ALEX FORCED HIS HAND to uncurl. Wanting to punch the windshield wasn’t going to help Jenna calm down.

“Tell me about the feeling,” he said.

Jenna flinched and finally—finally—looked at him. Her lips parted, and she blinked a few times.

“It’s just a feeling, like someone’s watching me.”

“That feeling between your shoulder blades? Skin crawling? Raised hair?” There was a lot of credibility where a woman’s intuition was concerned. He’d seen a man walk right past a threat while a woman sensed danger and steered clear. If Jenna said she was being watched—he’d believe her. Besides, it would take something serious to shake a battle hardened medic like her.

“Yeah, exactly like that.” She blew out a breath and slumped in her seat.

Had she thought he’d fight her on a hunch?

He wanted to comfort her, to do something to relieve this burden. But the most important thing to do now was to assess the situation. Was Jenna in danger right now? How aggressive was the stalker?

“How long has this been going on?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe three months? I’d cropped it up to bad dreams, but then...” She pushed a hand through her hair. After the op, she’d washed her face, now dark crescents marred her cheeks. It was no trick of the moonlight that made her look paler than normal, too.

“Then what?”

“Then stuff started disappearing from my house.” She stared at him then.

His vision hazed red. Not only was someone following her—but taking things from her home, too? This was serious, more serious than she realized. Stalking was a behavior that escalated over time, which meant the perpetrator had probably started before the three month window. Long before. Where would it lead to next? That was the real question.

“Why haven’t you reported it?” He knew the answer, but he still had to ask.

“Come on, Alex.” She rolled her eyes. “Any one of the guys will go in my house, ask me what’s missing, if I’ve had a broken door or window. There’s no sign that someone’s been in my house, no evidence. But I know it. I feel it. You can’t prove a feeling. And the only things missing are leftovers and random things. Nothing valuable. Stuff they’ll say I misplaced. The guys will have a good laugh and peg me with a new name for a couple of weeks.”

Alex grimaced. It was a regular practice to christen each member with a nickname. Usually they stuck with easy stuff. Most of the guys called Jenna Doc. If a team member did something stupid, they inevitably paid for it with a new name. But this wasn’t stupidity—it was serious.

He’d thought she seemed a bit on edge as of late. She was holding it together pretty well, but he didn’t want to upset her more. However...she needed to know.

“I can see your point.” No, he couldn’t. He could see himself punching some asshole until his nose crunched, Alex broke a couple knuckles, and the guy was in the back of a cruiser. “What concerns me is that you’re telling me someone has broken into your home and taken personal items. That’s breaking and entering.”

“I know that.”

“It’s a crime.”

“Yeah, well aware of that.”

“Then why not report it?”

“Because no one broke anything to get inside. I’ve had my locks changed three times and still—stuff disappears. I’ve used two different companies. The only key to the house is in my pocket and with my landlord. It really fucks up that breaking and entering theory.” She pulled her knees up, perching her heels on his seat, arms crossed over her chest.

If she was being that careful, then it meant they were dealing with someone much more dangerous. A chill passed over Alex. There was no way in hell Jenna was stepping foot in her house alone until he’d caught the guy. In fact, he wouldn’t mind setting a twenty-four-hour security detail on her.

He’d never seen Jenna shaken. Actually, she’d never gotten the least bit flustered. He’d keep his thoughts to himself and hope she agreed to the plan formulating in his mind. First, he had to keep her safe. Second, they needed proof to open a case. Lastly, they’d bag the asshole and slam him so deep in jail he couldn’t breathe without chains rattling.

“What kinds of things are missing?” he asked.

“The only thing that really matters is my grandmother’s Founder Ring.”

“Founder Ring?” Alex blinked. “I didn’t realize your family went back that far.”

“Yup.” Jenna chuckled, and she almost smiled. “Grandma always said the ring was hideous.”

In the eighties, some historical foundation had voted Ransom as Texas’s most untouched town and presented those families who had roots back over a hundred years with a set of gaudy gold rings with black stones. They were ugly, but those families that had them were proud of them.

“I’d like to take a look around. Would you mind?” he asked.

“Mind? I might kiss you.” She slumped in her seat. “Take a left, third house on the left.”

He didn’t tell her he already knew that. She didn’t know he drove patrols occasionally when she was coming or going. The kiss, well, he couldn’t allow himself to think about that. He started the truck and eased down the street, around the turn and into her drive. All the houses were nearly identical, from the brick to the landscaping to the cookie cutter way the mailboxes were staged at the street.

“I’m going to leave the truck running.” He dug in the center console for a moment before coming up with a spare notebook and paper. “I want you to write down anything that’s gone missing, any time you felt like you were being watched or something wasn’t right. There isn’t a detail too random or silly sounding, okay?”

