Expert Witness: A Romantic Suspense Novel (14 page)

“Well, again, I’m hoping this call was unnecessary.”

“Gotcha, but it’s a good thing you gave me the information. Anything you’ve got can end up being helpful. Don’t hesitate to call if you think of something else, as trivial as it might seem.”
 

Jordan sighed contently, now curled up in a fleece blanket on the couch. The soft material of her favorite sweatpants just might have been more comfortable than the PJs she’d been dreaming of as the stress of her day had escalated. Chase had suggested they watch a movie and have dinner delivered. It ended up being a perfect idea. After polishing off a pizza with extra cheese, they were settling in to watch the movie they’d agreed on.

“Hey, you’re not going to sleep on me, are you?” Chase said as he threw an accent pillow her way.

She caught it deftly and put it behind her head. “Of course not. The movie hasn’t even started yet.”
 

Chase was sprawled out in her recliner. He had his feet elevated and appeared most at home. For a fleeting moment, she wished the appearance was a reality. But even though she’d admitted to herself that she was somewhat attracted to him, he’d done nothing to indicate that he harbored any similar feelings. On occasion, she entertained thoughts of flirting a little to see if he might reciprocate. However, despite her feelings toward him, they still had to continue working together. She didn’t want make it awkward between them, particularly when it seemed he wasn’t interested in her in that way and was finally relaxing around her.

“I know the movie is just starting, but you do have a history to consider.” His comment broke her away from her thoughts.
 

Jordan laughed when she grasped that he was referring to the time he’d had to carry her to bed. The fact that she was such a heavy sleeper had been the subject of a great deal of teasing since then. Before she could come up with a witty retort, the phone rang, interrupting the exchange. She jumped up to grab it, but she tangled herself deeper into her blanket and fell with a thud into a pile on the floor.

Chase was rolling with laughter.
 

“All right. You can stop laughing now.”
 

Her comment didn’t even phase him. She couldn’t blame him though. She was having a hard time catching her breath between bouts of laughter and the tight confines of the cover.
 

“Chase, could you get that for me? I seem to be a little tied up,” she pleaded with him.
 

“Maybe… What’s it worth to you?” He waggled his eyebrows at her.
 

“Chase!” She was now struggling to free herself from the wrapper she’d created.

He grabbed the phone. “Hello. Clayton residence.” A brief pause ensued as Chase listened to the caller. He shifted his weight and looked over at Jordan with an unreadable expression.
 

His silence piqued her curiosity. She’d assumed it was Karen, as she always called around this time, but Chase’s face showed no signs of recognition.
 

 
“One moment, sir.” Chase covered the receiver and turned to Jordan, who was finally loose from the entanglement. “It’s your father.”
 

“Oh, no.” She groaned. So much for it being Karen on the line. What on earth was she going to tell her parents? She sure as heck wasn’t going to tell them the truth. They’d be worried sick. Not to mention they’d immediately want to fly over from Texas.
 

Realizing she couldn’t put it off any longer, she took the phone from Chase.
 

He considerately walked out of the room. However, with the minimal insulation in her house, she knew he’d still be able to hear most of the conversation clearly from his bedroom.

“Hey, Dad. How’s everything going?” A distinct echo when she talked signified he had her on the speakerphone.

“Same ol’ stuff here.” His deep Southern drawl was tinged with excitement. “Sounds like your life’s more interesting though. Who’s the young fella who answered the phone?” To her father, anyone under forty was a “young fella.”

“Oh, Dad, he’s just a friend.” Even as she said the words, she knew she didn’t sound one bit convincing. Though her parents were proud of her accomplishments, lately they’d been more vocal in their desire for her to begin a family of her own. She recognized that hearing Chase answer the phone probably gave them false hopes she’d have to remedy.

Her mother chose that moment to chime in. “Darling, he sounded quite handsome. We’ve been hoping you’d meet someone soon. You know, Rose has four grandchildren now! Can you believe it? She’s always showing me their pictures, and I get so excited imagining being in her shoes.”
 

“Four! Mom, I’m not so sure about having four children,” Jordan said.
 

“Well, of course not, my dear. You know Rose has two children and you’re our only…but even one would be such a blessing,” she said wistfully.
 

“Mom, I’m not even married yet. It may be a while. Besides,” she said, realizing this was not where she wanted to go with the conversation. “Like I said, Chase is merely a friend.”
 

“Of course, honey.” Her mother was not to be dissuaded. “How long have you two been
friends
?”
 

“Not too long. I met him through Mike. They were friends in college.” As soon as she said it, she knew it was a mistake. Her mother adored Mike and Karen, and there was no doubt that the idea of Chase as a potential husband had become even more appealing.
 

“Really? That’s wonderful,” her mother said, warming to the topic. “And what does he do?”

Jordan hadn’t anticipated that one.
Oh Lord, how do I answer this one?
“Well, he actually owns his own company.”
 

“Must be nice,” her father said, joining back in. He began telling her of an old friend of their family who’d recently opened up a business.

Letting out a breath, she figured she was safe for the moment. They spoke for a few more minutes about happenings in their small Dallas suburb until her mother halted the conversation.
 

“Well, we don’t want to keep you too long, seeing as you have company. Do we, Ted?”
 

“Yeah, right. Maybe we’ll be meeting the young fella sometime soon,” her father managed to get in before her mother hung the phone up.

Jordan stared at the receiver for a second. Despite her intentions, her parents thought she and Chase were dating. Hopefully she could rectify the misconception later on. But by then, she thought ruefully, the news would probably be all over the Lone Star State.

