Amanda Stevens - Magnum Force Man

“Maybe you should take the bed,” she said. “You need your rest.”

“Why? I’m not hurt or sick.”

Well, except for that amnesia thing.

But come to think of it, the bedroom door did have a lock on the inside, so maybe that arrangement was for the best, Claudia decided.

“If that’s the way you want it. Hopefully, by morning you’ll have remembered something else.” As she spoke, she moved around the room, gathering up the flashlight, her handbag with her cell phone and wallet inside, her laptop and, of course, the gun. The only thing left of any real value was her desktop computer, and somehow she didn’t see him grabbing that up and making a run with it through the rain.

His dark gaze tracked her every move. When she had everything she needed, he held out his hands. “Do you want to bind them again?”

She gave it serious consideration, but obviously it hadn’t done much good the first time.

“You don’t need to worry,” he said solemnly. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

He said it so convincingly, she almost believed him.

And she had to ask herself, Now who’s the lunatic?

At the bedroom door, she glanced back. He was sitting exactly where she’d left him before the fire, but rather than staring into the flames, he was still looking at her. His intense focus made her tremble, although she wanted to believe it was just the cold.

“See you in the morning,” she said.

“Good night …”

“Claudia.” Too late, she realized that she probably shouldn’t have told him her name, but if he worked for the men who wanted her dead—or even for the government—her identity was obviously no secret.

Back in Chicago, she’d gone by C.J. Her given name was Claudia Janelle, but she’d never used it until she moved here. Even after all this time, she still wasn’t used to it.

“It doesn’t suit you,” he said.

She frowned. “Why not?”

“It’s an old name.”

“I wouldn’t mention that to Claudia Schiffer if you happen to run into her.”

“I won’t,” he said solemnly.

She shook her head at his apparent oblivion to her pop-culture reference. “Whatever. The name suits me fine. I have an old soul.”

With that, she opened the bedroom door and went inside. Locking herself in, she leaned against the door, shivering in the cold.

This was so not how she’d planned to spend the night. Actually, her nights took very little planning because they were all the same. Dinner alone by the fire or, in warm weather, on the deck. Then she would listen to some music or watch a little television. Surf the ‘Net, read a book, work into the wee hours. Anything to eat up all those long, lonely hours.

If nothing else, tonight had been a break from the relentless tedium her young life had become.

Placing the gun and laptop on the nightstand and her handbag on the floor, she used the flashlight to locate spare linens in the closet. Then getting the bed all set up the way she wanted, she cocooned herself in the cover.

With the flashlight off, the room was pitch black. The night seemed to close in on her, and Claudia lay there for the longest time, staring into the darkness and willing her eyes to remain open, no matter how heavy her lids became.

The click of the lock sent a deep shudder through Jack. He knew that sound, and a claustrophobic dread descended over him as he threw off the cover and got to his feet.

He went first to the front door to make sure he wasn’t locked in. When he drew it back, a burst of cold, wet air rushed over him, and he stood for a moment, staring out into the dark and listening to the sounds of the receding storm.

Satisfied there was no imminent threat, he closed the door and went to each window, assuring himself that there were no bars caging him in. He was still free.

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