Free Twin Peril by Laura Scott

looked away. “I’m not up to seeing him again, that’s for sure.”
    Jonah tightened his grip on her shoulders, raking his gaze over her as if searching for signs of injury. “Are you all right?”
    “I’m fine. I was quick enough that he didn’t touch me.” She twisted out of his grasp and took a step back.
    A red haze covered his eyes and he was tempted to march back to confront cigar guy himself. No wonder he’d wanted them out—he knew Mallory could press assault charges against him. When Mallory sank into a chair, he struggled to remain calm as he faced her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
    She stared at her half-eaten bagel. “There was no reason to bother you, Jonah. I told you, I can take care of myself. When he doubled over in pain, I ran back to my room. End of story.”
    Jonah knelt down beside her, forcing her to look at him. “The clerks have master keys to these rooms, Mallory. He might have come back to hurt you, or worse.”
    “I know,” she said softly. “I actually thought of that, but he knew we had connecting rooms, remember? So after about an hour, I figured he was smart enough not to pursue anything further.”
    For a moment he closed his eyes, wishing he had the right to take Mallory into his arms, hold her close and never let go. But she was a key witness in his case, and he needed to remember that. Emotions had a way of clouding good judgment.
    Besides, maybe she didn’t want him holding her in his arms. Hadn’t she faced cigar guy herself, without saying a word about it? If he hadn’t pushed her for information, he still wouldn’t have known what happened.
    Which begged the question, what else hadn’t Mallory told him?
    * * *
    Mallory looked down at Jonah’s bowed head and resisted the urge to reach out and touch him. Last night, after she’d lain awake for over an hour, waiting for cigar man to come back, she’d wanted so badly to wake Jonah, seeking comfort. But she’d talked herself out of it.
    She set her unfinished bagel aside, feeling slightly sick when she remembered what had transpired out at the vending machine. She felt bad Jonah was so upset about what had happened, but wasn’t sure how to reassure him that it wasn’t his fault.
    “What can I do to earn your trust, Mallory?”
    His question caught her off guard. “What do you mean? I trust you, Jonah. You’re probably the only man in the world, aside from Gage, that I do trust.”
    He was slowly shaking his head. “No, you say that, Mallory, but deep down, you don’t trust me. Be
honest—you weren’t going to say a word about what happened last night, were you? If I hadn’t pushed the issue, you wouldn’t have told me anything.”
    She let out a small sigh. “But that’s not because I don’t trust you, Jonah. I just didn’t want to burden you with my problems. Especially when they aren’t significant to solving our case.”
    “Listen carefully, Mallory. Everything that happens to you is important to me. Everything. I want you to promise me that you’ll come to me no matter how insignificant you think your problem is. Promise?”
    His obvious concern for her well-being warmed her heart. Looking into his chocolate-brown eyes, she couldn’t refuse his request. “I promise.”
    “Good,” he murmured, his gaze never wavering from hers. Once again, she had the sense he wanted to kiss her, but in an instant, the moment was gone. He rocked back on his heels and rose to his feet. He walked over to the small plate of bagels. “After we’re finished with breakfast, we’ll have to find some sort of transportation out of here.”
    “We’re leaving?” She was surprised Jonah didn’t want to stay another day.
    Jonah swallowed his food before answering. “Cigar guy has no intention of renting us rooms for another night. After what you told me, there’s no way I’d agree to stay anyway.”
    “But what sort of transportation are we going to find here, in a small town?”
    “I don’t know, but I’m