Read Online The Past Came Hunting by Donnell Ann Bell - Free Book Online

answer my questions. I had to know.” He extended his arm. “Shall we?”
    When she made no move to accompany him, he said, “I’m busy, Mrs. Norris. It’s treacherous outside. You should get home. What’s it going to be?”
    Shooting him was out of the question. Suddenly, all she wanted to be was gone. She brushed by him. “Keep your job, you pompous jerk. But I warn you, stay the hell out of my personal business.”
    “And if your boyfriend shows up, should I look the other way?”
    Mel gasped. The cop was beyond cruel. He played on her deepest fear. “In fifteen years you haven’t changed. You’re still one mean son of a bitch.”
    Lt. Crandall moved so close she could smell his aftershave, glimpse the muscle ticking in his jaw and the makings of a five o’clock shadow.
    She wasn’t about to retreat.
    “Maybe so, Melanie. But if Drake Maxwell gets wind of your location, I’ll be the best friend you’ve got.”
    Feeling like he’d butchered Mary’s little lamb, Joe escorted Melanie out of the building. When she’d stared up at him with huge, fear-filled eyes, he’d wanted to pull her close and kiss her senseless.
    No one deserved to be that afraid. So what had he done? Terrified her even more by reminding her of Drake Maxwell’s impending release from prison.
    Joe watched for a moment as she cleared the snow off her car, then ordered patrol to make sure she got home. He would’ve offered to drive her, but figured she’d sooner scratch his eyes out than be anywhere in his vicinity. He did manage one compromise before she left. He insisted on picking up the boys from practice. With Luke’s bum ankle, and in this weather, no way could the slender Melanie Norris maneuver someone of Luke’s stature into her car.
    Looking back, Joe should’ve seen that the kid didn’t resemble her in the slightest. Fair skinned and blond, Luke was far different from his stepmother’s auburn hair and golden coloring. When Luke grew to be a man, he’d bear the physique of a Viking warrior.
    What was it about her that brought out the antagonistic asshole inside Joe? She had every right to demand an apology. He had indeed crossed a line by going to such lengths to discover her past.
    Melanie deserved better from him.
    Simon Rivers had explained that for years Maxwell had touted his plans for revenge to anyone who would listen. Then, in the last few years, he’d grown moody and silent. When asked about the change, he’d shrug, claim some ridiculous notion like he’d found Jesus, or that he’d put Melanie Daniels behind him.
    Not many in positions of authority bought the convict’s story, and because of Melanie’s marriage to Carl Norris, she now fell under the protection of the Department of Corrections. Before Carl had died, he’d asked the warden to look out for his family, to protect Melanie from the man who’d threatened her life.
    Simon Rivers had been the idea man behind the Norris’s move to Colorado Springs. The Springs, he’d explained, was close enough that if Melanie needed him, he could get to her, and, ideally, the last place Maxwell would look since it was where the crime had been committed.
    Because Melanie had taken her husband’s last name, the plan was secret, furtive and logical. With only one hitch, Simon never thought to check out the neighbors.
    Joe secured his weapon, then reached for his trench coat. With snow falling and an apology due, a long night lay ahead of him. Exactly how did one apologize to the woman he’d sent to prison, who’d then turned her life around and moved in next door? This was a new one for the manuals, one that would never be found in print. Joe shrugged into his coat and grimaced. For one thing, no one would ever, ever believe it.
    Mel shoved boxes aside, the single-car garage she used for storage a combination of clutter, cobwebs and dust. Surveying the area, she paused to rub her arms to ward off the chill in the non-insulated space. She should’ve rented a