Page 51 of Targeted By Desire

There was only one person I could think of who would pull a stunt like this: the man after my life.

But if that was the case, why didn’t he just kill me? With me asleep and unaware, he had the perfect opportunity. He could’ve easily slit my throat or shot me or injected me with poison. So, why didn’t he?

A knock at the door interrupted any answers that might’ve come to mind.

I checked the doorbell camera to see Logan standing on the other side of the door. Sighing, I hurried back downstairs and opened it for him. “Hey, Uncle Logan,” I greeted, forcing a smile.

“Hey, Simone. Sorry to pop up on you. Were you still sleeping?”

“No, I was awake.” I moved aside. “Come on in.”

He waltzed through the door with his hands in his pockets. “I was just coming by to check on you. We haven’t really talked lately.”

“Oh, well, I’m fine.”

“Are you?” He asked, his eyes brow raising. “Ever since the Witsec fiasco, you’ve been off. More tense. A little jumpy. Easily agitated.”

“Okay, so I’m still pissed that case - and the one after it - went to shit. So what? A girl can’t be disappointed in herself.”

“It’s alright to be disappointed, Simone. But it’s not alright to beat yourself up over it.”

“I’m not,” I insisted. “I’m just…” I trailed off, taking a moment to scrape together a lie he would believe. “I’ve got a lot of other stuff going on in my personal life. Maid of honor duties, not strangling the other bridesmaids, bouncing back from a breakup. There’s an endless loop of stuff rolling through my mind on a daily basis. That’s all.”

He tilted his head. “Are you sure? Because if you ever wanna-“

“I’m sure,” I cut him off. I really wasn’t in the mood for one of the “I’m here for you” speeches. Not when I’d already gone to him and he shut me down.

His eyes went past me and into the living room. “You’re reading your father’s journals again?” He said, more of a statement rather than a question as he jutted his chin towards the notebook on the table.

“Yeah. I just…I’ve been missing him lately.”

“What case are you reading about?”

“His last one.”

His jaw ticked. “You know he never closed it, right?”

“Wow, way to spoil the ending, Uncle Logan.”

The ends of his mouth lifted the tiniest bit, his smile tainted by the sadness that always came whenever he talked about my father. “He did his best,” he murmured, almost to himself. “He was really close to catching the culprit before…” His gaze lowered as he trailed off.

“Did he kill him?” I asked. “The criminal?”

“Not by his own hand. A king pin with that much power wouldn’t want a federal agent’s blood on his hands. But, the department always had suspicions his death was premeditated.”

I frowned. “He never stood a chance, did he?”

“Unfortunately not.” He patted my arm. “Take it slow today. Everyone needs a moment to breathe every now and then.”

“I will. Thanks for checking on me.”

“Of course.”

My smile fell the moment I closed the door behind him. As much as my body ached for a break from all the madness, I couldn’t take one. Not today. Not after this motherfucker has been in my house.

I needed to catch him before he pushed past any more of my boundaries. And I really needed to do it soon.

THE ASSASSIN