Chapter One

Alexis Harper threw her hands in the air, letting the music surround her. The deep thrum of the bass vibrated through her body. She closed her eyes and gave herself over to the music, to the words that spoke of love and happiness and a life that had, so far, been elusive to her. She’d reached a point recently where dancing at FitzGeralds, a few extra-strong Madrases in her system, was the only way she could quiet the thoughts in her head.

She was feeling no pain tonight, the welcome numb that came from the drinks finally settling into her system.
Her friend Jessica leaned in and yelled into Alexis’s ear. “The DJ is really spinning it. I love the vibe. It’s electric in here tonight.”

Alexis nodded. Jessica’s sole purpose in going out dancing was to meet men. Alexis wasn’t opposed to finding a man, someone she could lose herself in for a few hours, but she wasn’t keen on anything long term.

There were a few promising prospects around the room tonight. She made eye contact with an especially tall drink of water, his dark hair swept over his eyes and his square jaw sporting a five o’clock shadow. She could practically feel the scratch of his whiskers on her palm as she ran her hand down his cheek.

The man in question winked, the movement slight. If she hadn’t been staring at him, she might have missed it. Two could play this game. She smiled back, throwing her hair over her shoulder and thrusting out her chest in a move proven to gain a man’s attention. He was interested—there was no doubt. She saw no need to adhere to archaic dating principles of waiting for the man to approach her. When she was interested in a man, she didn’t hesitate to make the first move. But before she could cross the room, a brunette wearing a skimpy blue dress sidled up behind him, her hand brushing across his ass and settling on his abs.

Damn, he had been flirting with Alexis right in front of his date, or girlfriend, or whatever she was.

Alexis was tempted to go over there anyway, to show the girl what kind of jerk he was but thought better of it. The woman probably knew already.

If they cheat with you, they’ll cheat on you.

She was definitely not interested in a cheater.

The song blasting through the speakers ended and a slower one started. Jessica pulled the blond hunk she’d been flirting with all night into her clutches. His buddy turned to Alexis. “Want to dance?”

She shook her head. “Thanks. I’m going to get another drink.”

The brown-haired man, Mark or Mack or something like that, was handsome enough, but she wasn’t feeling it. Typically, she was always up for pressing her body against a super-hot man for a few hours.

She tapped Jessica on the shoulder and tipped her thumb and pinky toward her mouth. Jessica nodded.

Alexis crossed the scarred hardwood floor toward the bar that stretched the entire length of the side wall of FitzGeralds, the only bar in Cedar Hill. The room was packed on this Saturday night, and it took a couple minutes to push her way through the five-deep crowd of customers to reach the bar rail.

Once she did, she thumped her hand on the bar a minute to catch Dylan’s attention. One benefit of being a regular, all of the bartenders knew her favorite drink. With a simple gesture, she ordered two drinks. These should last her a while because she didn’t want to force her way to the bar again.

As she waited for her drink, a body shoved into her left side. She braced herself on the bar but wobbled on her four-inch stiletto heels. Before she could catch herself, she fell into someone on her other side.

Strong hands landed on her shoulders, thick fingers grasping her and keeping her upright. Most definitely a man, his touch was firm and gentle at the same time. She’d only wanted a drink and a few minutes to herself, but now she couldn’t ignore the man who’d helped her. She had to at least thank him, right?

Drawing in a strengthening breath, she spun around and encountered the most captivating set of hazel-green eyes framed by eyelashes that most women would die for. Her gaze traveled across the blond man’s shoulders and down his arms, sinewy muscles rippling beneath tanned skin.

His fingers squeezed her shoulders. “Are you okay?”

Alexis’s gaze snapped to his thoughtful one. She’d had enough of everyone’s kindness and concern to last her two lifetimes. Why were people always asking if she was all right? “Fine, thanks. No offense, but I’m not looking for a hookup tonight.”

The man raised his eyebrows and chuckled. “I wasn’t offering.”

