Excerpt of The Silent Setup by Katie Mettner

“Sadie Cook?”

She jumped and spun, her cleaning kit tumbling to the floor as she stumbled backward. Strong, warm hands grasped her arms and kept her from falling at the last second. The man who had called her name, and kept her upright, was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome. His skin was perfectly tanned by the summer sun, he had black hair in a crew cut that said military turned civilian and coffee-brown eyes that were pinned directly on her lips. Her skin heated from his touch, and whispers of a sensation she hadn’t felt in too long spiraled through her.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you okay?”

“Fi-fine,” she stammered. “Sorry—I was lost in thought when you called my name.”

“Are you Sadie Cook?”

“That depends on who’s asking.” She noticed his nose had a misshapen bump near the top, telling her without telling her that he’d broken it once or twice in the past. The bump added character to his already intriguing eyes. Both were overshadowed by his lips though. Full, plump and pink, they’d make any woman yearn for a kiss. The way he stared at her lips made her wonder if that was what he was thinking about right now. How would she feel if this man planted them on hers out of the blue? Not even upset was the answer.

Stop, she scolded herself. You have a baby to take care of now. You don’t have time for kisses from hot guys.

After her internal chastising was over, she stiffened her spine and raised her chin as a slow smile lifted his lips. It was the kind of smile meant to be sly, but on this guy, it just screamed bedroom sexy. The worst part? He knew she was lusting after his lips.

“My name is Eric Newman. I’m part of the Secure One security team.”

Well, she wasn’t expecting that. She’d had the security guys pegged as much older and far less of a male specimen than the one before her.

“I noticed a bit of commotion.”

“You could say that,” Eric said with a chuckle. “I’m helping the police question the staff. Since I witnessed the incident, I know you had nothing to do with it, so don’t worry about that. I do have to ask the staff if they saw or heard anything unusual over the last few days.”

Unusual? Like her sister disappearing into thin air? She resisted the urge to give this man more than he’d bargained for in answer to his question.

“I don’t know what you mean by unusual.”

Casually, he let go of her arms and placed his hands on his hips. “The same vehicle coming and going. People on the property you had never seen before. That kind of thing.”

Sadie thought about it for a moment but finally shook her head. “That’s the problem, Eric. There are always people coming and going in the house, but I don’t know all of Mr. Fettering’s friends. You’ll have to ask him.”

“I believe the Bemidji PD is doing that now.” The tone of his voice was patient, but she could tell he was on edge.

“Something bad happened, right?” she asked. “Probably by the back exit.” She gauged his reaction and noticed his eyes dilate for a moment. Her words had hit the way she’d hoped.

“What do you know about the back exit?” His tone told her this was no longer a friendly question-and-answer session. Now he wanted information.

“That’s the exit Mr. Fettering makes us use, but I hate it. The lack of lights back there makes it unsafe as soon as the sun goes down, and I always told my friend if anyone wanted to commit a crime, that was the place to do it.” A shiver racked her body, telling the man in front of her just how much she believed that statement to be true. “I knew it was only a matter of time, but Dirk didn’t want to hear it.”

“You’re observant,” Eric said. “Have you seen any suspicious activity back there before?”

“No,” Sadie said, taking a step back. He was one of those men who pulled you into his atmosphere and held you there. It was disturbing and wonderful simultaneously, but Sadie knew she had to get out before she wanted to stay. “Can I go now?”

“You can. I’ll check you off as having been questioned. You’ll need an escort to your car.”

Sadie nervously swallowed before she answered. “That’s okay. I’ll be fine, but thanks.” She turned away to gather her supplies when he tugged on her apron.

“No, I mean you’ll have an escort. No one is allowed in the storage area without a security guard. The back exit is closed, so everyone has to show identification and exit through the front. Are you working tomorrow?” Her nod was short. “When you arrive, someone at the entrance will direct you to the new parking area. I’ll take you to your car now if you’re ready.”

Sadie frowned. They must have found a body. It was the only thing that made sense if they were being this cautious and demanding at the same time. Kadie’s face skittered through her mind’s eye, and she fought the urge to ask him if they had found a woman’s body. The way he looked at her, she wondered if he suspected she was hiding something. She had to stay off this guy’s radar if she wanted to find her sister and bring her home. “I just need to grab my coat.”

He turned and motioned for her to go ahead, and that was when she noticed the device behind his ear with a thin wire attached to a translucent earpiece. It wasn’t a security piece. It was a hearing aid. A second glance told her he wore one on the other side too. The memory of how he’d stared at her lips brought heat to her cheeks when she realized he’d simply been reading her lips and not thinking about kissing her.

Copyright 2024, Katie Mettner