Obsessed

by Margaret Daley

  Her arms shaking, she did as ordered. He clapped handcuffs on her then stepped to her feet to release them. When he shifted to her second foot and the rope slipped away, she made her move. Using all her strength, she kicked him in the face. Once. Twice.

  He staggered back, still holding his knife. Blood ran from his nose and mouth. She scrambled from the bed and raced for the door, screaming over and over.

  * * *

  After telling Brutus to stay on the porch, Quinn hurried into the neighbor’s house behind Brock. A scream came from above.

  God, save her. Help me.

  Quinn turned toward the staircase near him and ran up to the second floor with Brock following. Quinn headed to the only room with a door closed. It opened, and Serena fled into the hallway right into Quinn. He steadied her while Brock aimed his gun at the stalker, who was bleeding and holding a knife in front of him.

  “Drop the weapon. Now!” Brock shouted.

  For a long moment, Adam Winters stood there, glaring at Quinn holding Serena.

  “Go on downstairs. Tell backup where I am. They should be here any second.” Brock never took his attention off Winters.

  Quinn slung his arm around Serena and pulled her close as they made their way down the stairs. When he’d heard her scream, he’d thought she’d been hurt at best, killed at worst.

  Thank You, Lord. I care so much about her. More than I realized.

  At the bottom, Quinn led her outside onto the front porch. With his tail wagging, Brutus approached her.

  Her hands still cuffed behind her back, she leaned down and rubbed her cheek against the Great Dane’s head. “So glad to see you’re all right.” She rose, tears shining in her eyes. “And you. I thought you were dead.”

  “I thought you were.”

  “How did you find me?”

  “Brutus. He followed your scent.”

  “I knew there was a good reason I think he’s a special dog.”

  “So do I.”

  Several squad cars pulled up to the curb. Quinn moved to the side to let the officers into the house. “Detective Harris is upstairs with the suspect.”

  Three of the officers went into the home while one stopped and helped remove the handcuffs from Serena.

  She shook her arms loose. “I need to sit down. Everything is catching up with me.”

  Quinn guided her to the steps, and she sank down on the bottom one. She drew in a deep breath then another.

  “Adam Winters is Robbie Broussard. Pete Broussard was an awful father and stepfather. Robbie killed his father in the end and was behind my mother’s wreck. I don’t know if my childhood home was Robbie’s first fire. He did admit setting fire to Mark’s and Don’s.” She turned toward him. “And yours. I’m sorry you were pulled into the middle of this.”

  He cupped her face. “It wasn’t your fault. You were a victim just like I was.”

  “You have to start all over. All your possessions are gone.”

  “I can replace possessions. I can’t replace you. I’m falling in love with you. I want to see what the future may hold for us.”

  She cupped her hands behind his neck and pulled him toward her. “Without you, my life looks bleak. I’d love to see where we go.”

  “So do I.” He bent toward her and kissed her, enveloping her in his embrace while Brutus barked.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Nine months later

  As Serena watched the snow fall, she clasped the hot chocolate between her hands and took a sip. Next to her at the large window in the living room, Brutus and Susie looked outside, waiting for Quinn to return from taking his grandma back to her assisted living facility. She glanced back at the mess made from opening presents on Christmas Eve. Wrapping paper still cluttered the floor. All the lights were turned off except the ones on the tree, so she could ignore the mess for the time being. She’d have plenty of time tomorrow to clean up. They had celebrated early because Quinn would be working Christmas Day to let a firefighter buddy, who had children, enjoy the day with his family.

  Both dogs barked as Quinn pulled into the driveway and parked in the garage. It was almost midnight, and they would be celebrating their first Christmas together as husband and wife now rather than later. She set her mug on a coaster on the nearby end table.

  Married since Thanksgiving, she had a lot to be thankful for. In the past month, she experienced what it meant to be married to a man she loved and who loved her back. She hadn’t thought that would ever be a possibility for her. But on the day that Brutus had dug under her fence to see Susie, her life had changed forever. Robbie Broussard, aka Adam Winters, was convicted of several counts of arson, one count of murder and two of attempted murder in the Oklahoma courts. He wouldn’t bother her again.

