Expert Witness: A Romantic Suspense Novel by Nicole Luckourt Page A

purchased it,” she answered.
    “How sensitive is it?”  
    “What?” Her brows knitted together. “I have no idea. I’ve only set it off by accident a couple of times. You don’t think someone might have tampered with it?” Her eyes widened as she waited for his response. In the remaining sunlight, they had even more flashes of violet.  
    Chase rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “You forget. It’s my job to think someone could and would do anything and everything. Don’t be alarmed. For the most part, it’s a critical but entirely unnecessary effort.” He didn’t mention the times his efforts had saved lives; he wanted her to be cautious, not terrified.
    Jordan nodded but still looked a bit unsure.  
    The sooner he had her out of the parking lot, where the whole thing had occurred and headed home, the better it would be for her. “Look, usually I will drive you to and from your commitments, but we need to get your car back to your house. So today, I’m going to have one of my guys drive you home in my car. I’ll follow behind you in yours. If anyone is looking for you, they won’t expect you to be in my car. That’ll leave me to deal with any threats.” His BMW was also equipped with ballistic protection, shatterproof glass, and an eight-cylinder turbocharged engine. Yeah, there was no question where she’d be safer. He waved to the man behind the wheel as they approached his SUV, which was parked on the other side of the lot.
    “Has he been waiting this whole time?” Jordan’s gaze cut over to him. “I would have wrapped up more quickly if I’d known he was waiting out here.”
    “No worries. We’re used to it. It’s what we do ninety-five percent of the time. Everyone always pictures our job like Hollywood portrays it in action movies, but in reality, we spend a lot of time researching, planning, and waiting.”  
    Upon arriving at his vehicle, he reached out to open the front passenger’s side door for Jordan. Once she was settled inside, he introduced Jordan to his associate.  
    “Jordan, this is David. He’s been with me pretty much since I started the business. David, this is Dr. Jordan Clayton, our newest client.”
    “Nice to meet you, doctor,” David said, looking back at her.  
    “Please, call me Jordan,” she said, clicking her seat belt into place.  
    “Can you open the back? Then give me a sec to check over her car and I’ll follow you out,” Chase said.  
    He’d already mapped out the route they’d take back to her house, and he and David had both rehearsed it. Unfortunately, though Jordan had an unlisted address, it had taken nothing more than a simple Internet search to locate her home. He grabbed a long-arm tactical mirror from the back of his SUV and carried it over to Jordan’s car.
    After establishing that the car alarm would have alerted had anyone attempted to alter it, he moved the mirror around the undercarriage of the car, looking for anything unusual. There were no tool marks on bolts, leaking fluids, or objects attached to the frame. Not seeing any evidence of foul play, he opened the hood.  
    Spending a large part of his childhood in his uncle’s auto repair shop came in handy at times like this. He’d learned how to rebuild an engine before he’d graduated from elementary school. Always a daredevil, back then, he’d thought he’d use what he knew to become a racecar driver. His lips twitched at the memory as his gaze roamed over the remaining parts he was assessing.
    Everything looked fine. He gave David the thumbs-up sign, and they were on their way.  
    After an uneventful ride to Jordan’s house, Chase pulled into the driveway behind his SUV. David had left room for him to drive her car into the garage. Looking up to find the remote in the obvious place on the visor, he then eased the vehicle inside. By the time he exited, David and Jordan were waiting for him.  
    “Thanks, man,” Chase said, turning to David. “Sure made