Borrowed Identity

Dying was a possibility she didn’t want to consider. Her mind turned to other matters. Concentrating on facts, she thought about who had done this—and why.

Maybe it was a practical joke. It could have been Wade playing a game with her. He would let her out soon. Or maybe local kids daring each other to get closer to Moore House. They might have locked her in the garage to keep her from reporting them as trespassers.

She couldn’t think of anyone who would actually want her dead.

MICHAEL RACED THROUGH the house, yelling for Kelly at the top of his lungs. He searched the mausoleumlike mansion room by room, a thousand horrible thoughts flitting through his head. Something terrible could have happened to her. He imagined the worst.

When he made it upstairs and started searching bedrooms, he spotted a dog when he glanced out one of the windows. It was running around the garage, barking as if there was a rabbit inside.

Michael wished he had his .38 at his side. He took the fastest route to the garage, running down the back stairs. Within seconds he was outside.

A metal chain hung from one of the garage doors. A rusty lock had fallen to the ground nearby. He yelled Kelly’s name, wondering where she could be. Was she inside?

“Michael?” Her quavering voice reached his ears. “Michael!”

Something was wrong.

Without hesitating he charged inside. Getting to Kelly, making sure she was safe, was the only thought in his head.

“No!” Kelly yelled a warning, but it was too late.

Above him, he heard the screech of metal giving way. He looked up. A heavy wooden beam fell, coming straight at him. There was no time to jump out of the way. No time to think.

No time for one last prayer.

Chapter Four

“Look out!”

Kelly shouted the warning as Michael blundered into the garage, loosening the wooden beam as he entered. She watched in horror as it fell. Time slowed and a surreal quality clouded her vision. The large beam would crush him.

She rushed forward, reaching out with her hands. There wasn’t time to think about the consequences of her actions. She didn’t consider the possibility that they might both die.

Before she could reach him, Michael flew toward her.

He tackled her, knocking her backward. His arms went around her as he tried to cushion their landing. One of his hands held the back of her head, saving her from an inevitable concussion.

They hit the concrete hard. Whether by accident or design, Michael landed beside her instead of on her. She felt her spine rattle as if every bone was shattering. Pain shot through her limbs. The impact shook her beyond belief.

Explosive noise deafened her. For a moment she feared the entire garage was going to collapse on top of them. Michael covered her body with his own, shielding her from the debris.

When her ability to hear returned, the first sound her ears picked up was Michael’s harsh breathing. He turned his head slightly and his warm lips brushed her earlobe. The brief touch was comforting.

His entire body was warm, half covering hers, pressing her firmly against the cement floor. He lifted his head, and their eyes met. They were so different, polar opposites, but their bodies fit together like they’d been made to complement one another. Rough and smooth. Hard and soft.

A soft smile curved his mouth. Michael moved in for a kiss, and she closed her eyes in anticipation.

It wouldn’t be the first kiss they’d shared. He had kissed her several times after taking her to dinner in dimly lit restaurants. Those had been chaste kisses, a brief touch and then it was over. Michael was a gentleman, and she’d appreciated his restraint. But she longed now to kiss him passionately, desperately wanted to take his breath away.

Something had changed inside of him recently. She didn’t understand it, but she sensed it instantly. A mere look from Michael’s smoky eyes burned her to a crisp. She wanted him to kiss her, wanted it more than she could remember wanting anything in her entire lifetime.

The sound of barking cut through their intimacy like a sharp knife. Boomer came bounding toward them, greeting them with loud yelps. He wagged his tail, as if happy to see them still alive.

Kelly laughed at Michael’s wry expression as he rolled to one side.

“Boomer was alone in Margo’s house and there’s no sign of her. I’m worried.”

“Why?”

“You know it isn’t like her to leave without a word, much less to leave Boomer to fend for himself. She doesn’t have a car. Where could she have gone?” Kelly shook her head, unable to understand why Michael wasn’t concerned, too. “Her house was a mess, like it’d been ransacked. I guess she could have had family over and maybe they took off suddenly.”

“Or maybe they went to town for supplies and they’ll be back soon,” he said. “Perhaps they’d already heard about the snow. That’s always possible.”

“Yes.” She smiled in relief. “You’re right. I’ll call her later, if the phone starts working again.”

“What’s wrong with the phone?”

“It’s dead.” She shrugged. “If I can’t get her on the phone, I’ll have to walk over there again later. I want to make sure she knows we have Boomer. I know I won’t stop worrying about her until we find out what happened to her.”

“Understood.” Michael didn’t try to talk her out of her concern for the elderly woman as he stood and pulled Kelly to her feet. She wobbled slightly, trying to find her balance. His arm went around her waist to steady her, but she gently pushed him away. She didn’t need to lean on him. She was a survivor. Molten steel hardened in her spine. She straightened, standing taller, chin held high.

They surveyed the damage together. The beam had fallen to the cement floor at an angle along with small pieces of debris, but the roof seemed to be holding strong.

“We should get out of here, just in case,” Michael said. “Are you okay?”

“Fine.” She forced a smile. “Thanks to you.”

“No.” He jerked his head at the dog now sitting beside his feet. “Thanks to Boomer. He pushed me from behind. If it wasn’t for him, I’d be a pancake.”

Kelly gazed up at him, not trusting her voice.

“How did you lock yourself in here, angel?”

His question floated through her mind. Angel. How could one solitary word pack such a punch? It seemed to hit her in the gut, knocking the air from her lungs. A memory connected with the word teased the back of her mind. She almost grasped it, but at the last second it faded into nothingness.

“Hey!” Michael broke through her trance. “What’s wrong? Can you hear me?”

Kelly’s eyes snapped up to meet his. He was staring at her, his expression filled with concern again. He probably thought she was losing her mind. He’d asked her a simple question and she had zoned out on him.

“I’m fine, really. I was just thinking.” She pointed at the doors. “Someone locked me in. I stepped inside the garage and the doors swung shut. I heard the chain being linked together.” She looked directly at him. “How did you get past the lock?”

“The doors weren’t locked.” He raked a hand through his dark hair, gazing around at the mess.

“They were locked,” she insisted. “I tried them. I even kicked at them. They wouldn’t budge.”

“Well, they weren’t locked when I arrived. I only came tearing in here like an idiot because you screamed my name and I thought you might be hurt.”

Kelly took a deep breath, then shivered. “I’m cold,” she said. “Let’s go back to the house.”