  She’d never thought she would ever forgive her stalker, but she had. Quinn helped her to see the benefit for her if she did. He’d finally put Carol and Sam’s betrayal behind him, and he’d described the freedom he’d felt after doing that. Holding a grudge against Robbie wouldn’t help her move on, and she needed to after the years he’d controlled her life through intimidation.

  She now understood him to a certain degree. Robbie had been abused by his father and abandoned. Robbie’s perception had been altered since he was a young boy. Now she realized her mother had shielded her from the depth of evil in Pete Broussard, taking the abuse while her mother made sure Serena was absent from their home as much as possible. But Robbie hadn’t known that.

  Arms enclosed around her, and Quinn leaned close to her ear and whispered, “I love you. Granny had such a great time with us today.”

  She turned around in his embrace and peered up into his blue eyes. The look of love in them sent her heart beating faster. Her legs felt like jelly. She entwined her arms around him and leaned against him. “I’m going to miss you later today.”

  “You say that every day I go to work.”

  “Because it’s true. I never knew what love was until I met you. I love you, Quinn. If there ever was a hero in my life, it is you.”

  He blushed. She cradled his face between her hands and tugged his head toward her. Their lips met in a long kiss. When he pulled back, he picked her up and headed for their bedroom. “And I intend to show you how much I love you, Mrs. Taylor.”

  Dear Reader,

  I hope you enjoyed Obsessed. I wrote this story with a firefighter as the hero because our firefighters are who I think of as a hero. They put their lives in danger to save others. Quinn was not only a firefighter but an arson expert. It was fascinating to research the training of an arson detection dog. One of them can cut the search time for an accelerant at a fire site and even smell it on a person in a crowd, who set the fire and was watching the blaze. Like other service dogs, an arson detection dog can do some things at a fire site that a human can’t. Our sense of smell isn’t nearly as acute as a canine’s.

  If you haven’t read the first book in this series about everyday heroes, I hope you’ll buy Hunted. It’s about a search and rescue dog and his partner rescuing a woman weighted down and tied up who was thrown off a bridge. I’m already planning my third story in the Everyday Heroes Series. Look for it to come later this year.

  Take care,

  Margaret Daley

  Book One in the EVERYDAY HEROES Series

  Hunted

  Book One

  Murder. On the Run. Second Chances.

  Luke Michaels' relaxing camping trip ends when he witnesses a woman being thrown from a bridge. He dives into the river to save her, shocked to find her wrapped in chains. As a canine search and rescue volunteer, Luke has assisted many victims, but never a beauty whose defeated gaze ignites his primal urge to protect. When Megan Witherspoon’s killers make it clear they won't stop, Luke fights to save her, but can he keep her alive long enough to find out who is after her?

  Books in the

  STRONG WOMEN, EXTRAORDINARY SITUATIONS Series

  DEADLY HUNT

  Book One

&
nbsp; All bodyguard Tess Miller wants is a vacation. But when a wounded stranger stumbles into her isolated cabin in the Arizona mountains, Tess becomes his lifeline. When Shane Burkhart opens his eyes, all he can focus on is his guardian angel leaning over him. And in the days to come he will need a guardian angel while being hunted by someone who wants him dead.

  DEADLY INTENT

  Book Two

  Texas Ranger Sarah Osborn thought she would never see her high school sweetheart, Ian O'Leary, again. But fifteen years later, Ian, an ex-FBI agent, has someone targeting him, and she's assigned to the case. Can Sarah protect Ian and her heart?

  DEADLY HOLIDAY

  Book Three

  Tory Caldwell witnesses a hit-and-run, but when the dead victim disappears from the scene, police doubt a crime has been committed. Tory is threatened when she keeps insisting she saw a man killed and the only one who believes her is her neighbor, Jordan Steele. Together, can they solve the mystery of the disappearing body and stay alive?

