“If you’re hinting for me to leave because you want to be alone or are sick of my company, fine. But we both know this is something else. You’re upset. Something is going on. Just tell me.” He stared at her with damp hair and skin that had paled a bit since he picked up the envelope.

She had him worried. She could almost see him planning her protection. Him, the guy who lost his sister in the most horrible way.

“I don’t want to drag you into this.” And she meant that. He’d survived enough.

“What?” His eyes narrowed with confusion as he gestured toward the note in her hand. “And what is that? Help me understand what’s going on here.”

“A threat.”

Every handsome feature pulled taut and the life zapped out of his eyes. “What?”

When he didn’t move, she knew she’d lost her opportunity to get him away from this tonight. “You’re not going to leave, are you?”

“Not after that comment.”

Standing there, out in the open, made him more vulnerable than being inside with her. She tugged on his arm to drag him into the living room. “Come in.”

Neither one of them said a word as she locked the locks. Multiple, including the dead bolt and the one that slammed into the floor. With each flick of her wrist and spin of a knob, she felt the heat of his stare. He followed every movement until they stood at her kitchen table with the note lying on a placemat in front of them.

Carefully, she opened one end of the envelope. She knew how to touch it to minimize her exposure to the paper. How to preserve evidence, though there never proved to be any of that left.

No, her stalker or would-be attacker or nightmare from her past—whoever this was—was very careful. She knew the basics of letter forensics thanks to some training, but this person knew how not to make a mistake.

She opened the folded piece of paper. The words sent a new wave of panic flooding through her.

Get rid of him or I will

Connor bent down to get a closer look then stood up straight again. “What the fuck?”

“How did . . . ?” She spun around, half expecting to see someone else standing there, watching them.

“Who would do this?”

Right now the who didn’t matter to her. Placing him in the line of fire did. “I swear I never meant for you to get involved or be in danger.”