Page 33 of Double Take

“Thanks.” She set her purse on the table next to the door and headed down the hallway. “I’m going to change. Be right back,” she said over her shoulder. “Make yourself at home. The couch is comfy.” She disappeared into the bedroom on the right at the end of the hall. He assumed the two rooms on the left were either guest rooms or maybe one an office. He was curious, but too tired to snoop.

He lowered himself with great care onto the sofa cushion, then leaned back with a soft groan. He shut his eyes, willing the pain to go away. To distract himself, he listened to her footsteps.

She exited the bedroom and headed for the kitchen. The refrigerator door opened, then closed, then her bare feet padded toward him.

He opened his eyes to find four little orange pills in one outstretched hand and a bottle of water in the other. He sighed. “You gotta teach me that mind-reading stuff. You’re very good at it.”

She laughed while he swigged the water and pills. “It’s not mind-reading stuff at all. It’s simply being observant of a man who’s overdone it and is in pain.”

“Hmm. I suppose.”

A knock on her front door swung her around.

“That’s probably Cole,” he said, “but be sure to check first before you unlock the door.”

“Goodness, how did I ever survive without you?”

He refrained from sticking his tongue out at her droll tone and settled for a scowl. She pursed her lips—hiding a smile, he felt sure—and crossed the room to peek out of the side window. “Yep, that’s him. He’s a good friend to both of us, being willing to play chauffer and bodyguard.”

“He wouldn’t have to if he’d let me drive myself.” The petulance in his voice made him wince.

Lainie shot him a knowing look, opened the door, and his friend stepped inside.

“All clear out there.” Cole wiped his feet on the mat. “How’s the patient?”

“In pain. I think you need to take him home.”

“Happy to if he’ll let me.” He looked at her. “Your basement door needs another lock on it. We’ll get that taken care of ASAP.”

“Guys, come on. I’ll be fine. This whole Adam thing is just ... weird. Creepy.”

She shuddered and James frowned. “What?”

“Just thinking about my slide off the mountain. Maybe I do need to consider the idea that the guy really did try to kill me.”

“Exactly,” Cole said. “Which is why I asked the local uniforms to do extra drive-bys tonight. Told them you’d had some trouble at the hospital, and we just wanted to make sure it hadn’t followed you home.”

“Whoever came to the hospital to do whatever it was he was doing probably doesn’t know where I live, right?”

James glanced at Cole, who frowned. “There’s no telling what he knows, Lainie,” James said. “He knew a note with two simple words would be enough to send you into a tailspin. I don’t want to leave you here alone.”

“Well, you have to. I can’t have you two playing bodyguard for the rest of my life. I have my gun.”

Cole’s frown deepened. “I’m going to assume you have a permit for it.”

She huffed. “Of course I do.”

“Sorry, had to ask.”

“Right.” She shook her head. “It’s fine. I’m just irritated at myself for letting this get to me.” She pressed her lips together and narrowed her eyes. “You know, there was this one person who worked with Adam at the law firm. She was a paralegal and didn’t care much for me because he turned his attention to me instead of her. It’s a shot so long it could wrap around the earth, but her name is Nichelle Zachary. She came to the hospital one day to warn me away from him.”

“Warn you how?”

“She said that his obsession with me wasn’t healthy, and I needed to stay away from him if I knew what was good for me.” She sighed. “I wish I’d listened, but at the time...” She paused. “Now that I think back on it, I wonder if she knew something I didn’t. Maybe it wasn’t a threat, but more of a concern. When she found me, she just irritated me—mostly because by the time she said something, it was just confirmation of what I already knew, but wasn’t ready to face yet.”

“I can check into it,” James said.

“Actually, I’ll handle that.” Cole nodded to James. “You, my friend, need to rest so you can heal. So, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. It’s your choice.”

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