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around.
 And?
 Nothing, not one single thing I could get some kind of clue
from.
 Damn!
Jake took a breath before continuing.  He got into the house
through the front door. There were tool marks in the jamb where
he jimmied the lock. The striations are consistent with those of a
flathead screwdriver.
 Great, that narrows things down.
 We also ran the fingerprints that were pulled off through
AFIS and came up empty on that, too.
Ryan grunted.  Imagine that.
Jake knew that Ryan s sarcasm was not directed toward him.
He was just as frustrated and wished they had something to work
from. He sat silently, watching Ryan mull things over, before
speaking up.
 Ryan, this is all so weird. We have no idea why this man is
doing what he s doing. That s assuming that the break-in and the
calls are all the same person.
 Exactly. I m at a loss. I don t even know where to go from
here. It was too dark to get any kind of description last night.
 Maybe you need to give Lauren a call. There s got to be
something somewhere that ties this guy to Tobi. If anyone can find
it, Lauren can.
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Tara Wentz
 I think you may be right. It certainly can t hurt, and who
knows what she might be able to come up with? I ll give her a call
tomorrow.
 Are you going to be at work tomorrow?
 Of course, why wouldn t I?
 Don t be so mule-headed, Ryan. You know why.
 I already told you that I m fine. Besides, I don t think I m
going to get very far from the couch today if Tobi has anything to
say about it.
 Ah, I see who s boss, he said, laughing.
Tossing a pillow at him, Ryan said,  There is no boss. I m
simply appeasing her by following her wishes.
 It s that way, is it? he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows
and a smirk.
 Jake& shut up!
Jake gasped in mock surprise as he placed a hand over his
mouth.  Rude!
Ryan smiled with mild humor.  Thanks for caring. I don t
know what I would do without you and Tim.
 Don t thank me. You know how we feel about you. That will
never change. Just take care of yourself because it s not just about
you anymore.
 I know.
 It s very evident how she feels about you. Seeing the two of
you together is so incredibly awesome. I just can t think of a better
word for it. Without flaunting it, you two ooze more love and
compassion and sexual heat than any couple I ve ever met. Aside
from Tim and me, that is, he said with a grin.
 I don t think I ve ever heard a nicer compliment come out of
your mouth. Thank you, and I truly mean that.
 You, my dear friend, are more than welcome. He stood and
walked over to stand beside her. Laying his large hand against the
side of her head, he smiled.  Take care, okay? I ll see you
tomorrow. With a warm caress to her cheek, he chucked her
under the chin and left.
Ryan, realizing how tired she felt, scooted down to a reclining
position and closed her eyes.
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Traffic Stop
When she entered the house, Tobi saw Ryan lying on the
couch with her eyes closed. She quietly pushed the door shut and
engaged the lock. Crouching beside the couch, she examined
Ryan s face. The laceration above her left brow was a little
swollen under the Steri-Strips, but otherwise it looked good. There
was a fair amount of bruising already, and it would become quite
colorful over the next few days. She placed her hand against
Ryan s cheek, rubbed her thumb gently across the surface, and
watched as Ryan s eyelids fluttered open. She appeared to be
somewhat disoriented for a moment before she looked into Tobi s
eyes and smiled.
 Hi, she said groggily.
 Hi. Looks like you got a little rest while I was gone.
Ryan moved her hips back into the couch and patted the
cushion beside her. Sitting down, Tobi felt Ryan s warm hand
enclose her forearm.  I slept a little. Jake came by for a visit; he
can assure you I stayed on the couch the whole time he was here.
 I m sure you did, honey. Are you hungry?
 Mmm, I could eat, she said, scrubbing her closed lids with
her fingertips.
 I ll go fix you something. Do you want to watch TV? We
could put a movie on if you want.
 TV sounds good.
Tobi handed her the remote and headed to the kitchen.  Okay,
you find something to watch, and I ll be right back.
Ryan could hear cabinets opening and dishes clinking as Tobi
rummaged around in the kitchen. The sounds of domesticity
brought a smile to her face. When Tobi returned, she handed Ryan
her plate and set her drink on the coffee table.
 Here ya go.
 Thanks. You didn t have to go to all this trouble, but I do
appreciate it.
 You re welcome, and it wasn t any trouble at all. So, what
did you find to watch?
Pulling her feet up closer to her body, Ryan made room for
Tobi to sit on the couch with her.  Doesn t seem to be much on
this time of day, she said between bites of her sandwich.  Why
don t you see if there is a movie on you d like to watch?
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Tara Wentz
Tobi flipped through the channels until she came across a
Jackie Chan movie.  Have you seen this one?
 Ummph, she mumbled while swallowing her bite and taking
a drink.  No, this looks good.
Part way through the movie, Tobi glanced over and saw
Ryan s eyelids drooping. Tugging at Ryan s sock, she said,  Why
don t you stretch out here, she patted her legs,  and get [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]