Free On the Scent by Angela Campbell Page B

television. My imagination runs wild sometimes.”
    Hannah bit her lip, wondering how wise it would be to reveal the truth to her new neighbor. She wasn’t stupid. Chances were the woman would leave and be on the phone within minutes, sharing all that she had learned with a network of their more curious neighbors. Hannah had been living here for almost three weeks, and this was the first time any of them had attempted contact. She’d feared becoming a source of gossip after calling the police during the first break-in, and now she had police cars and strange men coming and going at all hours. Yeah, she’d have been curious too, but she didn’t want to scare the other residents unnecessarily by hinting they were in danger of burglary or anything.
    â€œWell, I—”
    She was saved from further explanation by the sound of the doorbell.
    Hannah hurried to answer it, eager for any reason to usher this woman out.
    Zach stood there, looking gorgeous and casual in jeans paired with a well-worn leather jacket. He tugged the sunglasses from his eyes as his lips spread into a killer smile—aimed right at her. He opened his mouth to speak, but his gaze drifted toward her guest. She saw confusion flitter across his face, but he recovered fast.
    His grin kicked it up a notch when he leaned down toward her. Hannah wasn’t sure what shocked her more. The fast, firm press of his warm lips against hers, or the feel of his hand sliding to the small of her back. She slid into the curve of his body without an ounce of protest.
    Before she could react, he reached his free hand toward Carolyn. “Hi, I’m Zach. You must be one of Hannah’s new neighbors.”
    Carolyn’s face turned a shade redder than it had been as she accepted Zach’s gentle handshake. She quickly brought her hand back to her chest. “Nice to meet you.”
    Hannah swallowed. Should she wrap her arm around his waist too? He obviously wanted to give the woman the idea they were a couple. Her left hand fluttered awkwardly at her side. She really, really wanted to touch him though.
    â€œUm, Zach, this is Carolyn, my neighbor.”
    â€œI appreciate you coming over,” he said, squeezing Hannah even closer to his side. “I’ve been so worried about Hannah since the break-in. It’s good to know she’s finally meeting some of the other residents.”
    Hannah’s eyes widened—but probably not as much as Carolyn’s did.
    â€œThe break-in?” The woman’s hand fiddled with the necklace at her throat.
    â€œYes, I’m sure you saw the police cars and the ambulance.” He shook his head and sighed loud. He waved his hand toward the bruise on his face. “I almost caught the guys, but they clobbered me pretty good. I’m out of the hospital now, and I’m not going anywhere until I’m sure she’s safe.” He pointed his thumb toward the door. “My best friend Brian and my other friend, E.J., have been helping me keep an eye out. You haven’t seen anything, have you? Any strange behavior in the neighborhood?”
    She shook her head, a worried frown highlighting the wrinkles on her aging face. “My goodness. No. No, I haven’t. We did wonder…” Her voice trailed off as her gaze drifted toward the door. “Do you think it’s safe now?”
    Zach chuckled. “Oh yeah. I’m not letting her out of my sight for personal reasons, but my friend Brian is tight with the cops. The guys who broke in are probably long gone.”
    â€œIt is a nice community,” Carolyn said, somewhat distractedly. “We have a neighborhood watch.”
    â€œWe figure the robbers probably saw the moving trucks one day and figured it would be an easy hit.” He lowered his gaze to Hannah’s, and winked. “Hell, the cops think they might have even worked for the moving company.”
    â€œOh, you poor dear.” Carolyn reached