  DEADLY COUNTDOWN

  Book Four

  Allie Martin, a widow, has a secret protector who manipulates her life without anyone knowing until…

  When Remy Broussard, an injured police officer, returns to Port David, Louisiana to visit before his medical leave is over, he discovers his childhood friend, Allie Martin, is being stalked. As Remy protects Allie and tries to find her stalker, they realize their feelings go beyond friendship.

  When the stalker is found, they begin to explore the deeper feelings they have for each other, only to have a more sinister threat come between them. Will Allie be able to save Remy before he dies at the hand of a maniac?

  DEADLY NOEL

  Book Five

  Assistant DA, Kira Davis, convicted the wrong man—Gabriel Michaels, a single dad with a young daughter. When new evidence was brought forth, his conviction was overturned, and Gabriel returned home to his ranch to put his life back together. Although Gabriel is free, the murderer of his wife is still out there and resumes killing women. In a desperate alliance, Kira and Gabriel join forces to find the true identity of the person terrorizing their town. Will they be able to forgive the past and find the killer before it’s too late?

  DEADLY DOSE

  Book Six

  Drugs. Murder. Redemption.

  When Jessie Michaels discovers a letter written to her by her deceased best friend, she is determined to find who murdered Mary Lou, at first thought to be a victim of a serial killer by the police. Jessie’s questions lead to an attempt on her life. The last man she wanted to come to her aid was Josh Morgan, who had been instrumental in her brother going to prison. Together they uncover a drug ring that puts them both in danger. Will Jessie and Josh find the killer? Love? Or will one of them fall victim to a DEADLY DOSE?

  DEADLY LEGACY

  Book Seven

  Legacy of Secrets. Threats and Danger. Second Chances.

  Down on her luck, single mom, Lacey St. John, believes her life has finally changed for the better when she receives an inheritance from a wealthy stranger. Her ancestral home she'd thought forever lost has been transformed into a lucrative bed and breakfast guaranteed to bring much-needed financial security. Her happiness is complete until strange happenings erode her sense of well being. When her life is threatened, she turns to neighbor, Sheriff Ryan McNeil, for help. He promises to solve the mystery of who's ruining her newfound peace of mind, but when her troubles escalate to the point that her every move leads to danger, she's unsure who to trust. Is the strong, capable neighbor she's falling for as amazing as he seems? Or could he be the man who wants her dead?

  DEADLY NIGHT, SILENT NIGHT

  Book Eight

  Revenge. Sabotage. Second Chances.

  Widow Rebecca Howard runs a successful store chain that is being targeted during the holiday season. Detective Alex Kincaid, best friends with Rebecca’s twin brother, is investigating the hacking of the store’s computer system. When the attacks become personal, Alex must find the assailant before Rebecca, the woman he’s falling in love with, is murdered.

  DEADLY FIRES

  Book Nine

  Second Chances. Revenge. Arson.

  A saboteur targets Alexia Richards and her family company. As the incidents become more lethal, Alexia must depend on a former Delta Force soldier, Cole Knight, a man from her past that she loved. When their son died in a fire, their grief and anger drove them apart. Can Alexia and Cole work through their pain and join forces to find the person who wants her dead?

  DEADLY SECRETS

  Book Ten

  Secrets. Murder. Reunion.

  Sarah St. John, an FBI profiler, finally returns home after fifteen years for her niece’s wedding. But in less than a day, Sarah’s world is shattered when her niece is kidnapped the night before her vows. Sarah can’t shake the feeling her own highly personal reason for leaving Hunter Davis at the altar is now playing out again in this nightmarish scene with her niece.

  Sarah has to work with Detective Hunter Davis, her ex-fiancé, to find her niece before the young woman becomes the latest victim of a serial killer. Sarah must relive part of her past in order to assure there is a future for her niece and herself. Can Sarah and Hunter overcome their painful past and work together before the killer strikes again?

  About the Author

  Margaret Daley

  Margaret Daley, a USA Today’s Bestselling author of over 105 books (five million plus sold worldwide), has been married for over forty-seven years and is a firm believer in romance and love. When she isn’t traveling or being with her two granddaughters, she’s writing love stories, often with a suspense/mystery thread and corralling her cats that think they rule her household. To find out more about Margaret visit her website at www.margaretdaley.com.

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