He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not

running she was going to do.
    She was going home.
    For a few minutes, anyway, to get some more clothes and her passport. Then she was leaving—not just Shadow Falls. She was leaving the country. There was nothing else for her to add to the investigation, no reason to stay.
    The memory of Logan’s sweet, sexy smile shot a stab of pain through her so intense it almost brought her to her knees. How had he wiggled his way into her heart so quickly? She shook the image away and finished stuffing her last few belongings into the suitcase on the bed.
    Leaving made perfect sense. It was the right thing to do. She couldn’t bear to face Logan again, knowing she wasn’t coming back.
    Getting away from the house would be easy. She’d eavesdropped earlier when Karen arrived and she’d heard Logan tell Karen she was upstairs and wanted to be alone. Karen wouldn’t expect her downstairs anytime soon.
    And since Logan had stored her car next to his garage, all she had to do was wait until Karen did one of her patrols around the property and drive away.
    With luck, she’d get what she needed from her house and be on her way to the airport before Logan realized she’d left. By the time he figured everything out, she’d be on an airplane and there’d be nothing he could do to stop her.
    Would he care? She doubted it, not after the way she’d acted this morning. He’d probably be glad to be rid of her and all her emotional baggage, but he was a man of honor. His misguided sense of duty might force him to try to stop her from leaving, which was why she was going to sneak out now.
    After shutting her suitcase, she looked around the room, memorizing it, taking a picture to hold in her heart when she looked back on what might have been.
    She sat on the bed and stared out the window, waiting for Karen to leave the house.
    A few minutes later, Karen stepped into her line of vision and began her patrol of the perimeter of the property.
    Amanda hefted her suitcase and hurried through the house. She turned off the alarm, slipped out the back door and re-armed the alarm before heading for the garage. She didn’t relax until she was in her car and out of the driveway on her way to her house.
    When she was ten minutes from home, she pulled over at a convenience store and convinced the clerk to let her use their phone. Yes, she wanted to go home and get a few things before leaving town, but she wasn’t stupid. If the killer was watching her house, she needed protection. But if she’d asked Karen for help, Karen would have tried to stop her and would have called Logan.
    She didn’t know if the unmarked police car was still down the street keeping an eye on her house, and she didn’t want to rely on men she didn’t know—even if they were police.
    No, what she needed was someone she could trust: someone who would trust her and believe the lie she was about to tell.
    “SFPD, how may I direct your call?” an elderly voice asked upon answering the phone.
    “Detective Riley, please.”
    “One moment.”
    She clutched the phone as she waited, guilt already riddling her for what she was about to do. Riley was a nice guy and she hated to deceive him, but she couldn’t think of any other way.
    “Detective Riley.”
    “Riley? It’s Amanda Stockton.”
    “Amanda? Is something wrong? Logan’s in his office. Do you want me to get him for you?”
    “No, no, I’m sure he’s busy and I don’t want to bother him. Actually, I was hoping you could do me a favor.”
    W hen Amanda drove up to her house, Riley was just getting out of his car. Perfect timing. She pulled into the driveway behind him.
    He slammed his door shut and stood with an incredulous expression on his face.
    As soon as she shut her car door, he stalked up to her and grabbed her arm. His face was red and he looked like he was struggling to control his temper.
    “Riley, before you yell at me, give me a minute to explain.”
    “Oh, for God’s sake, I’m not going to yell at you. You can explain why you lied to me once I get you inside. It’s not safe out here, and I value my life too highly to face Logan if something happens to you.” He pulled her toward the house, forcing her to jog to keep up with him.
    He kept looking around as if he expected an attack any second. His nervousness started transferring to her and she suddenly felt very foolish.
    “Riley, I know it was wrong to lie to you, but I needed to get some more clothes and my passport so I thought if I