Declan is to control you. So while I’m against allowing an outsider into our fold, I don’t have much of a choice.”

Her blood ran cold. “What does Declan have to do with you? Wait, you were always more interested in him than finding out about your future son-in-law. Does this person even exist?”

“Of course he does. My daughter is getting married, and her future husband is one of us. When one of my people found out where Declan has been hiding all these years like the coward he is, I determined it was necessary to feel him out.”

“Declan isn’t a coward.”

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