Harlequin Holiday Collection - Four Classic Seasonal Novellas

desk.
    She was halfway across the lobby when she realized that there was no one there.
    “Hello?”
    No answer.
    Fear crept over her.
    “Hello?” she repeated.
    Nothing. Not a sound.
    Her phone’s screen went black again.
    That was when she heard it.
    A footstep somewhere behind her.

Chapter Seventeen
    Olivia didn’t turn around.
    She ran.
    If whoever she’d heard coming had been a member of the lab staff or security, he or she would have called out to her. Every instinct urged her to run.
    Her phone slipped from her fingers. Hit the floor and slid God-only-knew where. She couldn’t go back for it. He could be right behind her.
    Sheer luck and a good memory was all that prevented her from running headlong into a wall or piece of furniture.
    She found the rear exit and slammed her weight against the door.
    Nothing happened.
    What the…?
    The door wasn’t supposed to be sealed. What if there was a fire? The front doors had been locked, too. This was wrong.
    Running footfalls whispered against her eardrums.
    He was coming.
    She flattened against the wall, unsure of herself now. Struggling with the effort, she slowed, quieting her breathing.
    She couldn’t get out. Her only choice was to make her way back to the stairwell door and head back up to the lab. She could lock herself in Callie’s office.
    Listening for sounds, she felt along the wall, making sure there were no obstacles before she moved.
    If she made a single sound…
    She didn’t want to think about it.
    Just move.
    Almost there.
    A few more steps and she would reach the stairwell door. Her fingers encountered the cold metal knob and she froze.
    Where was he?
    She hadn’t heard a sound in several minutes. It could have been only one or two, but it felt like an hour had passed. Her heart strummed against her sternum. Don’t listen to the sound of your fear…listen for the threat.
    Silence.
    If she hadn’t dropped her phone this would be a good time to call for help.
    But she had.
    There was nothing else for her to do. The lab was her only resort. She had to go for it.
    She turned the knob. The sound echoed in the silence. She winced. The door would probably creak, too.
    Screw it. She jerked the door open and moved into the stairwell. With the door pressing against her back, she listened.
    Nothing.
    Slowly, holding her breath, she let the door close. The click reverberated like a rifle shot.
    Still no sound to indicate whoever was in here was close by or even following.
    Holding the handrail like a lifeline, she moved up the stairs. Slowly, trying her best not to make a sound. Her soft-soled shoes were a blessing to her feet on a daily basis but even more so now.
    Second floor.
    One step at a time. Don’t breathe too loudly. Don’t allow your lab coat to brush against the metal railing. Silent as the proverbial mouse.
    Third floor.
    She stood outside the lab for a full trauma-filled minute.
    Once she entered the third floor there was no place left to go. The fourth floor was a storage room for the city, and there was no access from the lab.
    If he—whoever he was and if he was a he—had come to the third floor in anticipation of her going back there or to steal files from the lab…she was in deep trouble.
    Brace yourself .
    Take a breath and open the door .
    A creak echoed from below.
    Door. First floor.
    He was coming.

Chapter Eighteen
    It took every ounce of courage she possessed, but Olivia opened the third-floor door with the same painstaking effort as she had the others. No need to give away her position.
    She allowed the door to close as noiselessly as was humanly possible.
    Then she ran. Down the corridor. Into the lab.
    She grabbed for the door to Callie’s office and twisted the knob.
    It didn’t budge.
    How could it be locked?
    Her whirling mind recalled her steps as she’d placed her report in Callie’s office. She’d closed the door behind her.
    Had it been set to lock?
    Never mind.
    She had to hide.
    Picking her way carefully between the stations, she rushed through the mental list of other places to hide. She needed to be able to barricade herself away from the threat.
    He would be reaching the lab any second.
    Maybe he already had.
    She had to hurry!
    Something hard stopped her forward momentum. Strong fingers clamped down on her arms.
    Her survival instinct erupted inside her.
    She kicked. Screamed.
    He twisted her body around and flattened her back against his chest. Definitely a he, her mind analyzed.
    “Scream one