Free Double Jeopardy (Entangled Select) by Linda Wisdom Page A

happening.
    Her chuckle stopped cold at the reminder of why she’d chosen to make this woman’s life miserable. They had no idea she’d seen them at the restaurant Saturday night. She tried to tell herself it was a business dinner. Until she saw the way Josh looked at Lauren. A look of wonder, as if he couldn’t imagine a woman like her could ever come into his life. As if he was the luckiest man in the world to have her with him. That was when the pain struck. A pain that sent white-hot darts through her body as she watched Lauren look back at him with that same faint wonder. How dared she think she could seduce him away from her?
    She knew that type of woman. They liked to tease a man, lead him on, and promise him all sorts of things. Look how all the others did just that to Josh. They were nothing more than trash. She made sure to show him exactly what they were like. She wanted him to see how evil they could be. And, in the process, she’d let him know how devoted she was to him by rescuing him from these women.
    “Hi, haven’t seen you in a while. JoAnne and I are going over to that new salad bar. Want to come along with us?” Lauren laughed, walking up to her. “I even promise not to talk about how my morning went or how I spent it!”
    Her lips stretched in a natural smile as she looked at the object of her hate. Her expression was so bright and cheerful as she gazed at Lauren that the coroner could never guess how much she really despised the woman. “Thanks, Lauren, lunch with you and JoAnne sounds like something I really need. You would not believe the crazy morning I’ve had.”
    …
    “The bastard came by the school this afternoon and told the office that he was supposed to pick up Brian for a dental appointment!” Mitzi sobbed, twisting her purse straps between her fingers.
    Josh handed her a tissue. “The school is aware of the restraining order you obtained. Did they call the police?”
    She nodded, taking several deep, calming breaths. “The secretary was alert enough to write a note to one of the clerks to call the police while she stalled Steve by claiming she didn’t know what class Brian was in and would have to look up his file. He got suspicious and started screaming that they were keeping him from his son. When the police showed up, he was running down the halls, yelling Brian’s name and frightening the children, especially the smaller ones.” She covered her nose with the Kleenex and blew noisily. “By the time I got there, Brian was in hysterics. He…”—she stopped to catch her breath—”he thought Steve had killed me and had come to kill him.”
    “Shit,” Josh said under his breath, easily visualizing what had to be a chaotic scene as he glanced over the notes of the incident. He knew the official report wouldn’t be written up yet, and therefore, he’d asked Ginnie to get any information on it she could. Naturally, she came through with flying colors. He decided Mitzi wasn’t ready to learn that the officer who arrested Steve found a loaded handgun in her ex-husband’s jacket pocket.
    “Mitzi, the man was uncontrollable when the police officer tried to arrest him. He was taken to the hospital because his behavior was so erratic and they thought at first he might be on drugs. He’s since been placed under psychiatric observation, so you have nothing to worry about.”
    “Until he gets out.” She swiped at her tears with her fingertips. “I can’t live this way, Josh. I’m always afraid that he’ll show up again. Afraid that he’ll break into the house one night and hold a knife to my throat, the way he did that one night. I’m so scared he’ll lose what little control he has.”
    Her words ended in a sob. “What if he turns all that anger on Brian? He’s just a little boy, and he sometimes acts as if he’s lived through a major war. He jumps at the slightest sound. He has nightmares. He’s suffering emotional problems at school. His teachers understand,