Phone sex was one thing, but she wasn’t certain she was ready for the real thing yet.
“Doesn’t matter.” She could hear more sounds through the phone and knew Jonah was getting dressed.
“Why don’t you hang up and I’ll see you when you get here?” She had no idea why she was suddenly whispering. The stairs were dark as was the landing below. An icy finger of dread crept up her spine. Great, now she was letting his fears affect her.
“Stay on the line. Don’t you dare hang up.” The fierceness of his reply startled her.
“I’m leaving now.”
“Okay.” In truth, she was glad that he was still on the line. She was starting to get spooked. Taking a deep breath, she reached out and flicked the light switch at the top of the stairs. Nothing. “Damn.”
“What?” His voice was sharp.
“The stupid light on the stairs doesn’t work.” She grabbed the railing and started down. “I’ll be glad when you get the wiring of this place fixed and everything working properly.”
“First thing tomorrow morning, sugar,” he promised.
That was all fine and dandy, but it didn’t help her tonight. When she reached the bottom of the steps, she paused and listened. Something in the air felt different. She sniffed and caught the scent of something that didn’t belong. Tentatively, she moved forward two steps and then stopped.
Her heart was pounding so loud she could barely hear anything above the noise. She took a deep breath and held it. Her heartbeat slowed enough for her to hear Jonah yelling at her to talk to him.
Instead, she tried to listen to her senses. Her nose picked up the unusual smell again and she paused. It was the smell of perspiration and men’s cologne.
Someone was in the house with her.
She slowly began to back away from the opening to the front room. The low sound of a shoe sliding on the flooring told her it was too late for stealth.
Whirling, she leapt toward the stairs. She could lock herself in the bathroom and climb out the window if necessary.
She felt a whoosh in the air behind her. An arm wrapped around her neck, cutting off her air. Panicked, she grabbed the arm, dropping the phone in the process. Her captor swore.
Amanda began to struggle, kicking with her heels. She knew she couldn’t do much damage in her stockinged feet, but she tried. Her heels connected with his shins, but that didn’t shake him. Her assailant tightened his hold, lifting her off her feet in the process.
Breathing became impossible. The edge of her vision began to turn black. She dug her fingers into his arm, tugging with everything she had in her.
His arm loosened slightly and she sucked in a deep breath as he hissed, “Where is it?
Where’s the book?”
She had no idea what he was talking about. She shook her head and he tightened his arm again, cutting off her air. She wanted to fight, but found it impossible to lift her limbs. Her vision was dimming. He was strangling her to death. Reaching behind, she tried to jab at his face. Her fingers touched cloth instead of skin.
Sirens sounded in the distance. The man swore again and shook her. “This isn’t over.” He released her and she fell to the floor, gasping for air. She heard the patter of his footsteps and the crack of the backdoor as it was thrown open. He was gone. Breathing seemed impossible. She clutched her throat.
The sound of a loud banging jolted her. Then Jonah’s voice reached her. “Amanda,”
he yelled. She wanted to answer, but couldn’t find the breath to do so.
Rolling on to her hands and knees, she tried to crawl to the front door. She heard the sound of glass smashing, and then Jonah was beside her, a gun held steady in his right hand as he peered down the hallway. “Amanda.” She could see the concern in his eyes as he gently eased her back down to the floor. “Relax. Just take it easy. You’re fine, you’re safe.”
The sirens got louder. “Give me a second.” He moved away from her and she wanted to scream at him to stay. She must have made some small noise because he responded. “I just need to open the door for the police.” She watched as he turned on the porch light, unlocked the door and opened it wide before quickly returning to her side. He kept his weapon out until a car pulled up outside. She could see the lights flashing through the open door. Jonah lowered his weapon, tucking it at the small of his back and pulling his shirt and jacket over it.
The first deputy arrived seconds later, weapon drawn, followed by the sheriff himself. “What’s going on?”
Jonah glanced at Sheriff Patrick O’Rourke. He was Shamus’s older brother and, from all accounts, a good lawman. “Intruder. Probably went out the back door.”
Patrick sent two of his men that way and leaned over Amanda. “Ambulance is on the way. How is she?”
Amanda was suddenly very conscious about her state of undress. Her legs were bare.
She tugged at her T-shirt and shivered. Jonah swore and yanked off his jacket, spreading it over her legs. “Better?”
She nodded and tried to speak. Nothing came out but a raw croak.
“No, don’t try and talk.” Jonah tilted her head back slightly and stared at her neck.
“He tried to strangle you, didn’t he?”
She nodded and shivered again. She felt cold to her very soul. It was just beginning to dawn on her that someone had tried to kill her.
Chapter Six
Jonah was vibrating with anger, but he allowed none of it outwardly show. On the outside, he was calm and controlled. Violence was something he was used to. In his years in the Special Forces, he’d been in some of the world’s most dangerous locations. He wasn’t one of those guys who enjoyed violence, but he didn’t shy away from doing what needed to be done.
But this was different.
Someone had tried to kill Amanda. Sweet, innocent Amanda, with her fiery red hair and her sexy curves. The more cynical part of his brain wasted no time in pointing out the fact that maybe she wasn’t as innocent as she seemed. This didn’t seem to be a random burglary that had gone bad. Usually, burglars avoided homeowners, running rather than confronting them. Breaking and entering was a lot less serious charge than attempted murder.
This felt personal. And as soon as Amanda was up to talking, he was going to get some answers. It didn’t matter that they’d just met. He felt an attachment to her on some deep level that he couldn’t deny. Not that he’d let himself get too involved with Amanda or her life, but he couldn’t turn his back on a woman in danger either.
She couldn’t talk, but kept her eyes on him as the sheriff’s deputies went over the downstairs, room by room. One of them called out to the Sheriff. Patrick glanced at Jonah and then down at Amanda. “The ambulance will be here any second. I’ll be right back.”
Amanda reached out, her hand groping for Jonah’s. He took her much smaller hand in his and held on tight. “You’re safe. Everything is going to be just fine.”
“Sorry,” she croaked. She coughed and clutched at her throat.
He frowned. “Don’t try and talk until the doctor’s looked at you. And you have nothing to be sorry for.”
“My problem. Not yours.” Her face was stark white, making her freckles even more prominent.
Jonah eased her into a seated position, drawing her into his arms. Her entire body trembled as he pulled her closer. He could feel the soft mound of her breast press against his chest, could smell the scent of her floral soap. His cock twitched, but he ignored it. He was so glad she was alive. He wouldn’t even contemplate what could have happened to her if he hadn’t arrived in time.
Patrick strode down the hall toward them just as the emergency medical technicians came through the front door. Reluctantly, Jonah released Amanda into their care. One of the emergency technicians covered her with a blanket while the other began checking her throat and vitals.