Chase walked in behind her. “You still up for the movie?” he asked, his brows knitted together. From the look on his face, he’d heard at least part of the phone conversation.

“Yes. That was my parents…but I guess you already figured that out.” She felt like she should explain, but she didn’t want to make a huge deal of the comments. “Anyway, they can be a riot sometimes. My mother gets an idea in her head and runs with it. She’s…tenacious.”

“Well, that explains a lot,” Chase said.

“What do you mean?” Jordan stared at him, an eyebrow arched while waiting for a reply.

“I was wondering where you get it from.” The lines around his face became more pronounced and the end of his mouth quirked slightly.

“You’d better watch what you say,” she said, reaching for the pillow he’d thrown at her earlier. “Being tenacious means I won’t give up easily.” She grasped the pillow like she was considering when to throw it back at him, but she was inwardly relieved to change the subject.
 

“Okay, I surrender.” He held his hands up in jest, making his sculpted biceps project out from the sleeves of the casual T-shirt we wore. His green eyes twinkled mischievously, and her breath caught at the sight of him. “And for the record,” his tone softened, “your tenacity is kind of admirable.”
 

She examined his face for any indication that he was still playing with her but found none. He looked completely sincere. “Thanks, I think,” she said, her voice husky.
 

He gave her a wink that released butterflies in her stomach, and then his gaze swung back to the television. “You ready?”

“Sure.” She directed her attention on the screen in front of her and was eventually successful in focusing her thoughts away from the drama that had become her life and back to the fictitious one playing on her television. It was a nice reprieve, and she was almost sorry when it was over. As the credits rolled over the screen, she looked over at Chase. A lock of his wavy hair fell into his face as he leaned forward to read something off the screen of his phone.

“I think I’m going to turn in.” She stood up, this time careful to separate herself from the blanket first.
 

“Night, Jordan.” He pulled his laptop out.
 

Though she was tired from the stress of the day, she took her time before heading off to bed, straightening the kitchen up and setting the timer on the coffee maker. There was a part of her that couldn’t help but wish Chase would give her an indication that he wanted her to stay.
 

The glare from the screen in the room reflected on his face. His brow was furrowed, and he had a spreadsheet pulled up. Seeing him already immersed in work, she abandoned the foolish notion and strode toward her bedroom.

In less than half an hour, she was showered and tucked into her bed. She looked up at the ceiling and listened to the whirring of the ceiling fan. The white noise helped lull her to sleep, but it wasn’t working tonight. She flipped over to her other side and readjusted the comforter that lay across her. Taking a deep breath, she tried to concentrate on the rise and fall of her abdomen with no luck.
 

So much for the relaxation exercise. Her head was cluttered with thoughts she couldn’t seem to escape. Whenever she closed her eyes, images of Bradley and Keith Lancaster faced her, along with the horrible image of the man who’d attacked her.
 

And then there was Chase. A man who made her laugh when she was on edge, feel strong when she felt anything but, and feel safe just by his mere presence. There was honestly nothing simple about his presence though. Or about him period. Complicated—that was what he was. What the whole situation was. Or was it only complicated for her?
 

A flickering of florescent-green light caught her attention. Those block numbers glowing on the digital clock indicated that another hour had passed. If she didn’t fall asleep soon, she’d be exhausted in the morning. She started to roll over again, but a faint noise caught her attention. It sounded like someone was scraping something. She listened closely. The noise was coming from outside. She looked toward the window, and that was when she saw him. Silhouetted against the night sky was the figure of a man gripping something in his raised right hand.
 

Fear rendered her immobile. She commanded herself to run, but her limbs were glued to her sheets. She had to do something fast! Something to stop him from getting to her. Forcing herself to sit up, she screamed until her throat burned. The attacker was momentarily stationary, and then he sprinted away from the window. She peered into the black velvet of the night, trying to make out where he’d gone.
 

Focused on the window, she almost didn’t hear it when someone began to jiggle the doorknob to her bedroom door. Was it possible that he’d made his way into her house? In a state of terror, she let out another scream as her bedroom door turned into splinters.
 

CHAPTER NINE

Chase’s heart pounded as he stormed into the room. He kept his center of gravity low and his gun trained in front of him.
 
The unfamiliar throbbing in his chest was a nuisance. His experience had taken him long past the adrenaline rushes he’d encountered as a rookie. Or, at least, he’d thought it had. Keeping his breathing modulated, he methodically searched the room for any immediate threats. Seeing none, he moved next to Jordan.

“What happened?” There was no emotion in his voice, and he knew the question sounded more like a command. He positioned his back to the wall behind her while he continued to scan the room.
 

She pointed toward the window, and before she could utter a sentence, he was travelling along the perimeter of the room. He ended up standing slightly to the left, beside the curtains. Making sure there was no light behind him, he advanced to the window but saw nothing from his restricted view.
 

“I saw someone out there, trying to get in. He had something in his hand.”

He took a few seconds to consider his options. Instinctively, he wanted to go after the bastard, but if he did that, he’d be leaving Jordan alone. If there was more than one perpetrator, that would leave her vulnerable. He decided it wasn’t worth the risk and instead headed for the telephone on Jordan’s nightstand. With his attention back in her direction, he noticed she hadn’t moved at all since he’d come in the room. She was sitting completely motionless and still staring toward the window.

After setting his gun on the table, he called in the incident and then eased himself next to her onto the edge of the bed. “You all right?”