Free Bound by Danger by Terry Spear Page A

find out what his previous job entailed. Was this Marilyn Johnson in cahoots with the thief? Deidre had assumed her brother was safe away from her place. Now she wasn’t so sure.
    “Is everything all right?” Dave asked.
    His concerned look made her realize she’d been puzzling over the matter, deep in thought for several seconds. “Do you think this Ms. Johnson could wish Charlie harm?”
    ***
    Dave tried to conceal his feelings. Here his partner was attempting to protect Charlie, just as he served as Deidre’s guardian angel. How could he ease her mind, concerning Marilyn without giving their case away? He sensed she hadn’t liked Marilyn from the beginning, but he hadn’t realized she’d come to the conclusion Marilyn wanted to harm her brother.
    “She probably wants to get a head start on looking for some commercial property.” He grabbed the ice chest and led Deidre to the door. “It would be good money for him and a nice start to his new job.”
    She nodded. “That’s what Charlie said. I’m really glad he has a job with the real estate office in town. With a first sale nearly under his belt, he’ll do all right.” She muttered under her breath, “Sure, as if she’s the real thing.”
    Dave secured his bag from his apartment, then walked with her to his truck. She shook her head when she saw the red super cab. He smiled. “Don’t like pickups? No bucket seats…that’s what I like best about them.” He pointed to the seatbelt next to him and patted the seat. “Pickups are more sociable.”
    She chuckled. “So that’s why men like these rigs…for pick-ups.”
    Dave laughed. She sure was the genuine thing. Funny, gorgeously sexy—totally unattached—and for the moment, all his. He cleared his throat. Better get his mind on business.
    He was dying to find out what Charlie said about the break-in, but he worried he’d scare Deidre off. She was protective of her brother, and he knew handling the matter would require kid gloves.
    Still when he proposed the question, he knew at once he hadn’t managed the situation well. “Did your brother have any clues about the break-in?”
    ***
    Deidre stared out the windshield in silence. Her thoughts focused a million miles away. A man dripping wet and frightened out of his wits filled her vision. Something deadly circled him, and he waited for death.
    “Deidre?” Dave patted her hand, waking her from her trance.
    Deidre learned long ago, she could still concentrate on her driving although a vision distracted her mind. It was as though she had two minds working at once—one in a daydream while the other sorted out reality. If anyone had asked her what she had passed on the road during one of her visions, however, she wouldn’t have a clue.
    She faced Dave. He must have asked her a question. “I’m sorry, what did you ask?”
    He cleared his throat. “You mentioned the break-in to Charlie. What did he say?”
    “He was just concerned for my safety.” She knew he wanted more of an answer, but she wasn’t willing to go any further.
    “Did he have a clue as to what the man was looking for?”
    “No.” She hadn’t lied. Charlie said he didn’t have anything anyone would want. Her brother wasn’t a prevaricator. She believed him. The problem was, he probably did have something that somebody desperately wanted, only Charlie didn’t know it. She had to find out what he’d been involved in before he dropped back into her life.
    “You hadn’t seen Charlie for several months. Are you certain he might not have gotten hold of something that somebody might want—”
    “Who, what, when, where, and why.”
    “Huh?”
    “You’re a reporter. I keep forgetting.”
    Dave scratched his temple. “Sorry, I guess I do sort of sound like a reporter. No, I’m trying to help figure out what the man would have been looking for. I’m concerned the thief might return—”
    “He was at the wrong apartment.”
    She closed her eyes and rested her cheek against