Her Holiday Protector

She glanced up at his face, the five o’clock shadow making him look mysterious. “I’m fine.”

“So why was Tessa here alone?”

“We were meeting here for the weekend to catch up. I travel a lot so I don’t get up here very often.” She glanced around, wondering how she’d ever feel safe here again. “I have clients in the area. Orders coming in for art and furnishings. I was on my way home. She knew where to find the key.”

He studied her with an intense inky gaze that left her rattled. “So you’re here for work and to get away from Tallahassee and your ex-boyfriend.”

“Yes.”

“What’s his name?”

“Chad Presley.”

She looked out toward where the medical examiner was about to take away Tessa’s cold body. Should she tell him the truth? Should she admit the things that would cause him to suspect her of all kinds of crimes? Or should she sit here like a lump and pretend her life wasn’t falling apart?

“Miss Allen? You said you came here to get away from him?”

Rikki lifted her head, her gaze slamming into his. Did he already have her figured out? “Yes, and to take care of some clients in the area and mostly, for a visit with my mother.”

No, she’d covered all of her bases on that a long time ago. No one could figure her out. She should be safe.

But here she was, back in the one town she’d sworn she’d never return to again. For oh, so many reasons.

“Why did you need to get away from your ex?”

She didn’t want to talk about Chad. “We’ve been apart for a while but he’s having a hard time letting go. I just wanted some time away, to think about things.”

“So you came here. Not that far away.”

She bobbed her head. “My mother is sick,” she said, sincerity her only hope. “I came to visit her during the holidays. I don’t get back here too often.”

“And who’s your mother? Maybe you could go and stay with her?”

Rikki knew she’d said the wrong thing by the way he analyzed her with that deep blue-eyed stare.

She tried to fix it. “Can I just stay here? I’ll lock up.”

She didn’t really want to stay here but she couldn’t let him see how scared she felt right now. He already suspected her and...she couldn’t explain anything else to him. The detective would jump to the wrong conclusions.

He gave up and stood. Rikki stood up, too, relieved that he wasn’t so close to her anymore and that he seemed willing to let it go. For now.

But he didn’t let it go.

“I don’t think you should be alone right now, and you can’t stay here, anyway. This is a crime scene.”

“And I can’t stay here because you think I’m in shock or because I’m a suspect or because you think whoever did this will be back?”

“All of the above,” he said, not even blinking.

“I see.” She moved away from him, her arms in a protective stance across her midsection. If she told him the truth, he would take her in for questioning. That’s how things worked in her family. “I...I don’t want to upset my mother.”

“Then go to a hotel but as I said, this is a crime scene, so you can’t get back in here until we’ve cleared it.”

Rikki whirled to stare over at him and tried again. “I can’t stay in my own home?”

“Not tonight.”

His tone told her not to argue. “Okay, I’ll find somewhere else.” And she’d have to leave again. Soon. She’d go by to see her mother and then...she’d just go.

“Do you think your boyfriend followed you?”

“No.”

She’d found someone in her house and they’d gotten away after killing Tessa. Instincts told her this wasn’t Chad’s doings, no matter how much he’d threatened her.

“Do you know anyone here besides your mother?”

She did, but no one she could trust. “No. I’ve been away for a while and as I said, I don’t get back much.”

He jotted notes. “I could drive you somewhere.”

Rikki looked up at him to make sure he wasn’t trying to trip her up. Were detectives always this accommodating? “I have my car.”

She turned away, her mind on the horrible scene outside the window. And where was Pebble? Where was her cat that traveled with her?

She refused to think about that or the tough-guy detective giving her the third degree. He probably already had her license plate number. Probably had already run it through the system.

He wouldn’t find anything incriminating on Rikki Allen. But he could find a whole lot of information on Regina Alvanetti. Then he’d know she was the daughter of the infamous Franco Alvanetti.

“What do you want to do?” he asked, his tone telling her she didn’t have much choice in making that decision.

“I want to cooperate with you,” she said, resolve settling over her like the night chill. “But honestly, I’m not sure what to do next.”

TWO (#ulink_eda76936-894e-56b2-a0e3-8a59dc37b45a)

“I suggest you let me drive you somewhere safe.”

Rikki turned to stare at up Blain with dark-chocolate eyes. “And where in this town would that be right now, Detective?”

Surprised, he said, “Well, Millbrook is pretty tame, all things considered. Preferably, with someone you trust. But I guess anywhere you want to go as long as you let me get you there and make sure it looks safe.”

“I don’t see why that’s necessary.”

Something was so not right here. Blain hadn’t dealt with a murder case since returning to Millbrook after his stint as a marine MP. He’d worked hard serving his country and after doing recon work to track down some of the meanest humans on earth, he’d learned a thing or two about people. They tended to be evasive when they were trying hard to appear normal. Evasive and not so good at faking it.

This beautiful, frightened woman was definitely hiding something but he had to give her credit for staying fairly calm during this whole thing. Had she had a lot of practice?

He watched her pace, saw her glance out to where her friend had died. She was as nervous as her missing cat probably was right now, but she held it in check with a gritty silence. Natural, since she’d come home to find an intruder and her friend murdered. But why wasn’t she opening up to him? Especially about the ex-boyfriend. A case of domestic abuse?