Deceptive Truth: Cowboy Justice Association (Serials and Stalkers Book 4) by Olivia Jaymes (psychology books to read .TXT) 📗

with him, to ask him questions about what he liked and didn't like. She wanted to know his favorite ice cream and whether he liked classic rock. She was fascinated by how a man who dumped copious amounts of ketchup on his scrambled eggs could say there was too much gravy on his mashed potatoes.

He was laid back but his mind was working every moment. She'd become one of those horrible women who wanted to know what their man was thinking all of time. Hoping, of course, that he was thinking about her. She wasn't delusional enough for that, though. She knew good and well he wasn't thinking about her.

Knox pulled up in front of Lori's townhouse. "You said that you haven't changed anything? Everything is the same as when she left it?"

"Everything," Jenna assured him. "Except we cleaned out the refrigerator. We didn't want to harbor spoiled food. Luckily, Lori wasn't much of a cook so there wasn't much there."

It was stupid, keeping Lori's townhouse. But their hope had truly never died. Even now, knowing the odds were stacked mightily against them, they held onto it, keeping it just as she left it.

Lori's home was in a newly constructed townhouse development on the edge of Douglas. All the exteriors were exactly alike, painted beige with white trim, up and down the street. Jenna remembered that she'd teased her sister that she needed to put up a colorful flag or paint the mailbox red otherwise she'd drive right past her own house. Michelle and Jenna had come over the next weekend and helped plant colorful flowers in decorative pots for the front porch.

They approached the front door and if Jenna hadn't been paying attention she would have run right into Knox's back. He'd come to an abrupt halt.

"What–"

He placed his hand over her mouth, shaking his head. His head jerked toward the townhouse and then he pointed to his ear.

It was when she was quiet that she heard it. Sounds coming from inside the house. There shouldn't be anyone in there. Her heart lurched and then accelerated, the adrenaline beginning to pump through her veins.

Someone was in Lori's house.

"Would your sister or brother be in the house?" he asked, his voice so low she almost didn't hear him.

She held up the key. "No, we only have the one spare. If I have it, they don't."

"Stay here."

Before her brain could register his movements, he'd gone back to the SUV to retrieve something and was standing back on the front porch again.

He was holding a gun. A gun.

Now her heart was pounding even harder and faster. Real fear was crawling at her insides, pressing against her lungs and making it difficult to take a deep breath. Knox thought that whoever was inside the house was dangerous. Was that person armed too?

Gently pushing her back, he plucked the key from her hand and slowly unlocked the front door.

"Stay here," he said again, pushing his shoulder against the door and entering the house.

Jenna didn't like staying behind but she didn't want to go inside either. She was frozen to her spot on the porch, her feet immovable objects. Her brain wasn't in charge at the moment.

She heard a flurry of activity, some curse words, and then the sound of a door and footsteps. Hurrying to the edge of the house, she caught a glimpse of Knox running through the backyard, dodging lawn furniture and leaping over a flowerbed before disappearing between two houses.

Now what?

She didn't have to be a genius to realize that Knox was chasing someone. The "someone" who had been in Lori's house. Had he or she been alone? Was there anyone else still in there?

Should I go check? Should I get in the car and try and help Knox?

She then realized that she didn't have the keys to his vehicle. She was stuck here.

Glancing back at the front door, she took a few tentative steps toward it but then stopped. He'd said to stay put. He was the former cop, after all. If she walked into the house and there was still someone in there it would be her own damn fault if she ended up hurt or dead. He'd warned her when they started this investigation that if she was going to follow him around, she had to do everything he told her to do. No exceptions. He wasn't going to take any chances with her safety.

Even if there wasn't anyone in the house, if she went in there while he was gone he might get pissed off about it. She didn't want to give him a reason to exclude her from the investigation. She was in this for the long haul, wanting to find her sister. Nothing was going to stop her now that she had Knox on the case.

So I'll just stand here, I guess. Feeling like an idiot.

Jenna kept her eyes peeled in case she saw anyone suspicious running through the neighborhood but it was quiet, almost serene. If one didn't include a former law enforcement officer chasing a home intruder around the block.

"You listened. I'm surprised."

Whirling around, her heart in her throat, Knox was striding up the opposite side of the building. His face was sweaty and he looked mad. Very mad.

"You mean about staying? I did, although I admit that I was tempted. What happened?"

Bounding up the porch stairs, Knox held out his arm, gun still in his hand. "I lost him about a street over. I think he might have parked there and walked here because he seemed to just disappear."

"It was a he? What was he doing?"

"I actually don't know if it was a male. They were dressed