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“How did you know to come?”
Before he could answer, one of the officers said, “Damn, he had taken off most of his clothes.”
She broke eye contact with Roland to look down at the body on the floor. It had several bullet holes in the bare chest. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind what Meadows had planned to do to her. What hewouldhave done, if Roland hadn’t shown up when he had.
“One of Summers’s shots went right through the heart,” another officer said, one who’d been on the police force with Roland years ago.
Another officer then added, “And the hit was made in the dark. Damn.”
Everyone glanced over at Roland, some with disbelief in their eyes, others with admiration. But he was still standing there, staring at Lennox with that strange look in his eyes.
At that moment, Stonewall, Quasar and Striker walked in and looked around. When they saw the half-naked dead body, Striker shook his head. “With a body looking like his, he should have kept his damn clothes on.”
“I see you made one of your famous bulls-eye shots,” Stonewall said to Roland.
“In the dark, too,” one of the officers informed him.
“I guess nobody warned his ass about how well you can see in the dark, Roland,” Quasar said.
“I guess not,” Roland replied, his arms still around Lennox. And she had no problem being held by him.
“Dr. Roswell, are you alright?” Special Agent Warner asked, coming over to them.
“I’m fine.”
“I tried calling you earlier to warn you about Meadows.”
She remembered getting the call. She also recalled not taking it and why. However, she wouldn’t tell him that. “My phone is in my purse in the kitchen. He was already inside, though I didn’t know until I came into the bedroom. He was in here hiding.”
“Here, drink this,” Joy said, coming up to her with a cup of tea in her hand.
Lennox took it, recalling it was the tea she had started to make earlier. “Thanks.”
“I need to talk to Lennox alone for a minute,” Roland said to Joy and the agents. Before they could say anything, he handed the teacup back to Joy, then took Lennox’s hand and led her to the other bedroom, closing the door behind them.
• • •
The minute the door closed behind them, Roland pulled Lennox into his arms. When he felt her body shaking, he tightened his embrace.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fall apart like this,” she said, burying her face in his chest. “I’m just so tired of this.When will it all end, Roland? Will I have to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life?”
He heard the anguish in her voice and when she lifted her head to look up at him, he saw the tears in her eyes.
God, he’d come so close to losing her again. What would have happened if he had not managed to get here as quickly as he had? He’d heard what that bastard had said to her. Meadows had intended to rape and kill her. The perv had already begun undressing.
It had been hard for Roland to keep a level head when he heard Meadows brag about his sick and sordid plans for her. He had wanted to burst into the room and start firing, making sure he blasted Meadows’ damn nuts out of their sac before killing him. But if he’d lost control like that, Lennox would have been in even more danger.
“No, you don’t have to keep looking over your shoulder. I’ll always be here to protect you,” he said, meaning every word.
She wiped at her tears, then said in a teasing tone, “That can get rather expensive. You’ve already warned me that you aren’t cheap.”
“I’m not cheap, Lennox, but I’m yours. And I mean that, in every way.”
When she stared at him, as if she didn’t understand what he meant, he added, “You were right about infinite possibilities.”
“What do you mean?”
He reached out and brushed away a tear that hung on one of her lashes. “I no longer believe in finality, Lennox. Because of you, I know there’s a world out there filled with possibilities.”