“I’m not making it up.” Jenna’s fierce stare would have frightened a lesser man. It just made Alex want to take her up on that kiss.

“I didn’t say you were. A detailed account of what was wrong and when might tell us who we’re looking for. Patterns. I’m trying to build a case to prove you’re right.”

“Oh.” She took the notebook and stared at the blank page.

“Keys?”

“Right. Crap.” She handed the keys over, brushing her fingers across his palm.

He almost hoped the stalker was inside, laying in wait for Jenna to come home in the dark. Teaching that son of a bitch a lesson would be the highlight of his year. The chances were unlikely. If whoever was watching her was able to remain unseen for three months, he wasn’t going to be the type to confront the object of his affections. Not yet at least.

Alex dug in the back seat for a moment. He climbed out of the truck, hit the lock button and left it idling. He clicked his police issue flashlight on and held it up, taking in the front stoop, the windows. Nothing moved. He wished the power was on. They needed to photograph the whole house, document everything. As much as he hated to admit she was right, stalking was a harder crime to prove, especially to officers who still had a small town mindset. If he tried to form a basis for a stalking case, the detectives might ignore it. But if he could prove someone was stealing from her, well, the boys would be up in arms about protecting one of their own.

He unlocked the front door and swept the living room with his light. Though he’d rather leave the door open, last he recalled Jenna still had the cat she’d scooped off a scene last year. He did not want to have to chase a damn cat all over the place on top of worrying about Delores and now Jenna.

He progressed through the living room, peered into the galley kitchen and did a quick walk through of the two bedrooms and bathroom to be sure the house was indeed empty before going back to the beginning and allowing himself to take it all in.

It was the first time he’d seen the inside of Jenna’s home. The furniture was mostly white distressed wood and beige, with bits of color thrown in with a blanket or frame. A coffee mug sat on the table in front of the sofa. The fireplace was decorated with pillar candles in the hearth. The cat’s food bowl was empty. A couple of snapshots of Jenna in her military fatigues were pinned to the fridge with magnets from South Beach and Long Island.

It was a warm, welcoming home. Someplace a person would want to return to. That Jenna might not feel safe here was entirely wrong.

He’d fix this, one way or another.

The spare bedroom was more of a make-shift office and work-out room, with a treadmill and a desk with some free weights lined up along the wall. He counted to make sure they were all there. A five pound hand weight could make a useful weapon in a pinch and if he’d surprised the stalker by not being the object of his obsession things could turn violent.

Alex took a deep breath and stepped into her bedroom, allowing himself to actually see it. Before he’d focused the floor, bed and the closet for human-shaped objects. Now, he took in the four poster bed, the floral curtains and the dresser drawers partially open. A pair of black, lacey underwear were draped over the side. He groaned. Just the visual he needed.

The house appeared to be in a state of waiting. As if Jenna would walk from one room into the next and carry on about her life.

He exited out through the back door and walked around the house, peering into the dirt near the hedges for boot prints or any indication someone might have watched her while she was unaware. In the darkness he couldn’t make out if the divots were footprints or something else.

There was nothing inside or out to indicate someone had been in her home. A detective couldn’t do anything about this. Worse, because of her connection to the department, if word got around Jenna thought she had an invisible stalker, people would start talking. In a bigger PD, it might get swept under the rug, but in Ransom, people gossiped, and when there was too much talk, it often left permanent marks. He’d felt the rough side of a few tongues himself.

They would have to catch the suspect in the act or document proof that what Jenna was saying was truth. Pictures. Video. DNA. Something.

He paused as he reached the driveway. The dash lights up-lit her face bent over the notebook. The last thing he wanted to tell her was that it didn’t appear as though anyone had been in her home. He wanted answers.

She glanced up and damn if his lungs didn’t stop for a second.

Right. Time to tell her the bad news.

Alex crossed to the driver’s side as Jenna unlocked the truck. He climbed in and glanced at the notebook.

“Get anything?” he asked.

“Just a few entries. It’s going to take me a while.”

“That’s okay. Take your time.” Alex nodded. “House is clear. Power’s not on yet.”

She blew out a breath. The tension vibrating off her could shake a mountain.

“I want you to go in and take a look around, if anything is out of place, take a picture. Tomorrow when the power’s back on, I want to document everything.”

“Yeah, okay.” She stared straight ahead.

“It’s getting awfully late. Why don’t you pack a bag and stay at my place tonight? I’ve got a guest room you can use. I don’t like the idea of you here alone right now.”

Jenna’s head snapped around. “Really? You don’t mind?”

“Mind? I’m about five minutes from telling you that’s what’s going to happen whether you like it or not.”