She turned her back on the man, willing Dylan to finish her drinks so she could escape. She was safer on the dance floor where she let her body speak for her and didn’t have to endure the knowing gaze of the people around her.

Dylan finally slid both of her drinks across the bar. “Here ya go, babe.”

“Thanks. Just put them on my tab.”

She lifted one of the glasses, tipping it up and swallowing almost half of the sweet orange, cranberry, and vodka mix. That hit the spot. Just how she liked it, the tangy concoction muting her senses and quieting her mind. Her head swam and heat flooded her body.

She downed the last of that drink, slammed the glass onto the bar, and then lifted the other.

She caught the gaze of the blond man, and he raised a single eyebrow in question. She knew that look. She’d seen it on her siblings’ faces more than once, the look that asked if she really wanted to be drinking that next drink. Yes, she did. She knew what she was doing. She was getting through another day. The same way she’d gotten through yesterday, and the way she’d get through tomorrow. The slow slog of her life that alcohol propelled her through.

But the man didn’t avert his gaze, and that pissed her off. If he didn’t annoy the crap out of her so much, he’d be perfect inspiration for the hero in her next book with his blond hair and days worth of stubble on his chiseled jaw. “What?”

He shook his head as he brought his own carbonated drink to his lips. “Nothing. Just, uh, well, nothing.”

She motioned her second glass to him in mock salute. “Have a good evening.”

Without another glance behind her, she returned to the dance floor.

After that, the hours blended together, as did the drinks. The dark-haired man who’d asked her to dance earlier slid up beside her and slipped a new drink into her hand. She gulped the refreshing liquid.

“This band is great,” Alexis said, or at least she thought she said, after an especially energizing song. The words sat heavy on her tongue, and she had to force them out of her mouth.

Jessica laughed, tugging at the top of her little black dress to keep from falling out. “Alexis, this is a DJ.”

The blond man wrapped his arm around Jessica’s shoulder, and she leaned into him. Her friend was in the zone tonight. His dark-haired buddy sidled up to Alexis, his hand gripping her waist. For some reason, the image that flooded her mind was not the man hugging her, but the one at the bar with the intriguing hazel eyes. The eyes that had challenged her with a simple look.

She searched the room until her gaze landed on him again, sitting on that same stool, staring at her.

Well, she’d show him. She slipped her hands around her dance partner’s neck. “What was your name again?”

“Matt. You’re Alexis, right?”

She nodded, and immediately regretted the move, as the room spun and pain shot through her temple. But she plastered on her trademark smile and pressed her body into him.

Matt’s hand slipped lower and cupped her ass as he whispered in her ear. “You’re sexy as hell.”

The music kicked up a beat and Matt spun her around, pulling her into his chest, his groin against her ass. The evidence of his desire nudged her backside, and she teased him, wiggling her hips.

She raised her hands, relaxing into the music and the feeling of his body against her. Matt tightened his arms around her, consuming her, his breath hot in her ear. “Damn. See what you do to me? I can’t wait to take you home and feel your naked skin against mine.”

She should respond, should tell him that she didn’t know him and wasn’t going home with him, but her tongue wouldn’t form the words. Before she could shake the fog out of her brain, Jessica’s hand landed on her shoulder. “Hey, Alexis. Are you all right?”

Dammit, there it was again. She was so fucking tired of answering that question. “I’m fiii-nnnnn-eeee.”

Jessica tugged on Alexis’s arm. “Come on. I think it’s time to go.”

Matt pulled her closer to him, blocking Alexis’s view of her friend. “I’ve got her. I don’t think she’s ready to leave yet.”

Alexis gritted her teeth and blinked a couple of times. It would be better if she left with Jessica, but Alexis was fed up with trying to please everyone else. For once, she wanted to do something on her own terms. To leave when she wanted to, not when someone else thought she should. “I’m fine, Jessica. You go ahead.”

Jessica eyed her suspiciously, but Alexis threw her friend that look. The one that said, “Back off.” Jessica knew good and well to leave Alexis alone at this point—that arguing would just piss her the hell off.

