Read Online Seduced by a Dangerous Man by Cleo Peitsche - Free Book Online Page A

excessively wide streets, so places to hide were scarce. And the individual houses were lit up on the outside like they were on display.  
    We found some overflow visitor parking.
    “Not the sort of neighborhood I imagined for Henry. He seems mostly unconcerned with image,” I mused. “I expected something more… working class, maybe.”
    “He bought it from his parents when they retired to Florida,” Rob said.  
    I glanced at him. “You have to do something about your hair. It’s too vivid. Unfortunately for you, all I have is this.” I handed him the wig.
    He took it, dangling it on the edge of his index finger. “Fine,” he said, shaking his head. “What about your hair?”
    “What about it?”
    “It’s recognizable.”
    “But my hair is dark. If light shines on it, it’s not a flashing sign.”
    He twirled the wig. “And this isn’t?”
    “You’re probably the only redheaded guy Henry knows. If one of his neighbors happens to see us nosing around—”
    “Can’t I just wear a hat?”
    I flicked at his bangs. “If you’ve got a hairnet handy, why not?” I frowned. “Maybe I should drop you off closer to his house. I can walk over alone.”
    “We stick together,” Rob said, working the wig onto his scalp. I shoved the fringes of his fine hair under the wig. “Ouch,” he said.
    “Wait till you take it off. Let’s go.”
    We got out of the truck and headed one direction, then cut across a huge lawn that felt like padded carpet under my boots. A dog started barking inside the adjacent house, its yaps high-pitched, irritating.
    Getting to Henry’s house definitely was stressful. I felt exposed, and we didn’t even see anyone. With all the houses so large, busybody residents had plenty of windows to be accidentally looking out of at any given time—though only a small portion of them faced in any particular direction.
    Hell, I’d take comfort where I could get it. Especially after it took me forty-five seconds to set up the motion detector at the bottom of Henry’s driveway. There was nothing to shield me but a mailbox on a post, and nerves plus general rustiness had made me clumsy.
    I hooked the receiver onto one of my belt loops and hurried up the driveway to join Rob.
    “Back door is locked,” he said.  
    We searched under rocks and earthenware planters for a key. I wasn’t above breaking a window, but that was a last resort.
    I tapped on the underside of one of the window ledges and felt metal. “Jackpot.” I peeled the key away and unlocked the door, pushed it open.  
    The slow, flashing light of a security system stopped me cold. Disabling them wasn’t part of my repertoire.  
    “Excuse me,” Rob said confidently. He stepped forward and pushed a four-digit code. The light flashed green.  
    “How?”
    “Henry changed the code at the office twice, and both started with 42 and ended in 86.” He shrugged modestly. “I’ve been over here, and I saw him push in a four, and I also knew there were only three after it.”
    “Impressive,” I said.
    He’d pulled out a penlight and now he flicked it on, sweeping it around the outdated but large kitchen. “My hunch is we’ll find his office either in that room behind the den or upstairs in one of the guest bedrooms.”
    We did a quick sweep of the first floor. The house smelled like Henry. Faintly, the result of years of exposure, no doubt. Still, it made me feel like he was there, watching, and I shuddered.
    We went up to the second floor. I paused in front of the master bedroom. It was spacious and tidy. Henry had a large bed, rather low to the floor, with cherry tree print bedding. It was surprisingly pleasant. I had to admit I was a little jealous.  
    I hurried to catch up with Rob, who was methodically working his way down the hall.  
    “Was the place so clean when you were here before?” I asked.
    Rob opened a door, looked in the room, closed the door again. “Can’t remember,” he said. He paused. “But I