Read Online Pieces of the Past (Witness Security Book 1) by Jamie Hill - Free Book Online Page B

let her walk all over him. “No, Daisy has never seen my gun. She’s a naturally well-behaved individual.”
    “ Well isn’t that special.” Peyton sat back.
    He waggled his brows at Christine. “Good breeding.”
    She rolled her eyes and returned to looking out the side window.
    Doug made a series of turns and drove until he was satisfied no one was following them. He hoped the Daisy conversation was over, but should have known better with a ten-year-old in the car.
    “ How old is Daisy? Can I meet her?” Ethan asked excitedly.
    Doug thought about that. Three years old or twenty-one dog years? “She’s three. We’ll have to see, maybe you can meet someday.”
    “ What about her mother?” Christine said softly. “Is she still in the picture?”
    He glanced sideways at her, amused that she wanted to know. “Definitely not.” He added under his breath, “Maggie was a real bitch.”
    Christine ’s eyes sparkled. For a second she seemed pleased at the answer, but it was almost like she forced herself to reprimand him. “What a thing to say!”
    He shook his head. “I only speak the truth. You need to know that about me. I’ll always be honest with you, Christi.”
    She gazed at him questioningly. “Christi?”
    He grinned slyly before pulling into the driveway of a small brown, single story house. He kept going, driving straight into the open garage. Doug parked and looked at her. “Trying it out.”
    She nodded but didn ’t respond. Christine suddenly seemed tongue-tied, and a bit choked up.
    It ’s the situation, Doug told himself, and the end of a very long day. She’s exhausted. That’s all it is.
    “ This is it?” Peyton asked, her voice monotone and sounding less than thrilled.
    He glanced at Christine. “Another one of those rhetorical questions.” To the backseat he said, “Yep, this is it. Everybody out, and grab your luggage. I’m no bellhop.”
    The kids piled out of the car.
    “What’s a bellhop?” Ethan asked, looking around the garage.
    Doug and Christine exchanged glances. He smiled. “Do the questions ever stop?”
    She shrugged. “Only when he’s sleeping.”
    “ Then let’s go find him a bed.”
     
    * * * *
     
    Christine followed Doug and the kids into the house. Sparsely furnished, it did seem to have the necessities and thankfully felt nice and cool. She noticed groceries on the kitchen counter and paused to glance in the sink. Spotless. A good start.
    “ Three bedrooms.” Doug gave them the tour, leading them past the living room down the hall. “Peyton, why don’t you take this first one? Ethan can sleep here.” He paused in front of the last door. “Christi, this is the master bedroom, I believe it has its own bath.” He opened the door and glanced inside. “Yep. This would be yours.”
    She looked around nervously. The room appeared nice enough, and clean. The bathroom sparkled which made her feel slightly better. But something about the arrangement seemed off. She finally drew up the courage and asked Doug, “Are you, uh, staying?”
    “ Of course. I’ll ride the sofa.”
    “ You don’t have to do that. Peyton and I can share a room.” She felt guilty at the idea of him without a bed to sleep in.
    Doug smiled. “Ah, well, I appreciate that. But I’m happiest out here where I have the best vantage point. Sofa suits me just fine. Really.”
    “ All right, then.” She hoisted her biggest bag onto the bed and gasped when he removed it, setting it on a nearby chair instead.
    “ This isn’t the Holiday Inn. I wouldn’t suggest unpacking any more than you absolutely have to. If we need to leave in a hurry, I want us to be able to do just that.”
    Her heart pounded. Just when she was starting to feel better, his comment raised her hackles again. “That’s reassuring.” Not.
    He glanced behind him, she assumed to make sure the kids were still in their rooms, before taking a step closer to her. So close, she caught a whiff of his sporty cologne. The