Jessica backed off and gestured in surrender. “Whatever. Call me tomorrow.”

As Alexis watched, the blond man steered Jessica to the exit, the door closing behind them. And then Alexis was alone. Well, except for Matt.

He puffed out his chest, a grin on his face, as if he’d won. Jerk. This wasn’t about him. It was about her need to show the world that she could make her own decisions. That she didn’t need anyone else telling her what to do and how to live her life.

Now she just had to find a way to extricate herself from him. She didn’t plan to go home with him—she just wasn’t ready to leave with Jessica.

“So, how ‘bout it? Do you wanna get out of here?”

“I don’t—”

Matt pressed a finger to her lips. “Uh-uh. You don’t need to say anything.” He removed his finger and then kissed her, his tongue snaking into her mouth. He tasted of beer and cigarettes, and she placed her hands on his chest to shove him away. But he tightened his hold, her hands trapped between them. “I can’t wait to get this dress off.”

“I’m tired. I think I’ll just go home.” She whipped her phone out of her tiny cross-body bag and tapped to open her Uber app. She should get frequent flier miles for all the rides she took with the car service.

Before she could request a ride, Matt pressed the button to darken the screen. “I’ll take you home. My car’s right outside.”
She tried to object, but Matt wrapped his arm around her waist and steered her toward the door. Apparently, she was going with him whether she wanted to or not.

 

Chapter Two

Chris Kennedy swirled the dark liquid in his glass and then downed the last sips of his soda. From the moment the blond in the skimpy red dress had practically fallen in his lap, he could think of nothing else. On the surface, the woman looked like any young woman out in a club in any city, the short dress, the high heels. But when he’d made eye contact, he’d seen beneath the façade to the haunted look she tried and failed to hide.

He knew for certain that this woman was hiding something beneath her big personality and back-off vibe.

After she downed her first drink and carried her second to the dance floor, he’d kept his eye on her. Something told him that he should.

“Hey, man.” His buddy Eric slapped him on the back. “A table just opened up in the back. We’re going to go shoot a few games of pool. You coming?”

“Yeah, man, there’s a good-looking crop of women back there,” Zach added. “And the drinks have been flowing. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel to land one of the hotties tonight.”

Chris bristled and clenched his jaw. A year ago, he was just like Eric and Zach. Out for a good time, looking for a willing woman to share his bed. But not anymore. “You really shouldn’t be picking up anyone that drunk.”

Zach chuckled and slapped Eric on the back. “Yeah, but that’s the best kind, right?”

Chris sprang to his feet and stabbed his finger into Zach’s chest. “I don’t ever want to hear you talk like that about a woman again. They are not fish to be caught, and you should never take advantage of one when she isn’t fully able to consent.”

Eric shoved his shoulder into Zach. “Chill, man. He’s been on edge since Robin.”

It pissed the hell out of him when his friends minimized the situation. That was part of the reason he hadn’t come out with them recently. “You’re damn right. And if she hadn’t met an asshole like you guys, maybe she’d still be here. Besides, I still want to talk to the bartender that was on duty that night. She may have remembered something new.”

He turned his back on his friends and cursed his empty glass. He motioned for Dylan to refill his soda and plopped back on his stool. He should have trusted his instincts and stayed home tonight, but Zach and Eric were relentless. He had shut out his friends in the past few months and felt guilty about that, so he’d given in and joined them for a drink.

They probably regretted the invitation now.

After drawing a huge gulp from his fresh drink, he scanned the room, his gaze landing squarely on the blond who had snubbed him earlier. Her red dress clung to every curve and stopped well short of her knees. Her high-heeled stilettos barely moved as she swayed in the arms of the man who had claimed her not long after she’d returned to the dance floor. Chris watched the couple sway to another song, drawn to the woman, remembering the look in her eye when she’d let down her guard earlier.

