Between Loves (The Pendant Series Book 2) by Cynthia Austin

now move on from this, okay?”
    Then all was silent.
    I stood in the foyer shaking, realizing for the hundredth time I did not know this man at all. If that was indeed his ex-girlfriend, she was obviously hiding from him for a reason. Not to mention the undeniable fact that he had traveled all the way across the country with the sole intention to find her.
    And now it seemed he was threatening her if she didn’t give herself up.
    My little altercation with Ray seemed like a walk in the park compared to this. Adrian’s ex-girlfriend was running all over the country trying to escape him. I figured he must be crazy or something.
    Then I had a horrible thought.
    Was he crazy enough to kill Nouri when he found out I was leaving?
    I probably should have left the house at that very moment, but good judgment was never my strong suit. Adrian was obviously hiding something and it sounded like nothing good. But I still wanted to make sure he was okay. And besides, I really didn’t believe he could be the killer. Whatever antics he had with his ex had nothing to do with me. Adrian was a gentleman when it came to me. He had promised me he would knock down his walls and allow me in if I wanted him. I was sure that all I had to do was agree and he would tell me everything I wanted to know about him. I headed down the dark hallway and stopped at the set of double doors.
    Taking a deep breath, I summoned all of my courage and knocked lightly before I entered the massive library. Straight ahead were two windows placed side by side that reached from the ceiling to the floor. The remaining three walls housed large bookcases that were as tall as the fifteen foot ceilings. The shelves even had one of those rolling ladders to help you climb to the top shelf to retrieve a book.
    Adrian was standing at the desk, urgently writing on a pad of paper. I noticed for the first time that he was left handed. No wonder he seemed so intellectual. I watched curiously as he tossed the pen onto the desk and strode across the room to the far corner. There was a pile of books thrown from the bookcase in total disarray on the floor. He looked over at me but he seemed too busy to acknowledge my presence. Leaning his upper body against the shelf, he began to push the heavy piece of furniture away from the wall. Behind the shelf was a safe built into the wall. He quickly punched in a code and opened it, retrieving an old book. The pages were yellowed and the red hard cover was deeply faded.
    Adrian tossed the book onto his desk and looked up as he finally met my eyes. As he did this it looked as if he was just now seeing me standing in the library for the first time. His mood changed.
    Dramatically.
    “Hey Sidney.” He smiled, allowing me to see his mouth caked with blood from the cut he had suffered there.
    I was stunned, but polite. “Sorry for intruding. The door was open. I knocked but you didn't answer.”
    His smile dropped and instead he just stared at my face. I met his gaze, trying to read his expression but he wasn't letting me in this time.
    "You’ve been crying," he concluded, in a matter-of-fact way.
    I wondered if this routine was getting old for Adrian. It seemed that every time Ray and I had a problem, I ran to Adrian. Had he noticed?
    "Come in, Sidney; let me have a look at what he did to you."
    I rushed across the giant room. I knew he was concerned about the injuries I had sustained, but I was more concerned about Adrian’s wounds. I gently took his face in my hands and inspected his wounds. He’d suffered a split lip, but other than that he was unscathed. I touched my finger to his mouth and lightly rubbed it, wishing my touch could heal his injury.
    “I’m so sorry,” I tenderly whispered
    He didn’t answer. Instead he took my face and brushed his hand against my cut. We were just two victims of Ray’s violence. I turned my face into his warm hand. It felt so good to be this close to him. I looked into his green eyes and for a moment