Bodyguard/Husband by Mallory Kane

expert’s low-pitched voice. She’d only call for one reason. She had the background checks for Hanks and Winger. “Thanks for the quick turnaround. I know you’re working several cases.”
    “Anything for you, darlin’.” Natasha Rudolph’s sultry voice was as exotic as her appearance. She was tall, blond, with eyes so dark blue they were almost black.
    He snorted. “Right. So, what have you got?”
    “Stanley Hanks did a nickel in the state penitentiary for armed robbery of a liquor store when he was eighteen.”
    “What about Winger?”
    “Robert Winger has been picked up a few times for domestic disturbance. Seems he has a temper. Of course, lucky for him, he also has a mother who would do anything for her little boy. Two of the three incidents were against her, and she refused to file charges. The third was in a public place, against a man he was apparently having dinner with, who also refused to file charges.”
    Jack glanced at Holly. “Domestic disturbances. Thanks, Nat. This helps a lot.”
    “You sure found a little hotbed of intrigue down there in Mississippi, didn’t you.”
    Jack laughed shortly. “Small towns.” He turned off the phone and got out of the car, going around to open the door for Holly. She opened it herself and waved him away.
    “I’m okay,” she said softly, shading her eyes. “It’s just that these headaches make my eyes sensitive to sunlight. What was that all about on the phone?”
    Jack explained as he took her arm to help her inside. She looked as if she was in a lot of pain. He checked the street. It appeared quiet and calm, a peaceful southern street in a peaceful southern town.
    They walked in through the garage.
    Jack’s gaze automatically swept the kitchen as he headed to the sink and grabbed a glass. “You go get your medication. I’ll bring you some water.”
    She walked through to the living room. “Now what?”
    The odd note in her voice instantly warned him that something was wrong. “What is it?” He stepped through the kitchen door in time to see her bending down to pick something up.
    “Stop!” he ordered sharply.
    Holly jumped, but to her credit, she froze in place, awkwardly bent. “Jack. It’s just a book.”
    “Quiet.” He stood perfectly still, balanced on the balls of his feet, one hand out in a warning gesture.

    He listened. There was no sound but their breathing. He berated himself for letting down his guard. He’d let the fact that Holly was in pain and needed medication distract him from doing his job. He should have done his usual sweep of every room. He should have found the book.
    He looked at its position, lying open on the floor, then at the front door, the windows, the hardwood floors. Everything looked undisturbed, even the shelf above the book. There was no sign that anyone had been there.
    “Can I move now? I’m going to throw up if I don’t get something for this headache.”
    She did look as if she might faint at any moment. He nodded curtly. “Slowly back away the way you came. Try not to disturb anything. There may be some hairs or fibers.”
    Her heart pounding, Holly straightened cautiously and took a step backward.
    Still poised like a tiger ready to spring, Jack pulled a pair of latex gloves and a small high-powered flashlight from his pocket. He pulled on the gloves, then carefully examined the floor with the flashlight.
    Holly watched him with interest, trying to ignore the pain in her head. He was looking for evidence, she presumed. Finally, he moved slowly toward the fallen book.
    “Do you recognize the book?”
    Holly started to move closer, but he held up a hand.
    “From there.”
    “No. It looks like a textbook.”
    He stopped directly above the book, and scrutinized the shelves. “It didn’t come from these shelves.” He bent his knees until he was sitting on his haunches.Then he scanned the open pages, his silky black hair sliding over his forehead.
    “So someone brought it into my house and put it