Did she know how close to the truth that was? There was no way he would’ve been able to relax if she’d shut the door in his face.
“Thank you.” He closed and locked the door. He slipped his shoes off, a habit he’d picked up from his teenage years after his mom yelled at him too many times to count, for traipsing mud through the house. He’d even done it while living in Alaska, but he always had thick thermal socks on and a roaringfire in his small cabin so there was no chance he would suffer from frostbitten toes.
He strode over to the curtains first and thrust them aside. Was he taking liberties where they may not have been welcome? Highly likely, but if someone was hiding there, they’d be exposed pretty quickly. Of course, doing so could’ve put them in danger too. And that was the last thing he wanted.
Isaac took a moment to survey the vista from Marie’s tenth floor apartment while he took a few seconds to get himself under control, so that the rest of his exploration of the apartment was taken with more care.
The view was of the street he’d parked on and the apartment building across the road. Her place didn’t have a balcony so no one could hide out there waiting to strike.
“Are you okay?” Marie came up beside him.
He clenched his hand into a fist for a second before releasing it, as if that could ease the tension coiling through him. It helped a little.
What was causing him to be so on edge?
His instincts weren’t screaming that danger lurked in the apartment, but they were still vibrating that something wasn’t right about the whole situation. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Right, and I’m really a secret billionairess who doesn’t need to work but do it because I want to.”
Isaac chucked. “Is that right? Does that mean you’ve got a jet somewhere that can whisk us away from all of this to a place where no one can find us?”
As outlandish as the idea sounded, there was some truth to it. He would like nothing better than to leave all the ghosts of his past behind and start over somewhere isolated where no one would bother him again. Having Marie by his side would be an added bonus. He would be able to get to know her better.
Of course, given how he’d been acting toward her, the chances of her wanting to be alone with him were pretty slim. Especially considering they didn’t really know each other.
“Forget I said that. I’ll continue looking around, if that’s okay with you.”
Confusion creased her brow, but a second later it cleared. “Sure, I’m going to get some water. Do you want some?”
“Please.”
He brushed past her and headed down the small hallway. The first room he went into was her office. There was a sturdy desk pushed up against the window with a large black leather chair tucked beneath it. It wasn’t safe to have her back to the door, and he made a mental note to mention it to her.
He continued his search and found another room, which had a few moving boxes resting against one wall. There was a bathroom and laundry closet which held a washing machine and dryer combo. The final room had to be her bedroom, and he hesitated before entering. This was her private domain. The place where she truly felt herself. He was still searching for such a space in his own home.
No way could he not go in there, though. It would be remiss of him if he searched every room except this one and this was the place where a perp had hidden. Someone lurking in the shadows of a room might be cliché, but it was the one space where the person entering it was relaxed and not expecting anyone to jump out at them.
Taking a deep breath, he held it for a second before blowing it out as he opened the door. The subtle scent of vanilla teased his nostrils. The room was dominated by a neatly made king bed with a pastel-colored comforter. There was a combination of everyday and decorative pillows resting against the pale gray padded headboard.
This was the only room that was free of boxes and clutter. The top of her dresser held a small jewel box and a couple of photo frames. One of the nightstands held a lamp, clock, and a book with a pair of glassesresting on top of it. The other nightstand only had a lamp on it.
The room was tranquil, and Isaac felt the last of his tension ease from him. This was her sanctuary, and he wanted to lose himself in it—with her.
“This was the first room I completely unpacked, even before my kitchen.”
Her soft words startled him, and he cursed himself for not being fully aware of his surroundings. What if it was one of the kidnappers coming back to take her? He hadn’t done more than take a couple of steps into the room. He hadn’t even checked what was on theother side of the three doors that took up one side of the room.
Isaac schooled his features so she couldn’t see how shocked he was that she’d been able to creep up on him. “I can understand that.”
“Do you do that as well?” Her head canted to the side in interest. “Unpack your bedroom first,” she clarified.
“I don’t have much stuff, until recently I lived in a furnished apartment. One that is usually rented to executives for short stays. I have a house now but haven’t done much with it.”
“It must be hard to try and find out who you are after being someone else for so long.”
Marie’s insight wasn’t a surprise. She was a doctor, one of her skills was to observe and make a diagnosis. While he didn’t have a medical issue, he’d still given her enough information for her to come to that conclusion.
“It is.” Not wanting to dwell on his past, he waved a hand toward the closed doors. “I just have to look behind these, and then I can get out of your hair.”