That song ended and the woman stepped back. Well, as much as the jerk would let her, his arm latched around her waist. He leaned down and said something in her ear, and she tried again to free herself from his grasp. Her head snapped toward the door and her hand reached into the small bag at her waist. Maybe once she left, he could stop obsessing about her.

But then the man wrapped his fingers around her arm and steered her toward the door. He might think nothing of a guy insisting to his drunk girlfriend that it was time to leave if it wasn’t for the way she dug her heels in, or the wide eyes that pierced him straight to his heart.

Chris shot a look at Dylan who had been eyeing the scene himself. That was why they had a bouncer here, right? “I think that’s a problem. Where’s Carl?”

“Daggone. That’s why we brought him in after the incident. He’s out back dealing with another issue. You go. You know what to do.”

Chris jumped to his feet, threw a couple bills on the bar, and dashed to the exit as the woman steered the man toward a table. Maybe she’d find a friend who would help her out. He didn’t know what was up with the woman and the man currently guiding her out, but she didn’t look happy.

Taking advantage of their change in direction, he slammed through the door, positioning himself just out of sight. A minute later, the door swung open and the blond in the skimpy red dress stumbled out, hanging on the guy’s arm as he half dragged, half led her.

Chris had seen enough. He stepped out of the shadow and planted himself in front of the couple.

The guy puffed out his chest, tucking the woman behind him. “Hey, man. What’s your problem?”

“You’re my problem.” Before Chris went any further, he tilted his head and caught the woman’s eye. “Are you all right?”

She opened her mouth to respond, moving her tongue a couple of times, and a garbled response escaped her lips. But Chris couldn’t mistake the fear in her eyes and the slight shake of her head.

The man thrust her behind him again. “She’s fine. Now move on before I have to move you myself.”

His words slurred, the man nearly fell when he tried to shove past Chris.

“I don’t think so.” Chris sidestepped the man, shoving himself between him and the woman. He heard a gasp and her hands pressed to his back. Not to push him away… but to lean on him for support. If he could, he’d spin and check on her, but he wasn’t about to turn his back on a drunk man who felt he’d been wronged.

“That’s it, asshole.” The man raised his hands, his fists clenching. “Let her go and there won’t be any trouble.”

Chris widened his feet and squared his shoulders. The hours he spent with the bag in his spare room were about to be put to the test, and he was confident the bastard in front of him would regret challenging him. “You don’t want to do that.”

“Oh, yeah?” The man’s arm swung out, his fist flying clear of Chris’s head. Chris barely even had to duck.

Chris pulled his elbow back and let a punch fly. The crunch of the man’s nose was small comfort, but his girlish squeal satisfied Chris’s anger.

One more well-placed punch and the man dropped to the ground. He wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon.

One problem taken care of, another on his hands. But the woman in question wasn’t behind him. She had tiptoed halfway across the parking lot, hiding in the shadows of the building.

He rushed to her side and pulled up short when she cringed. He held out his hands and backed away slowly. He hadn’t meant to spook her. “Hey, I’m not going to hurt you. Are you all right?”

The woman nodded, sort of, her eyes darting between him and the bastard sprawled on the ground, wailing and clutching his nose as the dark-skinned bouncer rounded the corner. Chris waved at him, and Carl acknowledged him with a nod of approval.

Chris lowered his voice as he stepped closer to the skittish woman. She didn’t move. Progress. “Did you want to go with him?”

She shook her head slowly, her hands trembling as she rooted in her bag, her phone tumbling from her fingers and landing face-down on the pavement with a clatter.

Panic washed across her features as she dropped to the ground, searching for the device. He crouched beside her, his hand landing easily on her phone. He offered it to her, careful not to touch the woman who was as skittish as a wounded puppy.

“Dammit,” she cursed under her breath as she brushed off her phone to expose the shattered screen. “Now I can’t even book an Uber.” Despite her slur, he got the gist. Her escape from this situation was no longer at her fingertips.

Her phone might still work. Shoot, he could call a car for her himself, but those weren’t the words that came out of his mouth. “I can take you home.”

