A midnight visitor
“Alex?” Nicki sat up, all too aware that she was naked beneath her sheet. “What do you mean, coming in here scaring me half to death in the middle of the night? Who do you think you are?”
“Your first lover?” He sat down on the bed, much too close to her. She could feel the heat of him against her hip right through the sheet. “Talk to me, Nicki. Tell me what you saw last night.”
“Why don’t you tell me why you’re here? Why now, when you’ve been in town for months?”
“You knew that?”
“That you were back?” She hoped he didn’t hear the pain she tried to bury deep in her heart. “Have you been gone so long you’ve forgotten what it’s like to live in a small town?”
His hand stroked her cheek. The caress made her shiver. “You’re still soft as midnight.”
She didn’t want to respond to his touch, but it would have been easier to stop breathing. She stared into his eyes and tried not to want him anymore. “We aren’t the same people, Alex.”
His mouth descended, covering hers. Firm lips demanded a response. This wasn’t the kiss of her dreams, or her memories. This was an assault of raw passion.
He broke away. “Yes, we are.”
Dear Reader,
I’ve been fascinated by Alex Coughlin since he appeared in For His Daughter. The man just can’t seem to stay out of trouble. Since he insists on popping up, I decided he’d better explain why he walks so close to the edge with his dangerous, dark good looks and his collection of less-than-savory friends.
And as soon as I started writing, I discovered I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t forget him. Nicki Michaels is about to watch her peaceful, uneventful life blow sky-high when she tries to help a friend and finds herself on the wrong side of a two-way mirror, staring at the one man she’s never been able to forget.
Nothing is ever what it seems in Fools Point. I hope you’ll enjoy The Silent Witness.
Happy Reading!
Dani Sinclair
The Silent Witness
Dani Sinclair
For Mary McGowan and Karin and Rita Shaughnessy with thanks. A special thanks to Kelsey Roberts. And always for Roger, Chip, Dan and Barb.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With the premiere of Mystery Baby for Harlequin Intrigue in 1996, Dani Sinclair launched her dream career. An avid reader, she never took her own writing seriously until her only sister caught her between career moves and asked her to write a romance novel. Dani quickly discovered she could combine her love of action/adventure with a dash of humor while creating characters who find love together despite the odds. Dani lives in a Maryland suburb outside of Washington, D.C., a place she’s found to be a great source for both intrigue and humor!
Books by Dani Sinclair
HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE
371—MYSTERY BABY
401—MAN WITHOUT A BADGE
448—BETTER WATCH OUT
481—MARRIED IN HASTE
507—THE MAN SHE MARRIED
539—FOR HIS DAUGHTER*
551—MY BABY, MY LOVE*
565—THE SILENT WITNESS*
HARLEQUIN TEMPTATION
690—THE NAKED TRUTH
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Nicki Michaels—Her favor to a friend made her a target for murder. Now she must put her trust in the man who loved her and left her.
Alex Coughlin—The town bad boy is back—but this time, his reputation hides a bigger secret.
Thorton Biggs—His death was premeditated—was it also a setup?
Bernie Michaels—Nicki’s father knows more about Alex than he’s ever admitted.
Hope Michaels—Is Nicki’s sister a pawn, or a player?
Thad Osher—He has a bad attitude, but does that make him a crooked cop?
Ilona Toskov—What did she see in the alley, and who is she trying to protect?
Pavel Toskov—Ilona’s brother is handy with his fists.
Vic Unsdorf—Will silence cost him his life?
Matt Williams—The precocious teen knows more than he’s saying.
Contents
Prologue
“He knows where you are!”
The five words on the other end of the phone caused her stomach muscles to contort violently. She continued peering out the window at the street below straining to see. Was someone lurking in the doorway of the small appliance store across the street? His words made it more than likely. The darkened shop made it impossible to tell for sure.
“He can’t know.”
“I’m telling you, he knows. It’s all coming unraveled. We have to talk, right away!”
Her mind twisted, looking for a way out. A movement caught her attention. Someone was watching from the shadows across the street. She was pretty sure she knew who that someone was. She turned from the window, bumping her already bruised arm and nearly stepping on Nicki’s cat. She ignored the pain and the