Holiday Illusion by Lynette Eason Page B

long, most likely. She was going to have to leave at the first opportunity. Her pounding head told her that would be right after a nap and most likely some more ibuprofen.
    Maddy giggled then slapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry, but I like you.”
    Anna grinned through her weariness. She definitely needed to lie down, her tongue was loosening. “Thanks, Maddy. I can take it from here.”
    â€œI’ll be right back with your bags.”
    â€œNormally, I would insist I could get my own bags, but right now I’m going to take you up on it.”
    â€œI’ll get them,” Lucas said from behind. Maddy nodded and left.
    Lucas pointed to the box on the wall beside the door. “If you need anything, just buzz Maddy. One security feature that might let you rest a little easier is the red and the green buttons. If you push them, you’ll send a silent alarm to the police that we’ve got an intruder. I doubt you’ll need them, but I want you to see just how good the security is around here.” Anna nodded her thanks, then grimaced as her head pounded in protest.
    Sympathy oozing, Lucas said, “You lie down, I’ll get your things.”
    After he left, Anna took in the beautifully decorated room, noticing the finely carved sculpture in the corner next to the expensive leather love seat. But the thing she wanted most was set back in a small alcove. The queen-size bed with the rose-patterned comforter. Within a minute, she lay stretched across it, ignoring the throbbing in her head, hoping the medicine would kick in soon.
    Unable to sleep until the pain lessened, she decided to put the time to good use and think as best she could around her headache. Obviously, getting into de Chastelain’s house as an au pair was now out of the question. Somehow, someone had seen her, recognized her and reported her whereabouts to Mr. Shawn de Chastelain, who’d just tried to take her out—and hadn’t cared that she was with an innocent person.
    Unfortunately, she had a feeling the FBI had a snitch—one named Justin Michaels. The thought was like a kick in the stomach. Her heart ached with the thought that the one person in America she had thought she could trust would betray her. But as she thought about it, she realized he would have had the perfect opportunity. Four years ago, he could have been the one to alert the shooter to the fact that she was at the FBI office and would be leaving…a wide-open target. When she’d awakened from the surgery necessary to remove the bullet, she’d been told she’d never be able to have children thanks to an emergency hysterectomy. All because of one Shawn de Chastelain and his evildoing cohorts.
    And today, only a short while after she’d been in contact with Justin, someone had warned her to leave, then tried to kill her when she didn’t. Whoever it was knew her moves. The thought chilled her. Oh Justin, please tell me it’s not you. I don’t want to believe you could do that. What reason would you have?
    Talking to the man in her head was getting her no answers. All she knew right now was she’d better be watching her back. When fear tried to crowd out reasonable thought, she gave it a good shove and recited the verse that had become her strength. “For God has not given me a spirit of fear…” Slowly her breathing eased.
    So now she tried to form a plan. She had to find another way to get in that house—and do it in disguise. But how? The pounding in her head eased and her eyelids drooped. The adrenaline rush was gone, leaving her limp with exhaustion. She closed her eyes on a prayer for God to work through everything, for Paulo to get a new heart and be a healthy little boy, to find the evidence needed to put Shawn de Chastelain in prison where he couldn’t hurt any more innocent people and for reconciliation between Lucas and his father. Oh, and could You give me an extra dose of