Her head snapped up, and every bit of progress he’d made dissolved as she backed away. “No. I’ll figure something out. I don’t know you. Why should I trust you?” And then, barely above a whisper, she added, “I can’t even trust myself anymore.”

He softened his voice again and raised his hands as he stepped back. “You can trust me. Go ask Dylan in the bar. He’s a good friend and he’ll vouch for me. My name is Chris. A ride home. Nothing else, I promise.”

“Alexis, you can trust him.” The bouncer stepped from the shadows and the woman jumped. “Sorry, honey. Didn’t meant to scare you. Dylan sent Chris out because I was busy. You can trust him. Let him take you home.”

Her gaze darted to the door and then the asshole who had escorted her out of FitzGeralds. “Okay, I guess.”

“Thanks, Carl. I’ve got her, and you can deal with him.” He gestured to the wimp on the ground. Before she changed her mind, or the bastard got a hankering for round two, Chris steered the woman to his truck, depositing her in the passenger side and then rounding the front. After vaulting in and shutting the door, he turned to the woman hunched against the opposite door, as far away from him as she could get. Either that guy had seriously spooked her or something else had caused the torment in her eyes. “So, what should I call you?”

“What? What do you mean?” The words rushed out of her mouth and her eyes blazed.

“Your name. I was just asking your name.” Leave it to him to get tongue tied when she needed calm. But he was tired of referring to her as the woman in his head.

“Oh.” She breathed out a sigh and her shoulders relaxed. “Alexis.”

“Nice to meet you, Alexis.” Chris started the engine, keeping an eye on Alexis’s former date, or whatever he was. “Where to?”
“Home.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I get that. But I need an address.”

“Oh, sorry.” She rattled off an address not far from him. How was it that he hadn’t met Alexis before? No way would he have forgotten this captivating woman. Especially in a town as small as Cedar Hill.

He pulled out of the parking lot and pointed his truck toward Alexis’s house, streetlights swooping into the cab at regular intervals. His gaze darted to Alexis from time to time, her head leaning on the window that she had lowered halfway. The May evening temperature was still cool, but he didn’t mind the fresh air. Whatever made her comfortable.

She didn’t say another word, her eyes closed and her breathing steady. As the silence stretched between them, he allowed his mind to wander to thoughts he’d rather not consider. Had the asshole at the bar been about to take advantage of her? Could Alexis have become another victim?

What was it about guys that made them think women were theirs for the taking… especially when they were intoxicated? Had Robin had that same look in her eye when her attacker sized her up? When he’d slipped the roofie into her drink and spirited her away from her friends?

It would do him no good to dwell on that. Right now, he just needed to get Alexis safely home. Then he could spend a couple hours pounding out his anger and grief on the bag hanging in his guest room.

A few minutes later, he pulled up to the curb in front of a small white and green craftsman-style cottage with a sparse but well-kept lawn. Alexis stayed put as he slid the gearshift into park, but he added a few words for good measure. “Wait right here.”

He rounded the front of his truck and when he opened her door, she practically tumbled into his arms, her feet unsteady on the pavement. He wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her up the walk, her soft body melting into his as she leaned heavily on his side.

You’re here to help her. Nothing else. He had to chant that reminder several times. If only his body could get the message.
He lofted her up the two stairs to her stoop, reaching for the handle. Locked. Good for her safety, bad for him right now. He nudged her. “Alexis?”

She shook her head as though clearing her mind. “What? Oh, we’re home.”

She fumbled for her bag but when she missed the opening twice, he snaked his fingers inside and came up with her keys. As he slipped the metal into the lock, a high-pitched bark echoed through the door. He sent up a silent plea for a friendly, or at least a small dog. All he needed to top off this ball-busting night was a huge, protective mutt thinking Chris was a threat.

He turned the handle, nudging the door and stepping back for Alexis. She’d barely made it two steps before a small terrier of some sort circled her feet, his excited yips filling the air. The dog then dropped to the ground and rolled over, exposing his belly with a hopeful look in his eye. Alexis stumbled on her heels, nearly fell, and then dropped to her knees, wrapping her arms around the dog who seemed to sigh as she did.