She tossed her head back and laughed, and damn if it wasn’t the best sound he’d heard in ages.

“Tonight, I’ll do whatever you say.” Jenna winked at him and her smile spread into an easy grin. This was the Jenna who haunted his fantasies, teasing him as the woman he’d never have.

Alex cleared his throat. “Let’s get a bag and call it a night.”

“Oh wait—what about my cat?”

“I’ve got a German Sheppard I’m not sure would mix well with a cat.”

“Dang.” She chewed her nail and stared at the front of the house.

“If he doesn’t bother you at night, we can set him up in the guest bedroom with you.”

“Are you sure? Mittens doesn’t tear stuff up, but he’s not exactly friendly.”

“Doesn’t bother me if it doesn’t bother you.”

“Thank you. Seriously. And I’m sorry about earlier.”

“Don’t mention it. Let’s get the cat and go home.”

He killed the engine, and they met on the stoop. Alex went in first, armed with his flashlight. He wasn’t going to take chances, no matter that he’d been through the place twice.

“See anything out of place?” he asked.

Jenna pulled out her cell phone, flipped on her flashlight app and examined the coffee table and sofa as if she expected something to be there.

“I had this marble coaster I’d sit on the couch because it was so solid a drink wouldn’t tip over. It was gone for two weeks, randomly showed up for three days and has been gone ever since. I’ve torn apart the living room and kitchen looking for it.”

Alex shut the front door and followed Jenna through the living room, kitchen and second bedroom. They paused there to pack up Mitten’s litter box and feeding dishes. He hung back as she stepped into her bedroom. Knowing exactly what she wore tomorrow under her clothes was not the way he wanted to torture himself.

“Alex?” Jenna’s voice was high, wavering.

Something was wrong.

What had he missed?

He crossed the space between them in two strides and pushed her behind him, sweeping the room once more.

“What is it?” he asked.

“My drawer—it’s open. I never leave them open. It’s a thing. I can’t leave doors or drawers half open, they’re either shut or open. I didn’t do that. It’s not like me.” The pitch of her voice increased until it sounded as if she were about to break.

Alex turned, grasping her shoulders.

“Jenna, breathe.”

“I don’t do that.” She stared up at him, the look of sheer panic enough to make him pull her into his arms.

“I know you don’t,” he said to calm her down. He didn’t know the first thing about her ticks or habits. What she needed was comfort. “Take a deep breath. I’m going to look and make sure everything’s okay.”

Jenna hugged her arms around herself and nodded.

Alex took a deep breath, steeling himself for whatever he was about to find and peered into the drawer. Jenna’s panties were neatly folded into little squares and organized by color and fabric. There were patterns, lacey things that seemed to have hardly no material whatsoever to them and then there were the bras, neatly lined up at the other end of the drawer. He swallowed and made himself look past the undergarments.

“There’s nothing out of place that I can see. Look and tell me if anything’s missing.”

Jenna scooted closer and snatched the black thong draped over the side. She immediately chucked it into a trash can. He waited while she sucked down a deep breath and edged nearer, taking stock of her panties.

“I’m not sure. It’s not like I’ve named every pair of underwear I own.”

“Okay. Grab what you need. I’m going to look for your cat.”

Alex didn’t exactly flee the bedroom, but he walked with haste into the main part of the house. The visual of Jenna and a black thong would forever be burned into his brain.

IT WAS LATE—AND his Jenna was getting in a truck with another man?

He peered through the scope, focused on the bag the man had carried out of the house. It was the one Jenna kept in her closet just above her pretty dresses. There’d been a number of times he’d observed Jenna with this man. He was another cop, one of those who always put her in danger. The cops didn’t care about her.

Only he cared about Jenna.

What was she doing with this man?

Why was she leaving?

Didn’t she know he was here?

That they were supposed to spend tonight together?

The truck rumbled to life once more, and they backed out of the drive. She was leaving. Actually leaving him.

Had she taken the underwear he laid out for her? Was she going to wear them for that man?

He tapped the screen of his tablet, quickly scrolling to the section of the workspace labeled Coworkers-Police. There were several dark haired cops, but only one with the build of the man his Jenna had left with. Alex Myers.

Was she being unfaithful to him? Did she not appreciate all of his little gestures? Everything he’d done for her?

Red hazed his vision until he couldn’t see anything except Jenna’s face. She was special. Not like other women. And she was his. She would always be his. Maybe he hadn’t made that clear enough? Something whirred to life nearby and suddenly lights flickered in the surrounding houses.

The power.

Of course.

Did Jenna not like the darkness?

He should have left a candle burning for her or maybe a fire. She could have come home to a bright, cheery home. But instead of waiting for him she’d left with the cop.

She had to be taught a lesson. That’s what it boiled down to.