Magnum Force Man

“It doesn’t suit you,” he said.

She frowned. “Why not?”

“It’s an old name.”

“I wouldn’t mention that to Claudia Schiffer if you happen to run into her.”

“I won’t,” he said solemnly.

She shook her head at his apparent oblivion to her pop-culture reference. “Whatever. The name suits me fine. I have an old soul.”

With that, she opened the bedroom door and went inside. Locking herself in, she leaned against the door, shivering in the cold.

This was so not how she’d planned to spend the night. Actually, her nights took very little planning because they were all the same. Dinner alone by the fire or, in warm weather, on the deck. Then she would listen to some music or watch a little television. Surf the ‘Net, read a book, work into the wee hours. Anything to eat up all those long, lonely hours.

If nothing else, tonight had been a break from the relentless tedium her young life had become.

Placing the gun and laptop on the nightstand and her handbag on the floor, she used the flashlight to locate spare linens in the closet. Then getting the bed all set up the way she wanted, she cocooned herself in the cover.

With the flashlight off, the room was pitch black. The night seemed to close in on her, and Claudia lay there for the longest time, staring into the darkness and willing her eyes to remain open, no matter how heavy her lids became.

Chapter Nine

The click of the lock sent a deep shudder through Jack. He knew that sound, and a claustrophobic dread descended over him as he threw off the cover and got to his feet.

He went first to the front door to make sure he wasn’t locked in. When he drew it back, a burst of cold, wet air rushed over him, and he stood for a moment, staring out into the dark and listening to the sounds of the receding storm.

Satisfied there was no imminent threat, he closed the door and went to each window, assuring himself that there were no bars caging him in. He was still free.