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By the time he was ready to leave, she was dressed and stood in the doorway, waving to him as he jogged to his truck, whistling. He wouldn’t have been in such a good mood if he’d known exactly how tied up he’d be for the rest of the day and why.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Dana took her coffee out to the patio and sat in one of the lounge chairs, watching daylight fill the sky and the lingering traces of night fade away. Last night had been unusual to say the least. It was the first time she’d actuallysleptunder the same roof with a man. In the same bed. Had outstanding sex. And not been afraid.
Usually, when she shared a bed with someone, they left before morning light, after an unsuccessful attempt to coax a response from her unwilling body. Sometimes, they came back, other times not. But Cole Landry made her feel desired, unafraid, special. He’d been patient and coaxing, stopping and starting even though she knew what it must have cost him in self-control.
A chill raced through her as she wondered for what seemed like the hundredth time how he’d react if she told him the real reason she was here. Why she obviously had a problem with sex.
Although apparently not with him. Her face heated as she remembered the things they’d done. And she’d enjoyed them. But if she shared the details of the attack and the warped years of her life since then, would he pity her? Be disgusted? Think her less of a woman because of her history with men?
Shoving her cell phone in her pocket, she walked down to the corral where the horses were still enjoying the air, doing an elegant cakewalk for her, tails up, manes ruffled in the morning breeze. When she inhaled, the scent was a heady mixture of horseflesh and hay.
For the first time since she was seven, the aroma of hay didn’t wrap tentacles of fear around her and take her back to that terrible night. Instead, an unfamiliar feeling of peace stole over her. She wondered what it would be like to live here, in this place. This house.
With Cole.
The ringing of the cell phone in her pocket jerked her out of her reverie.
“Oh, Dana, I’m so glad I caught you.” The voice was breathless. “It’s Ivy. Ivy Winslow.”
“Yes, Ivy. Good morning.” Dana hoped the woman had some news for her. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, wiping her damp palms on her shorts.
“I made some calls, and I’ve managed to persuade a couple of the others to talk to you. They’re a little skittish, but I promised them they could trust you.”
A rush of thankfulness spread through Dana. “Ivy, thank you so much. When? Where?”
“This morning. My House. Ten o’clock. Is that convenient? Did I give you enough notice?” Ivy’s voice was anxious.
“Absolutely.” Her car was parked in front of the house, keys in the ignition. Cole would just have to deal with her leaving. Anyway, he already had cars out on patrol, and she knew they’d spot her and keep an eye on her. “This is a top priority. I’ll see you then.”
A tiny finger of excitement danced over her skin as she disconnected the call. Her first major breakthrough. Maybe, if she was lucky, she’d have more information for Cole after the meeting.
Cole. She found herself actually anticipating seeing him again tonight, and her body quivered with a new hunger.
****
Gabriella Marquez finally gave in to Stacy’s urging and spent the night with her and her husband in their small home. Not that she felt that much safer. She still had to go out on the streets. Shop in stores. Put gas in her car. Move around the town. The county. Whoever was doing this, if he happened to target her, could jump her at any number of places. Any time of day.
She’d slept fitfully during the night, waking often, gripped by some nameless terror. This morning she was more exhausted than when she’d put her head on the pillow. She slipped out of the house while Stacy and Jered were still sleeping, leaving them a note thanking them for their hospitality. She needed to go home, shower and change, so she could get to the office on time.
She loved her work. Her accounting degree was like an invisible medal she wore proudly, having worked two jobs to pay for her schooling and graduating with honors. When Manny Sandoval hired her to work for him she thought she’d won the brass ring. Two years now, and things just kept getting better.
Not so with her personal life. Maybe she was just too picky. Maybe, like Stacy said, she should find some nice guy and settle down.
And who knew? Maybe she would, but not until the monster on the loose was caught. Until then, she could hardly think of anything else.
When she pulled into her parking space behind Manny’s little building, she saw that she was the first to arrive. No other cars in the lot yet. Good. She liked having the first few moments of the workday to herself. She could organize things before the routine took over.
As she was locking her car, a truck pulled up behind her. She looked up and smiled at the man sitting behind the wheel.
“Hi, Gaby. You the first one here?”
“Looks that way. Do you need something?”
He got out of his truck and came around to where she was standing. “Manny said he left an envelope for me on the receptionist’s desk. As long as I was around, I thought I’d pick it up. Okay if I come in and get it?”
“Oh, sure. Come on in.”
