Damsel in Danger (Danger Incorporated Book 1) by Olivia Jaymes Page A

to–”
    “I want to see.” Frustration with not knowing in general and these two men in particular made her yank away from Jason and zigzag around West’s imposing frame. She wanted inside her damn house. It wasn’t an unreasonable request. She didn’t want to be protected from the truth or coddled like a child. Jason and West seemed determined to delay learning the extent of the damage as long as possible.
    “Wait.” Jason’s deep commanding voice made her pause but only for a moment. He wasn’t the boss of her, although he seemed used to giving orders. Without a backward glance she pushed through the crowd of neighbors and stomped up her porch steps only to find her front door hanging crumpled and sagging on its hinges. She reached out to touch the large footprint on the finished oak but a larger, stronger hand captured her wrist and pulled her back against his warm body, his arm anchoring her waist. “Don’t. That’s what West was trying to tell you. They’re still gathering evidence. You can’t touch anything.”
    Her fingers curled back into her palm, the nails cutting into the flesh to keep from screaming. He didn’t get it. The utter feeling of helplessness. Outrage. She’d been violated. Like a million eyeballs staring at her stark naked. Someone had been in her home. The place she felt safe. At least until this moment. She needed to see where they’d walked and what they’d touched so she could bleach any trace of them away. If not from her mind at least physically.
    With a free hand she scrubbed at her cheeks, surprised to find them wet with tears. Sagging back against him the fight drained out of her. She was exhausted. Worn out and beaten down by the last twenty-four hours. A human could only take so much and she’d had her fill.
    “How did this happen? Why?” The words came out stilted but the detective seemed to understand.
    West stood on the other side of her, a sympathetic expression on his face, probably grateful she wasn’t going to faint or scream or something worse. “I don’t know why this happened, Ms. Snow, but if I were a gambling man I’d say it might have something to do with Roger Gaines. Believe me, we intend to find out.”
    She drew a shaky breath, hating the fact that she felt vulnerable and exposed in front of all these people. Most of them strangers. “I think under the circumstances, Detective, you should probably call me Brinley. I have a feeling we’re going to see a lot more of each other.”
    “Thank you, Brinley. Just call me West. I need to talk to you about this. How about we all go into Jason’s house and sit down? Maybe have a cup of coffee or something.”
    Needing to be away from the curious eyes of the neighborhood she nodded in agreement. “That sounds good. But I want to thank Richard and Fran for scaring him away.”
    Jason patted her shoulder. “They can come over and join us. I’d like to hear the story directly from them.”
    On automatic pilot, Brinley followed West and Jason down the steps and across the yard and driveway to Jason’s house, Huck on their heels. Her life didn’t feel like her own anymore. Something sinister – and very scary – was going on and she didn’t like it one bit.
    And there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.

Chapter Eight
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    B rinley looked like she was ready to collapse. Jason had a feeling she’d been running on pure adrenaline all day and the supply was empty. The feistiness she’d displayed when they’d arrived was gone, replaced by an eerie acquiescence that concerned him. She was sitting quietly on his couch, Huck draped over her lap while she petted him absently, her fingers stroking the silky fur. She’d barely glanced at the cup of coffee he’d sat in front of her, instead staring vacantly out of his front window where a crowd still stood.
    “Why didn’t you call me?” Jason whispered to his brother, who was directing a deputy to bring in Fran and Richard. “Jesus, I could have