Simon Says Die

tempted to grab the blanket lying beside him and toss it over all those hard planes and muscles. “You should cover up.”
    â€œThat would make it hard for the EMT to bandage my ribs, don’t you think?”
    The teasing note in his voice told her he realized the effect his near-nakedness was having on her, the same effect it had always had on her.
    And he was enjoying it.
    She forced herself to look at his face. “What are you doing in Savannah? Why did you run after me?”
    â€œSo, you did know I was following you. Did you hear me shout a warning about the gun too?”
    Her face flushed with heat. “I heard someone yell something behind me, but I wasn’t sure what they’d said.”
    His brows rose in obvious disbelief.
    â€œI’m not reckless.” She hated that she felt the need to explain her actions. “If I’d known he was armed, I wouldn’t have chased him.”
    Not until she’d gone back inside her house and grabbed a gun.
    â€œYou’re not reckless? Did it occur to you that the man you were chasing could be the killer who’s been in the papers? The one who’s killed two women so far, leaving ‘Simon says die’ notes on their bodies?”
    Her faced flushed even hotter. “Honestly, no, it didn’t.” Admitting that, out loud, wasn’t doing much for her pride or her sour mood. “Stop changing the subject. Why are you here?”
    â€œWhy were you chasing that man?” he countered.
    She waved her hand toward the patrol cars. “I already told Lieutenant Hamilton. That man was trespassing on my property. I went outside to confront him, and he took off. I didn’t think—I just reacted—and took off after him.”
    â€œWhy didn’t you call nine-one-one?”
    â€œI did,” she snapped. “The first time I saw someone watching me. And the second time. And the third. But that man is always gone by the time the police bother to arrive.”
    His eyes widened. “This is the fourth time you’ve seen him watching you? And you thought it was a good idea to chase him?” He swore and shook his head. “Why didn’t you tell Logan you had a stalker when you called him this morning?”
    She went very still. “How did you know I spoke to him this morning?”
    He glanced uneasily at the EMT before answering. “He called me, said you sounded upset, distracted. He asked me to check on you.”
    â€œHa. Check up on me you mean,” she said, crossing her arms. Honeymoon or not, her brother was going to get an earful about this. She should have known better than to call him. But when she’d seen that same man in her backyard again, she’d wanted her police chief brother’s advice. After hearing his voice, how happy he sounded, she couldn’t bring herself to tell him anything that might make him worry. He and Amanda had been through so much. They deserved this happy time together.
    A terrible suspicion flashed through her as she thought about what Pierce had just said. “Wait a minute. I talked to Logan less than an hour ago. Jacksonville is at least three hours away. Are you in town on a case?”
    He didn’t look like he wanted to answer. The tiny lines at the edges of his eyes crinkled and his mouth hardened into a flat line. “I don’t live in Florida anymore. I live here now.”
    Her breath left her in a rush.
    Pierce lived in the same city she did.
    That thought pounded at her like a drumbeat, as though a hand were squeezing her heart and pressing against her lungs.
    It shouldn’t matter.
    It shouldn’t matter that he lived so close. It shouldn’t matter that she could run into him at the grocery store, or pass him on the street. It shouldn’t matter that she could reach out right now and run her fingers across his golden skin.
    It shouldn’t matter, none of it.
    But, damn it, it did.
    She cleared her throat, twice, before she trusted her voice again. “How long have you been here?”
    The EMT flicked a glance at her and set the gauze down. “You can lower your arms now, Agent Buchanan.”
    Pierce eased his arms down, watching her with a wary expression on his face. “A couple of months.”
    Two months? He hadn’t bothered to mention that he’d moved when he’d seen her at her brother’s wedding. She hadn’t told him she’d moved either, but then