Read Online Holiday Illusion by Lynette Eason - Free Book Online Page B

incident. Let’s go check on Paulo.”
    Â 
    Anna climbed from the car, her heart rejoicing at the conversation Lucas just initiated. Please, Jesus, don’t give up on him. Keep working on his heart. Show him Your unconditional love. He’s never seen it, doesn’t understand it, so just show him…somehow.
    As they strode through the lobby, Anna looked at each face she passed, suspicion bubbling through every cell of her body. Would her attacker show up here again? Even the workers putting up the Christmas tree in front of the bay window were suspect; she inspected the two men running the lights around the ceiling and the one woman hanging the mistletoe over her chair. Anna smiled and nodded and took note of the smallest details. Lucas ran into Mark coming out of the restroom and stopped to talk to him.
    Anna said, “I’m going to make a quick call, then head up to see Paulo, if that’s all right.” She looked at Lucas. “You can fill me in on everything later.”
    â€œSure.” Lucas waved her on.
    Anna headed for the elevator, stepped on and pressed the button for the third floor. As the doors slid shut, a hand reached in at the last moment to shove them open. A man with dark sunglasses stood there staring at her for a brief moment before stepping toward her.

SIX
    A nna sucked in a deep breath, immediately suspicious after the recent incident in the restroom, not to mention almost being run off the road. She moved to the edge of the elevator, keeping one eye on the man as he said nothing, just stepped in and turned to face the still open doors.
    Dressed in khaki slacks and a long-sleeved dress shirt, unbuttoned at the neck, his broad shoulders and confident carriage shouted purpose, but it was the sunglasses covering his eyes that really creeped her out. Fear flickered in her midsection. She pressed a hand to it, cutting her eyes for a sideways glance at his face.
    The man’s hand reached up, a finger pointed…and he pressed the button for the fourth floor. Her breath whooshed out silently through pursed lips. You’re being paranoid, she told herself, definitely losing it.
    He turned to look at her, adjusted his sunglasses, twin dark lenses reflecting her face.
    The doors started their smooth glide shut. He pushed his right hand into his blazer…
    He’s got a gun! Get out, get out, get out, her brain shouted. Beyond caring whether or not she looked like an idiot, she stepped toward the doors, but just as she was about to slip out, an elderly couple rushed on, causing the doors to slide back open, and Anna to move back out of the way. The balding man smiled and said, “Sixth floor, please.”
    The dark-headed man turned away. Slowly, he pulled his hand from his jacket, nodded to the two newcomers and did as requested. Then he stepped off the elevator. Her breathing slowed. Her pulse stopped galloping and she rubbed her sweaty palms on her jeans. Just because he put his hand in his coat doesn’t mean he had a gun, right? Finally, the elevator slid to a stop on the third floor. Anna stepped out on still shaky legs, waited for the door to shut behind her, then turned down the hall to head toward Paulo’s room.
    Unable to put it off any longer, she pulled out her cell phone and punched in Justin’s number. He answered on the third ring.
    She got straight to the point. “Are you trying to set me up?”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œJustin, who else knew I’d be here? Who else knew what car I’d be in? I don’t want to believe it, but I don’t know what to think. Every time I run it around in my head, I come up with you. You had a trace on my passport. You probably knew I was back before I did! You could have easily set me up.”
    Silence filtered through the line. “Thanks a lot, Anna.”
    A world of hurt loaded down those four little words. She almost felt like weeping. And yet…“I’m sorry, Justin,