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Didn t stop thrusting.
He couldn t. He was starving, insane with need for her.
He d wanted her for ten long years. She was back. No one and nothing would ever take her away
from him again.
***
The phone call came just before dawn. Trace threw out his hand, grabbing for his phone.
His first thought& Reese. He d been told his friend was stable. Be okay, be
 Weston, he barked into the phone. If that was the hospital&
 There s a gentleman in the lobby, sir, he recognized the voice of John Ford, his building manager.
 He s insisting on seeing you.
 I don t take visitors, he said, rolling from the bed.  Especially not this damn early. Ford should
know better. Skye slept on, undisturbed.  Tell him to get lost 
 He s very adamant, John s voice was hushed.  He said to tell you& his name s Mitch Loxley, and
the news he has is urgent.
Loxley.
 Keep him there, Trace ordered as his gaze slid over Skye once more. That SOB was in town?
Right after the fire?  I m on my way down.
The sheets pooled around her body. She looked relaxed, at peace.
She d stay that way.
He grabbed his clothes. Three minutes later, he was dressed and in the lobby.
John turned toward him. Mitch Loxley was at the man s side. Mitch appeared pale, and there were
dark circles under his eyes.
What the hell does he want?
 Thank you for seeing me, Mitch began as he ran a hand over his face.  I wasn t honest with you in
New York. There s& there s something you need to know.
***
 Trace? Skye reached for him when she woke up.
But the bed was empty. The sheets beside her felt cool.
She searched the penthouse.
Trace wasn t there.
Uneasiness settled within her as she dressed.
Then she slipped from the penthouse and made her way downstairs.
***
Trace s gaze cut to John.  We need to use your office. Because he wasn t taking this guy anywhere
near Skye.
John instantly nodded.  Of course! Right this way.
Trace didn t speak again, not until he and Mitch were in John s office. The building manager hurried
out of the room, then shut the door, making sure to give them privacy.
Trace crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the doctor.  Your timing is shit, doc. Especially
right after the fire. To be in same city&
 I had to come. Mitch paced around the small confines of the office.  I needed to tell you ah,
dammit, you have to know the truth about her.
 I know plenty about Skye. He didn t need this guy cluing him in to anything.
 Really? Mitch spun back around to face him.  Then I suppose you know all about her mother? You
know that Skye s mother was psychotic? Delusional? The car wreck that killed Skye s parents& her
mother caused that wreck. She deliberately killed herself and her husband.
Trace didn t let his expression change.  How do you know that? Trace knew, he d found the truth
long ago, but why had this guy dug into Skye s past?
 I know because I was worried about her. Mitch blew out a hard breath.  Skye& she s too fragile.
Too damn breakable.
 That s why you fucked her? Trace demanded, voice sharp.  Because she s breakable?
Mitch flushed.  I thought she needed me. Skye does something to a guy. She makes you think she
made me want to protect her.
Trace had always wanted to keep her safe.
 But& something s wrong with her.
It took all of his strength not to lunge at the doctor.
 I started to suspect the truth, after a few weeks. The things she would say, what she would do& 
Mitch s hands drove into the pockets of his coat.  I talked to the detective up in New York. Fuller. No
one pushed Skye s car off the road. I think she drove it off herself.
Bullshit.
 Skye told me about someone breaking into her apartment back in New York, she told me that she felt
like she d been watched she told me everything&  Loxley s words trailed away.
 But you didn t believe her, Trace finished, disgusted.
 Because it wasn t happening. I would be with her on the street, when she was so sure someone was
behind her. No one was ever there. No one ever broke into her apartment. Nothing happened. A
muscle jerked along his jaw.  Her mother was in her early twenties when her schizophrenia first
presented itself.
Fuck.  You went into her mother s medical records.
 Delusions, Mitch muttered.  Paranoia. That s how it began for her mother and how it begins for
dozens of others. And that s how it s beginning for Skye.
No, it wasn t.  You re wrong. Someone is after Skye. She was attacked at her studio. She got a
concussion 
 Did anyone see the attack?
No, his agent had found no one at the scene.
Mitch shook his head.  How do you know she didn t do it to herself?
Because I know Skye. You damn well don t.  A fire nearly killed her tonight. Are you seriously
standing here, trying to tell me that she might have done that, too? That she torched her own place?
 Did anyone see her attacker there?
Trace didn t answer.
 I thought so. Loxley s breath heaved out.  You think I want this to happen? To her? I don t. I care
about Skye. But her behavior was becoming increasingly erratic back in New York. When I told her
that she needed help& that s when she fled.
Trace studied the man for a moment in silence, then demanded,  Why didn t you say something when I
questioned you at the hospital?
 Because I wanted to be wrong! I wanted to be, but my gut told me I wasn t. I came here, heard about
the fire just a little while ago on the news and I knew that I had to see you. I had to warn you. He
whirled away and strode toward the window on the right.  Believe me or don t, but you ve been
warned. I think I think Skye can be dangerous. As dangerous as her mother was.
Trace kept his eyes on Loxley s back.  She didn t just leave because you tried to get her  help . He
wasn t buying that line.  When we were in New York&  And this had been bothering him&  You
mentioned something about  that night  how it all changed then. He waited a beat and said,  Do
you really think Skye didn t tell me about what happened? Lying was easy for him. Especially when
he was facing someone like Mitch Loxley.
The doctor s shoulders stiffened.  No. He sighed out the word.  I figured she had. He turned to
face Trace once more.  But doesn t that just prove my point? She confused the two of us. She called
me by your name. She thought I was you. For an instant, Skye didn t know who I was or even where
she was.
She called me by your name.
 No one is stalking Skye, Mitch continued, his voice strengthening.  She s a severely troubled
woman. Just like her mother. She needs an evaluation, medical treatment 
 I m not crazy.
John hadn t locked the door. Shit.
Skye must have been eavesdropping outside. She d just shoved the door open. She stood on the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]