Harley smiled as the little girl started to expertly scamper down. From the corner of his eye, though, he watched Liz, searching for another sign of fear. Even though he’d had the pretty woman and her activities under close surveillance for the last two weeks, this was the first hint that there was even something to watch. He’d actually been questioning whether or not he and his partners were way off-base in having him in to keep an eye on her. Was this a sign that they were right after all? Was Liz’s obvious fear of the hooded man related to the case they’d been investigating for the last fifteen years?
Even though she’d already denied knowing the shadowy figure, Harley wished he could ask a more pointed question without giving himself away. Something told him that even if he’d been able to, that drawing attention to the situation right that second might backfire, anyway. Liz was too on edge, the man close enough to see if she reacted poorly. The last thing he wanted was to put Teegan—who was now using cartwheels to propel herself toward them—or her mother in danger, so he kept his mouth shut and turned back to the other man to assess for any immediate danger. The hooded figure was on the move now, his head still down as he shuffled out of the doorway.
Harley tensed automatically, preparing for a fight. Preparing to tell Liz to grab Teegan and run. He was hyper-aware of the fact that he’d left his gun in a coded lockbox high on a shelf in his closet. A safety precaution, which now seemed like an unsafe choice. He wished he had it strapped to his side in easy reach.
But it only took a second to realize it wouldn’t be necessary. The man was headed in the opposite direction.
Still uneasy, and with his hands flexing, Harley took a quick inventory. He noted the fact that the guy was too covered for the late spring warmth. He saw his limp, and tried to mentally calculate whether it was a fresh injury or something older and more permanent. Before he could reach a conclusion, though, the guy disappeared around the corner.
Just in time, too.
Teegan’s fresh giggle filled the air as she flung her arms around Harley’s knees. “You lost! I totally beat you!”
Harley gave the street corner a final glance, tucking what he’d seen into the caches of his memory for future perusal, then smiled and turned his attention to the little girl.
Don’t miss
Undercover Passion by Melinda Di Lorenzo,
available November 2018 wherever
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Copyright © 2018 by Melinda Di Lorenzo
ISBN-13: 9781488050886
A Game of Deception
First published as Her 24-Hour Protector by Harlequin Books S.A. in 2009
Copyright © 2009 by Harlequin Books S.A.
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