Read Online Naked Risk (Shatterproof #3) by Jordan Burke - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jordan Burke
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apartment key from the ring and gave the rest back to her.
. . . . .
The front door of her apartment showed no signs of forced entry. I checked the lock for fresh scratches. Nothing. Checked the screws to see if they looked like they’d been removed. They didn’t.
Once inside, I checked her windows, all of which were closed and securely locked in place.
Nothing was disturbed in her apartment. Her TV was still there, as was her laptop. Even a jewelry box that had some rings and necklaces in it, gold and silver, though I didn’t know if they were valuable.
The dresser drawer was open. She hadn’t even slammed it shut when she discovered what had happened.
I walked around her apartment for a few minutes, looking for other signs of disturbance. The place felt totally different to me now, and I could only imagine how alienated Catherine must have felt from her own home.
A few things crossed my mind as I inspected the place—when Catherine first called and said “ They were in my apartment ” I had a very brief flash of suspicion and worry that Howard McDowell, in yet another of his merciless moves, had sent people here to rattle her. I wouldn’t have put it past the sly bastard. I’m not sure what I thought his motive would have been behind this specific kind of tactic, but I knew what his end-game was: to get Catherine out of my life.
But that was just more paranoia seeping into my thinking. I was off my game, big time, in so many ways.
This clearly didn’t have anything to do with me. It had everything to do with Catherine not being safe.
Safe from who? I didn’t know yet, but I would find out.
There wasn’t much left to do there at that point. I found a small suitcase in her closet and went into the bathroom first, then dialed her number.
S he answered on the second ring and I asked, “Is there anything here you need immediately?”
“Some things from my bathroom. Toothbrush, toothpaste—”
“Already did that. I mean any kind of clothes you’ll want over the next couple of days.”
She told me what to grab and I put the items in the bag.
“Anything else you need or want out of here right now? Valuables, things you can’t do without?”
“No. No, that’s it.”
I left and drove back to the gas station.
“Are you okay to drive or do you want to ride with me?” I asked.
She opened the door and started to get out. “I want to ride with you but can we just leave my car here?”
“I’ll move it.”
I handed her the bag and my car keys and told her to wait for me in my car. I moved hers off to the side of the parking lot, out of the way where people were less likely to report it as abandoned. I had no idea how long we would leave it there. A day? Two? Longer?
It didn’t matter.
Chapter Thirteen – Catherine
Watts held my hand as he drove to the hotel.
“This is where you’ve been staying?” I asked as he pulled into a parking space.
He nodded. He’d been quiet during the drive, his face taking on that intense expression of his.
We got out of the car and he grabbed the bag of stuff he had taken from my apartment. We walked into the hotel through a side entrance, and took the stairs to the second floor.
The room was nothing fancy, but I hadn’t been expecting a penthouse suite or anything. I hadn’t been thinking about it at all, actually. I just wanted to be with Watts and nowhere near my apartment.
“Can I take a quick shower?” I asked. I still had some of Winnie’s hair on me, I remembered, the whole reason I had gone to my bedroom in the first place barely more than an hour ago.
“Of course. I need to make a phone call anyway.”
By the time I got out, Watts was sitting in a chair by the window, looking outside. He spun around and watched me walk toward him, wrapped in a towel. I sat on his lap. I put my arms around his neck and lowered my head to his shoulder. I shivered from the cold.
“Want me to turn the AC off?”
“No,” I
. . . . .
The front door of her apartment showed no signs of forced entry. I checked the lock for fresh scratches. Nothing. Checked the screws to see if they looked like they’d been removed. They didn’t.
Once inside, I checked her windows, all of which were closed and securely locked in place.
Nothing was disturbed in her apartment. Her TV was still there, as was her laptop. Even a jewelry box that had some rings and necklaces in it, gold and silver, though I didn’t know if they were valuable.
The dresser drawer was open. She hadn’t even slammed it shut when she discovered what had happened.
I walked around her apartment for a few minutes, looking for other signs of disturbance. The place felt totally different to me now, and I could only imagine how alienated Catherine must have felt from her own home.
A few things crossed my mind as I inspected the place—when Catherine first called and said “ They were in my apartment ” I had a very brief flash of suspicion and worry that Howard McDowell, in yet another of his merciless moves, had sent people here to rattle her. I wouldn’t have put it past the sly bastard. I’m not sure what I thought his motive would have been behind this specific kind of tactic, but I knew what his end-game was: to get Catherine out of my life.
But that was just more paranoia seeping into my thinking. I was off my game, big time, in so many ways.
This clearly didn’t have anything to do with me. It had everything to do with Catherine not being safe.
Safe from who? I didn’t know yet, but I would find out.
There wasn’t much left to do there at that point. I found a small suitcase in her closet and went into the bathroom first, then dialed her number.
S he answered on the second ring and I asked, “Is there anything here you need immediately?”
“Some things from my bathroom. Toothbrush, toothpaste—”
“Already did that. I mean any kind of clothes you’ll want over the next couple of days.”
She told me what to grab and I put the items in the bag.
“Anything else you need or want out of here right now? Valuables, things you can’t do without?”
“No. No, that’s it.”
I left and drove back to the gas station.
“Are you okay to drive or do you want to ride with me?” I asked.
She opened the door and started to get out. “I want to ride with you but can we just leave my car here?”
“I’ll move it.”
I handed her the bag and my car keys and told her to wait for me in my car. I moved hers off to the side of the parking lot, out of the way where people were less likely to report it as abandoned. I had no idea how long we would leave it there. A day? Two? Longer?
It didn’t matter.
Chapter Thirteen – Catherine
Watts held my hand as he drove to the hotel.
“This is where you’ve been staying?” I asked as he pulled into a parking space.
He nodded. He’d been quiet during the drive, his face taking on that intense expression of his.
We got out of the car and he grabbed the bag of stuff he had taken from my apartment. We walked into the hotel through a side entrance, and took the stairs to the second floor.
The room was nothing fancy, but I hadn’t been expecting a penthouse suite or anything. I hadn’t been thinking about it at all, actually. I just wanted to be with Watts and nowhere near my apartment.
“Can I take a quick shower?” I asked. I still had some of Winnie’s hair on me, I remembered, the whole reason I had gone to my bedroom in the first place barely more than an hour ago.
“Of course. I need to make a phone call anyway.”
By the time I got out, Watts was sitting in a chair by the window, looking outside. He spun around and watched me walk toward him, wrapped in a towel. I sat on his lap. I put my arms around his neck and lowered my head to his shoulder. I shivered from the cold.
“Want me to turn the AC off?”
“No,” I
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