The pooch’s tail smacked against the hardwood floor, the steady rhythm the only sound in the room. As he licked her face, Alexis fell from her crouch, her ass hitting the ground with a thud, forcing a moan from her lungs. “Bandit, take it easy.”

As if he understood, the dog plopped on his butt, his tongue lolling out of the left side of his mouth, his eyes wide.

Alexis pressed her hands to the floor and shifted her feet beneath her but fell back again. She turned onto her side and tried again, lifting her butt a mere three inches before giving up and flopping back to the ground. Should he help her, or would she flinch if he touched her again? After watching her struggle for another minute, he couldn’t bear it any longer.

“Alexis, I’m going to help you up.” When she nodded, he slipped his hands beneath her arms and lifted her to her feet. One shoe fell to the ground as he righted her.

“Thanks. I’ll just… I’m gonna change and I’ll walk him.” Alexis stumbled across the room, click-thud, click-thud, the other shoe an eventual casualty of her lopsided steps. Undeterred, she whipped her bag over her head, the strap dangling from her fingers before clattering onto the floor behind her as she turned the corner.

Chris raked his hand through his hair. What the hell should he do now? He hadn’t thought this situation through any further than liberating Alexis from a dangerous situation. He would have never thought he’d land in her house, her dog staring expectantly up at him.

He bent down and scratched the pup between his ears. “Sorry, buddy. She’ll be back in a minute.”

Bandit sank to the ground, his head on his paws and his gaze locked on the hall until his owner returned. Chris could at least wait until she came back to walk the dog. That would be the right thing to do. Then he could slip out, consoled by the fact that she was safe.

He whipped his phone out of his pocket and illuminated the screen. She sure had been gone a long time. Too long. As if he agreed, Bandit hopped up and rushed toward the kitchen and what Chris presumed was a back door.

What was taking Alexis so long?

Chris eased his way across the room, peeking down the hall to see two open doors and a light shining from underneath a third. His heart thumping a quick, heavy rhythm in his chest, he crept down the hall, poking his head tentatively around the first doorway—an empty bathroom. His survey of the second room revealed a small office, a desk piled high with papers surrounding a computer monitor. His mind wandered a minute, imagining Alexis at the desk, her long fingers flying over the keyboard. Did she spend hours working in front of the wide window or was this just a place to check her email and pay her bills?

He had no business thinking about her that way right now. Maybe ever. He didn’t expect to see her again after tonight.

He stepped back into the hall. That left only one door.

“Alexis?” His whispered words broke the near silence of the house, but he heard nothing in response.

Well, hell. He’d started this, he better finish. He glanced again at the light sneaking out beneath the almost closed door. His imagination weaved a thousand scenarios through his mind, none of them good. Had she fallen? What if she passed out and suffocated?

After another minute, he tapped on the door, nudging it open as he did. “Alexis?”

Alexis was sprawled face-down on a large bed that dominated the feminine space, her feet hanging over the edge of the mattress, her arms wide. Well, that explained the radio silence. He stepped toward the bed, just to make sure she was still breathing. Sure, buddy, you tell yourself that all you want.

He was rewarded with a groan when he leaned over.

About that time, Bandit burst into the room, all yips and wiggles. Chris crouched, his hands extended. “Shh, buddy. Mommy’s sleeping. How about I take you out?”

That was all the prompting the little pup needed before he raced out of the room. After another quick glance at Alexis, Chris followed Bandit to a cozy kitchen where the pooch jumped and yipped at the wall beside the door. Chris located a leash, latched it onto Bandit’s collar, and the pooch dragged him out the door.

A tall fence surrounded the back yard and Chris was tempted to just turn Bandit loose in the yard, but the mutt was having none of that. Bandit guided him to the gate, jumping until Chris released the latch. As soon as he did, the little stinker darted out of the yard as if he had spotted the promised land.

