Page 345 of A Matter of Time

“Close your eyes. I’ll be right here,” he promised in that possessive way he had. “I’m not going anywhere.”

There was more I wanted to say, but between the warmth rolling off of him and the way he was holding me, staying awake was a battle I couldn’t win.

It was light when I woke, and he was in bed beside me, reading. I lifted my head, and without looking at me, he patted his chest. I moved closer, and he reached for me, tucking my head under his chin. The sigh came up out of me, and he made a rumbling sound of contentment before he rubbed his chin in my hair. He said he loved me, and I closed my eyes again.

“What time is it?”

“It’s around nine.”

“At night?”

“No, love, in the morning.”

“God, I slept a long time.” I yawned languidly, feeling too good to move but knowing I should.

“Yes, you did. You needed it.”

“I should get up and make you something to eat.”

“Just lie still and let me hold you.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist and snuggled against him. He hugged me tight and kissed my eyelids. I was so peaceful, my body so heavy, I felt drugged by his closeness, by his attention.

“Love you.” I yawned.

“I know, baby. Go back to sleep. You’re safe; I’m here.”

He had no idea how comforting that was.

ELEVEN

We had a full house. Dane and Aja were there, as well as Sam’s family, and Dylan had come to check on me, leaving her husband, Chris, at home with their newborn baby. Aubrey Flanagan had dropped by with her new boyfriend, Rick Jenner, and Sam’s partner, Chloe, was there, as well as my friends Evan and Loudon. And even though the reason for it was scary, I loved seeing Aja sitting with Sam’s mother and his sisters. It was fun to watch Evan talking to Dane, Sam’s brother, Michael, and Rick. Nice to eavesdrop on Sam’s father chatting with Loudon and Aubrey, and listening to Dylan and Sam in the kitchen with Chloe was a treat. It should have been a dinner party, as well as everyone was getting along.

When the doorbell rang and Sam let strangers in, I realized these were the people working my case. There were four altogether—two agents from the FBI and two detectives from Chicago PD. I was surprised that Sam had Dane join us in my little dining room to talk. He went and got two chairs from the living room so all seven of us could sit down around the table.

Sam’s friends from the department were James Hefron and Neal Moore. Hefron was tall and balding, with broad shoulders and a wide chest. His eyes were dark brown like mine, and his brows looked permanently furrowed. In contrast, his partner, Neal Moore, had bright green eyes and a slight build. His smile was quick, his dimples deep, and his hands moved continuously. He seemed restless, but in an eager way instead of a fidgety one. Hefron took a seat as Moore took up space on the coffee table directly in front of me.

The FBI agents were much more interesting—Nia Wright, who reminded me of Tamara Tunie on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and her partner, Walsh Bingham, who instantly brought Christopher Meloni to mind. And yes, because they both resembled characters I liked, I found myself more interested in them. Plus, they both seemed steady and serious, and I was in awe of the FBI. I did watch a lot of TV.

When Neal Moore cleared his throat, I looked away from the agents to him, where he was sitting beside Sam.

“May I call you Jory?” he asked softly, staring into my eyes.

“Sure.”

He nodded. “So, I want to start off just talking to you a bit.”

“Okay.”

“Great.” He forced a smile. “Over the last few days, as we spoke to your brother and to Sam, and after we went back over the old case files from the murder in Oak Park and the others, we were able to piece together something that we didn’t really see before.”

I was confused.

“Something wrong?”

“Aren’t you here about the kidnapping?”

“In a roundabout way, yes. We’re here about the murders.”