Free Queen of Hearts: (Family Stone #6 Shelley) (Family Stone Romantic Suspense) by Lisa Hughey Page A

recognized the entrance to her suite.
    “That’s the guy?” Her heart thumped.
    “Yeah,” Jack said gruffly. “You recognize him?”
    Shelley tried to study the man objectively, searching for some clue to his identity but too much was hidden by the way he avoided the cameras. “No.”
    This man had gone into her room, cut up her clothes, dumped out her cosmetics, and violated her stuff.
    It was just stuff.
    But what if she’d been in that room?
    Sweat bloomed on her chest as the destruction of her room came back to her. He’d sliced her clothes. If she’d been there would he have sliced her? Her heart picked up the pace as horrible possibilities flashed through her mind. Her breath shortened and her finger trembled as she traced it over the man’s face.
    “I don’t even know him,” Shelley whispered. “Why would he hate me so much he’d destroy my things?”
    Ric’s knees touched hers. “Hey. You weren’t there.” He rested his elbows on his knees and leaned in to smooth his palm over her forearm and linked his fingers with hers. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
    His touch soothed her immediately.
    Shelley lifted her gaze from the picture. His dark, brooding eyes were sincere and she fell into the bottomless promise of safety. She wanted to respond to his pledge. The solemn words felt like more.
    Not just here and now. But weighty as if she could depend on him forever.
    Instead of making her run, fast and far, she leaned closer until they were only inches apart. “Okay.” The air was heavy with expectation.
    Con tapped the picture, breaking the connection that thickened the air around them. Shelley and Ric leaned away from each other at his interruption.
    “We’re pretty sure that this was only meant to scare you.” Jack’s voice was gentle.
    “They did a good job of scaring everyone.” Shelley’s sense of humor rose again.
    “How so?” Con asked.
    “There are three of you in Ric’s suite, and you’re all hovering.” Her lips quirked, and she tried to find the humor in the situation. It was either that or curl into a fetal ball and retreat from the world.
    “Good point.” Jack’s lips quirked. “But the fact is that if you look at the mess he made it’s too neat, too methodical. Initially we thought rage, but after looking at the larger pictures, we think this was supposed to be intimidation.”
    “So what do you think they want?”
    “They want you to leave,” Ric said. The message had been sprayed over the walls. Leave or else.
    Shelley’s ire rose. “No. Not happening. I am not missing your wedding,” she vowed to Jack fiercely.
    “Okay.” Con popped open his laptop. “We need to go over the other threats you’ve gotten.”
    “It’s just a few random emails.” Shelley dismissed the weird letters and proposals she’d been receiving. Really, there wasn’t anything in those fishing communications that was truly threatening.
    “That’s my specialty.” Con smiled, the action softened the skin around his eyes. He was so much more relaxed and happy with Ava in his life. “I trace things.”
    “You know, sometimes I think we should thank Fernandez,” Shelley said softly to him.
    Con lifted his inquisitive gaze from the screen to her. “What?”
    “He brought you and Ava together.”
    Prior to his relationship with Ava he’d still had traces of that defensive teen. Con had needed someone just for him. And he’d found her in Ava. He deserved the bone deep happiness that bled from his pores and bathed him in a soft content light. Shelley brushed her fingers over the lock blond of hair that always seemed to tumble into his tawny eyes.
    “True.” Con hesitated, then curled his fingers around hers and held her hand for a moment. The unconsciously affectionate gesture rolled over her like a wave of joy for his happiness, and his ability to finally settle in his own skin. “Was there a reason you brought up Fernandez? You think he has something to do with your