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Fear raced through her. She was going to crawl around a dark house and try to break in. And then she was going to rifle through a man's belongings andtry to get out again with the all-important prize she craved__
Crazy... crazy... crazy... it was crazy__
Before she knew it, before she was ready, she had pulled into the secluded road that led to Lee's estate.
Bryn pulled the van onto the shoulder beneath the shade of some sloping pine trees. She cut the engine, and then the lights.
Darkness surrounded her. She felt as if she could hear the night, and its whisper was ominous.
She forced herself to grab her flashlight and hop quietly out of the car. She closed the door softly, but it sounded as if it had been slammed.
She could see Lee's house through the trees. It, too, was dark.Deathly dark.
Go, coward, go! It's your only chance. Think of Adam! She started walking. All around her the night seemed to close in. She heard every rustle of the trees, ever nuance of the wind. Crickets rose in a chorus to mock her; a fly buzzed past her face and she batted at it in panic. A fly, only a fly, she told herself.
Feeling like an idiot, she pulled a black knit ski mask from her pocket and pulled it over her head, stuffing her hair into it and beneath the collar of her sweater. Now she really felt like a sneak thief. But she would almost disappear into the darkness. The impulse to turn back was so strong that she almost whipped around like a quarter horse to run in the opposite direction.
But she kept walking. And finally she was standing before the dark house. He had gone out. ThankGod.
But why did his home have to be so isolated? It was a good thing it was, she reminded herself. If he had lived in a giant condo, she would never have been able to break in....
Break in. That was why she had come. She had to start thinking like a burglar.
Bryn bit her lip and ducked behind a bush. She moved closer to the house.
Make sure he isn't here, she warned herself silently, and she carefully began to circle the dwelling.
She couldn't see a sign of life. It was now or never, now or never....
Barely breathing, Bryn moved around to the far right side of the house and the window that led to the den.
Tentatively she reached toward it. She had come this far; she was going all the way.
From the moment she crawled into the house, Bryn should have realized that she had entered a realm of nightmares. Oh, she should have known!
The ski mask itched, and she tried to scratch her cheek as she nervously shone the flashlight about. Had the mask really been necessary? Yes, because if someone showed up there was a good chance she could outrun them. And as long as they didn't see her features, she could keep her identity secret.
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Bryn moved swiftly from the den to the hall,then hurried to the living room. She played the flashlight quickly around her. Nothing had changed. It was the same as it had been last night.
No, it wasn't. The house seemed ominous tonight.Shadowed and ominous. The flashlight picked up the rifle case, and she swept it quickly by, only to see the display of bows and arrows. A quiver chilled her backbone. Yes, he had told her he knew how to use them....
Get to the desk!she warned herself. The house was shadowy and frightening because she was an intruder, a thief. And the faster she worked, the quicker she could get out of here.
Bryn hurried up the single step that led to the little alcove. What if he locked his desk? She tugged at a drawer. She was grateful when it glided open to her nervous touch. Gingerly she began to go through the contents. No prints.
They had to be here.Either in the drawers or in the filing cabinet. She tried the second drawer, then the third.Then the center drawer. Nothing! Nothing but bills and letters and scribbled notes! She closed the center drawer and jumped in startled panic as it snapped shut with a sharp click. Her blood seemed to congeal, and then to flow again. She swept the flashlight quickly around the room.Nothing. What had she been expecting?The arrows to jump down from the walls and come flying at her?
Stay calm, Bryn, she cautioned herself. Stay calm. There are three more drawers on the left-hand side....
But she never touched the left-hand side of the desk. Panic-as strong as the stranglehold about her neck and as cold and sharp as the arrow tip against her ribs--rose up to engulf her.
"Who the hell are you and what the hell do you want?" "I..." She couldn't speak; she couldn't even think.
Terror had taken complete possession of her. She realized vaguely that Lee Condor was her captor, but not a Lee Condor that she knew. The whispered demand was laced with a primal, deep-drawn fury. His hold was cruel and ruthless....