Read Online Protective Custody by Wynter Daniels - Free Book Online

lights burning. The hair on the back of Will’s neck rose as he hurried to the porch. He knocked hard and called out so he didn’t frighten her.
    The instant she opened the door, he noticed her knit brow and the frown on that gorgeous mouth. She’s okay.
    Relief flowed through him as he drew her into his arms and breathed her vanilla scent.
    “Thank you for coming,” she said against his chest.
    Emotions warred inside him. He wanted more than anything to keep her safe, to always be there for her. But he had a bad habit of letting people down. The notion that she was starting to depend on him weighed heavily on his shoulders. “Tell me what happened.”
    She backed away, and the loss of contact left him cold. He stepped inside and shut the door. “You said someone drove away in a hurry?”
    He recalled running his fingers through her hair, kissing her delicious lips, tasting her sweet sex. The memory curled around his senses and heated him from the inside out.
    “A white SUV.” She lowered her gaze and flushed.
    Was she hiding something? “Do you have an idea who was driving?”
    Tiny lines around her mouth and eyes deepened. “Jerome Thomas. A guy I dated after you and I…”
    After you broke my heart.
    Must have been the man he saw her with a while ago. “Wait a second. Do you think he could be the murderer or the person who put the head on your porch? I’m confused here, Megan. If you know more than you’ve told me, it’s time to lay all your cards on the table.” He set his hands on his waist and waited.
    “I don’t know, okay? No, Jerome is definitely not the murderer. The killer was white. Jerome is black. And I have no idea who left the severed head. Maybe Jerome is the one who’s been after me, though. Someone’s been calling the office and saying things. Awful things. And now it’s happening here too.” She fiddled with her bracelet. “I’m not hiding anything from you, and I’m not making any of this up. I honestly thought it was the killer until I saw that car drive off. It might have been Jerome, but I can’t be positive.”
    “What kind of things did he say?”
    “He knows who I am. Even called me by name. But he was disguising his voice.” She trembled, although the room was comfortably warm.
    “So it could have been anyone.”
    “I suppose.”
    “Are you sure you heard the caller right? I mean sometimes victims let fear do things to them. They imagine stuff.”
    The hurt in her eyes sliced through him. “I didn’t mean to upset you, sorry. I’m just covering all the bases.”
    “I can’t even begin to explain how maddening it is to witness such an awful thing, then have the police treat me like some kind of wacko with a vivid imagination or a drinking problem. I have to find that poor girl’s killer, or her face will haunt me for the rest of my life.”
    He grasped her upper arms. “I understand and I promise, I’ll help you.”
    She backed out of his reach and nodded. “Thanks. Think we could work on turning the lights back on first?”
    “Was the power out when you got home?”
    “No. There was a popping sound a few minutes after I arrived. Then it all went off. And I think someone was inside. I had a hard time getting out the back door. Like something was blocking it.”
    He grabbed a flashlight from the table and checked to confirm it worked. “Do you know where the electrical box is?”
    “Outside. Near the kitchen window.”
    “Show me.”
    He took her hand and let her lead him to the junction box. As they approached, she hesitated. She pointed to a dark rectangle on the wall. The metal cover sat open, and a few pieces of cut wire were visible on the wet ground below.
    At her sharp gasp, he pulled her into an embrace. “It’s going to be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
    I can’t allow her to count on me.
    “I don’t understand why Jerome would do this.” She moved away from him. “I never did anything mean to him. Why would he want to