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They communicated so easily without words. Like they were on the same wavelength. She wasn’t sure if that was reassuring or disturbing.
His footsteps traveled from room to room, a tiny whisper of shoe on wood. When he stopped, complete silence descended on her house. Then he moved on. The wait, as he checked everything, was excruciating.
Finally he returned to the kitchen. “Someone was in here tonight,” he said, not bothering to lower his voice.
“What?” She stared at him, stunned. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. I left little traps, and they were all sprung.” He pulled out a black box the size of a deck of cards and wiggled it before dropping it back into his pocket. “One of Mel’s pieces of electronic magic. It located some hidden mics. I removed and disabled them. Mel’s electronics are cutting edge, so I’m confident I found all of them. Can you look through the house and see if anything’s missing or out of place?”
“Of course,” she murmured, sliding past him and heading for her office. Nothing looked different in her office. The chair hadn’t been moved. If the intruder had searched her file cabinet, he’d closed the drawers completely. And none of the books on her bookshelves had been disturbed.
The same was true in her living room and the two bedrooms. If Nico hadn’t told her someone had been here, she wouldn’t have known.
If it was the same intruder, he or she had been far more careful this time.
Julia wrapped her arms around herself. Dug her fingers into her waist and leaned against the wall to keep herself upright.
What the hell was going on? Her home broken into twice. Spyware on her computer. Hidden microphones. Her hostess and two of her servers possibly stealing from her.
Why had her life gone from smooth and a little boring to chaos and destruction overnight?
Nico stepped in front of her, and she watched him study her, sympathy in his expression. He made a tiny sound in his throat and moved close enough to wrap his arms around her. Drew her against his chest. With one hand, he stroked her hair and down her back, over and over, and in spite of being stunned and scared, she leaned into Nico’s touch. It was soothing. Calming.
“We’ll figure this out, Julia,” he said, his voice a comforting rumble in her ear. “I know you’re freaking out, and I don’t blame you. In your shoes, I’d do the same. But I’ll help you untangle all these threads until they make a clear picture. We’ll start doing that tomorrow. Okay?”
She nodded against his chest, but didn’t speak. She was afraid she’d burst into tears if she opened her mouth.
She was a self-reliant woman -- had been since she was sixteen and lost her entire family. She didn’t lose her shit when bad things happened. She just picked herself up and dealt with it.
But it was late at night, and she was tired. Worn out from the trip home from Montana. Distressed at the problems in her restaurant. And it was very nice to have someone to hold on to. Someone to steady her.
When she began to cuddle closer, she realized she was enjoying being held by Nico a little too much. Going into his arms for comfort had been instinctive. Leaning closer had been automatic, as if his body was a magnet and she was iron. Organically drawn together.
Blowing out a shuddering breath, she slid sideways until there was space between her body and Nico’s. She missed the press of him against her. Missed the comfort she’d felt. His arms fell away, but his gaze followed her.
“Go to bed,” he said after a long moment, his voice a soft rasp in the quiet of the house. “I’m going to take a look at a few more things in the house. We’ll talk in the morning. Okay?”
She nodded. Swallowed. Headed for the bathroom on legs that weren’t completely steady.
Ten minutes later, she’d finished her evening ritual and crawled into bed. On the other side of her closed bedroom door, she heard Nico moving around. Instead of being intrusive, it was comforting to know she wasn’t alone in the house. Especially after someone had broken in again tonight.
As she listened to Nico, who was surprisingly light on his feet for a big guy, her eyes drifted closed. Moments later, she was asleep.
* * *
After Julia went to bed, Nico examined both the front and back doors, looking for evidence of forced entry. Neither of the locks showed any damage. There were a few scratches on the metal of both of them, but they were barely visible -- the kinds of marks Julia might have made herself, fumbling with her key after a long day.
So the guy had probably used a pick. Unless he had a set of keys.
The thought had him glancing at the closed door of Julia’s bedroom. Thank God Mel’s sister had sent Julia to Blackhawk Security.
Had she changed her locks after she bought the house? Did any neighbors have keys? Had a former boyfriend kept keys after they’d broken up?
The last possibility made him clench his fists. Then he slowly relaxed them. Not appropriate. It wasn’t his business if she’d given keys to a former lover.
But the thought knotted his stomach.
He’d have lots of questions for Julia tomorrow.
