Harlequin Romantic Suspense April 2021 by Karen Whiddon (interesting books to read for teens TXT) 📕

held on to the sink as the pain eased. Certain of her footing, she moved back to the bedroom. Her phone sat on the edge of her bed. She opened her contacts and placed the call without a second thought.

* * *

Sleep had eluded Luis for most of the night. He’d been lying in bed wondering two things: What would Julia say if she knew about his addiction? And did he have the balls to tell her?

His phone rang and he lifted it from the bedside charger.

“Julia,” Luis said, after looking at the caller ID. Maybe now was the time to allow Julia a glimpse of his past—a time when Luis had not been at his best. “I’m glad you called, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”

“Luis,” she said. Her voice caught. She inhaled. Exhaled. “There was someone in my house, hiding in my bathroom when I got back from my run.”

“What?” He jumped out of bed and stepped into a pair of pants. “Are you hurt?”

“Just a few bruises,” she said, her voice shaking.

Then again, Luis knew that not all injuries were physical.

After slipping into a shirt and jacket, he grabbed the keys to his SUV. Running down the stairs, he asked, “Who was it? Did you get a good look at the intruder?”

At street level, Luis sprinted across the sidewalk. Using the fob, he unlocked the doors to his SUV, parked at the curb. Sliding behind the steering wheel, he started the engine and the phone call was transferred via Bluetooth to his in-car stereo system.

“All I saw was a dark hood—pulled so low I couldn’t see the eyes. Tufts of long, blond hair. Thin, colorless lips.” Julia swallowed. “I know it’s impossible, but the person who was hiding in my bathroom...” She paused. “It looked a lot like Darcy Owens.”

“What? Can’t be. She’s in jail.” His voice was hoarse, his breathing labored.

“I saw what I saw,” she said. “But you’re right. Darcy’s behind bars. Someone was in my house. Why? What did they want?”

“I’m on your street,” said Luis as he approached. “Your block. Your house.”

“Come in,” said Julia. “The door’s unlocked.”

He ended the call as he parked the car and sprinted up the walkway. While pushing open the door, he called out, “Julia? It’s me.”

“Hold on a second,” she yelled back. “I need to get dressed.” A beat passed. “You can come back.”

Luis walked in the door and stopped. Her running gear was lying in a sweaty tangle on the floor. She was clad in the flannel shirt he’d loaned her yesterday. The shirt was big on her, covering her to midthigh. Still, he swallowed as his gaze traveled from her face to her torso to her bare legs. “How are you?” he asked, dragging his eyes away from her legs. “What happened?”

“I was almost in the shower when I found...” Pausing, Julia bit the inside of her lip. “The person hiding.” She removed a pair of jeans from her closet and shimmied into the pants, then tied the shirt’s hem at her waist.

“Is anything missing?”

“To be honest,” said Julia, “I called you first, so aside from putting on clothes, I haven’t done much looking. But I walked through the living room. It wasn’t like the TV was gone or anything.”

“It’s probably best to leave everything the way it was,” said Luis. He held up his phone. “Mind if I call your deputies and RMJ?”

“Go ahead.” While on the phone, Luis looked around her room, taking in every detail. Was anything different? Moved? Gone? The top drawer to her dresser was off-center, the edge no longer flush with the bureau.

Had the intruder been rummaging through her underwear drawer?

“Everyone’s on their way,” said Luis as he slipped his phone into the pocket of his jeans. “I have to tell you—early morning is an odd time for a home invasion. Your intruder probably isn’t a typical burglar.”

“I was just starting to think the same thing. Maybe whoever it was knew my schedule. Do you think they knew I’d be out on my morning run?”

Puzzle pieces began to fall into place. And, honestly, Luis didn’t like the picture they created.

Julia continued, “Last night, I thought I saw someone looking in the window. But the motion-sensor light was off and when I turned on the porch lights, the yard was empty. And this morning, I cut my run short.”

“You cut your run short? Why?”

“I had a run-in with Peter Knowles. He was asking about Tom Dolan, although he doesn’t know much, but he had some other questions.” Julia sighed, then continued. “Listen, I have to tell you something. It has nothing to do with Tom Dolan, or even the break-in. It looks like Peter Knowles has been doing some digging—”

“Hey,” called a voice that Luis knew well. It was Marcus Jones, team leader for RMJ. “You have to come and see what I found.”

Whatever Julia had planned to say was temporarily forgotten and Luis followed her to the living area. Marcus stood at the front door, a translucent evidence bag in hand. “I just got here, and I walked the perimeter of your house.” He held up the bag, filled with broken bits of white plastic, then entered and closed the door. “This was in the backyard.”

Stepping forward, Luis took the bag and examined the contents. “It looks like a motion sensor. It also looks like we know why your light didn’t go off last night.” He handed the bag back to Marcus.

“Last night?” Marcus echoed. “You need to fill me in on what’s happening. I thought this was a simple home invasion.”

“At the sheriff’s house? You’d have to be the unluckiest criminal in the world to break into a cop’s home,” said Julia, almost joking. “I’m worried that someone’s been watching me.”

“I’d say you have more than a reason to worry.” Luis gestured to the bag that Marcus held. “Whoever it is, they’re bold.”

Luis stopped short of giving voice to his greatest fear—that they were more than