HelenKay Dimon - Guns and the Girl Next Door

Right now, the only confirmed killer in the room was her. “He attacked me. Wouldn’t stop.”

“Who?”

The scene ran through her mind. Crazed eyes. Mumbled accusations. “He wanted me dead.”

“Let me try this again—who?” The mystery man moved his hand to her arm.

She stared down at his long fingers and tried not to flinch. If he was dangerous, she didn’t want to tick him off. She’d had enough of that for one evening. “What’s your name?”

This time he didn’t answer a question with one of his own. “Holden Price.”

Nothing about that name gave her insight into who he was or how much he might want to hurt her. A solid name. Of course, so was Ted Bundy.

She needed a phone and reinforcements, preferably the type that wore badges and carried bigger guns than Holden. Knowing she was finally safe also would be a relief.

“Now,” he said. “Let’s skip to the part where you tell me about this other person.”

She was more concerned with knowing everything about the potential threat in front of her. “You live here?”

Holden exhaled with just enough exasperation to let her know his patience was wearing thin. “I did until your recent redecorating, but I’m not the issue here. You are.”

“I need to call the police.”

Holden didn’t move. “Tell me who you think you killed. Give me his name.”

No harm in sharing that information. Everyone would know soon anyway. You couldn’t kill someone of her boss’s stature without making the news.

“Bram Walters,” she said.

Holden’s face fell. He actually went from looking frustrated to looking confused. “As in Congressman Bram Walters?”

“Same one.”

Holden’s gaze roamed over her face. “I don’t recognize you.”

Maybe the headache was the cause, but that was a comment that didn’t fit. “Why would you?”

“I know Walters.”

Not possible. She’d remember Holden. A guy who looked like him didn’t walk into the congressional office without every single girl fluffing her hair and practicing her smile. Put a suit on this man and he’d still have the Tall, Dark and Devastating thing down.

“I’m one of Congressman Walters’s legislative assistants,” she said.

“In the D.C. office?”

She didn’t understand Holden’s obsession with her employment. His questions swam around in her head until she thought her skull would explode. “I’ve been there about two months.”

“And now you think you killed the man you work for.” Holden said the words nice and slow, hovering over each one.

“I ran him over.”

“With your car.” That comment took even longer for Holden to get out.

“Well, yeah.”

“You’re saying Walters was at my house.”

She pressed a hand against her head to keep it from falling forward into her lap. “In the area.”

Holden blew out a long breath. “Interesting.”

“If I didn’t kill him it wasn’t for a lack of trying.”

This time the corner of Holden’s mouth kicked up in a smile. “I’d recommend you phrase that differently when you talk with the police.”

Police. Trials. The press. This was all bad. The head spinning picked up speed. “I can’t believe this.”

“Me either.”

It wasn’t all that difficult to pick up on the shock in Holden’s voice. Crossing him off the serial-killer list had proved a bit easier in the past few minutes. If he wanted to hurt her, he would have done it by now. Maybe he was the reclusive type, but he didn’t strike her as a threat.

That realization slowed the runaway drumming of her heart. Well, it did until he got up and she got a close-up view of the gun balanced in the waistband of his pants.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

He shot her an expression that suggested she wasn’t too bright. “To look for Walters.”

“Why?”

Holden’s eyes widened at that. “In case he’s still alive and needs help.”

“You can’t.” She jumped up and grabbed Holden’s arm, ignoring the tossing and turning in her stomach.

“Why is that?”

“My boss is dangerous.” And the last thing she needed was a second round with him.

Guilt washed over her every time the image of the Congressman falling under her car replayed in her mind. Not that she’d had a choice. In a contest between them over who would live, she’d rather think of her boss as dead.

“Walters wears a suit and sits behind a desk all day making decisions without regard to the facts.” Holden removed her fingers. “Trust me, I’m not afraid of him.”

She focused in on Holden’s comment. Blocked out everything else. “That’s a pretty specific impression.”

“I know politicians.”

She didn’t buy that explanation. Headache or not, this was something else. Something deeper and more personal. “I’m getting the sense you know this congressman.”

“If you’re right about killing him, we should be using the past tense.”

She felt the need to defend her actions. “He went insane out there.”

“Which brings me to my biggest question.” Holden slipped the gun out of his pants and held it at his side. “Why were you on my property with Walters?”

Seeing the weapon brought the panic rushing back and the searing headache right behind. It screamed along her senses, paralyzing her. “I don’t know.”

“Try again.”

“I don’t.”

Holden shifted the gun behind him and leaned down until they were eye to eye. “Mia, I’m not playing around here. I want the truth.”

Law enforcement. She’d bet her life on it. She knew the beast. The way he repeated her name. The steady tone to his voice. She’d dated a cop for two years. Holden had the same calm assurance. He oozed control and confidence.

And he handled that gun like a pro.

“The Congressman drove me out here, kept asking me who I was working for—”

Holden held up his free hand. “I thought you worked for him.”

“I do…did. I actually don’t know what happens now that he’s dead.”

“We’ll go with the assumption he’s very much alive. If so, I don’t get the comment about you working for someone else.”

“Neither did I. The Congressman wanted to know what I was looking for in the system.” The man had screamed it at her. That memory hadn’t faded one bit. “I have no idea what he was talking about.”

“System?”

“His personal computer. He keeps a laptop in the office. The only thing I can think of is he thought I broke into it for some reason.”

A strange look flashed on Holden’s face. Before she could decipher it, the expression disappeared. He morphed back into big-man-blank-look mode.

“Did you?” he asked.

“Why would I?”

“Why would you drive through my house?” He gestured around the room. “See? There are many questions that need answering here.”

“If you say so.”

“I do, but right now we’re going outside.”

“No.” Smart women did not go running around in the dark with strange men. They also didn’t race back into trouble once they’d escaped it. “Definitely not.”

From the frown it was clear Holden didn’t care for her refusal one bit. “Excuse me?”

“The police.”

“You can keep saying that but it’s not going to happen. Not until I know what we’re dealing with here.”

She glanced around for a phone, careful not to move her head too fast. The thing must be under her car because she didn’t see it. “A dead member of the House of Representatives. That’s kind of a big deal, don’t you think?”

“I’m not the one who killed him.”

She stopped. “You’re not funny.”

“Not the first time I’ve heard that.” Holden’s stare wandered over her, hovering a bit too long on her breasts before continuing down.