Chris allowed Bandit to take the lead. The pooch pranced down the shadowy sidewalk, the darkness pierced at regular intervals by the brightness of the decorative street lights. He and Bandit were alone on the sidewalk, the neighbors long since tucked in for the night.

From time to time, Bandit stopped to sniff a bush or water a patch of grass.

Chris raked his fingers through his hair. How in the hell had he ended up here, walking the dog of a stranger who could wake up, find her dog missing, and call the Sheriff? He should have left well enough alone, but he could never have forgiven himself if Alexis ended up like Robin when he could have prevented it.

He missed Robin the most when he was alone with his thoughts, like he was now, longing for her bright eyes and huge smile that lit up a room. He could practically hear her voice in his head. “Now, big brother. You know there’s something about that woman. And not just because she’s in trouble.”

Robin could always read him like a book. And before she’d been killed, he probably would have approached Alexis the moment she’d stepped up to the bar. Would have quite possibly been the asshole trying to get lucky with her tonight.

Not anymore.

Bandit barked and steered Chris back toward Alexis’s house. A few minutes later, he stepped through her back door, locked it behind him, and unhooked the leash. The little pooch scampered across the floor, spun three times on a dark-colored cushion, and curled himself into a ball.

Now what? Of all the unusual situations he’d gotten himself in before, this one took the cake. Guess it was time to go. As he headed to the door, he spotted Alexis’s shoe where it had fallen. Before he could stop himself, he’d collected both of her shoes, her bag, and a random belt he didn’t even remember seeing her wearing. He carried his bounty into the kitchen and piled it in the center of her kitchen table, where she would easily find it in the morning.

After a quick trip to her office, he returned to the kitchen with a pen and slip of paper. He couldn’t leave without letting her know that he’d taken care of Bandit.

He scrawled a few words on the paper, finishing it off with his cell phone number, and tucked the note beneath the pile.

He snuck one last peek into Alexis’s bedroom, her back rising and falling as she breathed. He’d done all he could for tonight. After staring at her for another moment, he pulled the door almost shut and crept to the front of the house.

The door handle had a lock he could flip. That was good. He could leave knowing Alexis would be safely locked inside her house. He flipped the latch, testing the handle to ensure he couldn’t turn it… and then he stopped. Once he shut the door, he’d be locked out. He couldn’t get back in.

He shook his head. He’d done his part. He’d gotten Alexis home safely. Maybe she’d text him to let him know she was safe… or maybe she wouldn’t. Either way, that would be the end of it.

After crossing the threshold, he pulled the door behind him. The sharp snick of the lock engaging pierced the silent night. He tested the handle one last time. It wouldn’t turn. With Alexis secure inside her home, he sent up a silent prayer to protect her tonight and then ambled down the stairs to his truck.

 

Chapter Three

The sheets wrapped around Chris’s legs like a pretzel as he tossed and turned. In the past two hours, he’d stared at the ceiling, shoved his face into his pillow, and had even counted sheep, all in a vain attempt to sleep. But nothing worked. His mind was filled with thoughts of Alexis—from the attitude she’d thrown his way when he’d first seen her double-fisting cocktails at the bar, to the way her body had moved on the dance floor. And then later, when her eyes thanked him for liberating her from the asshole who was poised to take advantage of her—even when her words didn’t.

His mind and his heart battled about what he’d done. Should he have left her alone or should he have stayed to ensure she didn’t hurt herself… or worse? It did no good to second guess his decision. He’d done everything he could. She’d been breathing normally, deep in sleep, when he checked on her. He’d walked the dog and locked up. That would have to be enough.

She would be okay when she woke up… probably with a massive hangover as a souvenir.

He flipped over and snatched the photo off his nightstand, the one of him and Robin, his arm slung over his little sister’s shoulder while she flashed her beautiful smile at the camera. The easy expression on his face in that image hadn’t returned since the night he’d received the phone call that had changed his life.

“I promise, Robin. I’ll make sure the guy who did this to you pays for his crime.” … … … … … …

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