Lisa Jackson – Obsession (страница 1)
#1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson brings you heart-stopping adventure and scintillating romance in this fan-favorite story…
Zane Flannery has always been overprotective of his famous ex-wife, Kaylie Melville—he is, after all, her former bodyguard, not to mention her former husband. And when Zane discovers that Lee Johnston, a maniacal stalker who once threatened Kaylie’s life, is being released from a nearby psychiatric facility, his protective instincts jump into overdrive. Spiriting Kaylie away to his cabin in the mountains, Zane has nothing but her safety on his mind. But being alone together in a remote mountain hideaway proves irresistible for them both, and the sparks that once flew between them are soon reignited…
Praise for New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson
“Turn on the lights before you turn the first page of this electrifying thriller. Set a bare six months after the shocking events of
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“Taking up where…phenomenal
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“Lisa Jackson pulls out all the stops in this brilliantly conceived, chilling, twisted psychological thriller that contains murder, mental illness, incest, love and hope.
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“What a story! This is a perfectly put together, complex story with more than one relationship and mystery going on…a perfect meld of past and present. I loved it!”
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“There are hints of
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LISA JACKSON is a #1
Obsession
CONTENTS
The patient rocked slowly back and forth in his chair. His eyes, deep-set and pale blue, stared at the television screen, and though he didn’t speak, his lips moved, as if he were trying to say something to the woman on the small color screen, the cohost of
Kaylie, her name was. He had a picture of her. The one they hadn’t found. The one the orderlies had overlooked. It was old and faded, the slickness nearly worn off, but every night he stared at that picture and pretended she was there, with him, in his hospital bed.
She was so beautiful. Her long blond hair shimmered in soft curls around her face, and her eyes were green-blue—like the ocean. He’d seen her once, touched her, felt her quiver against him.
He sucked in his breath at the familiar thought. He could almost smell her perfume.
“Hey! Lee, ol’ buddy. How about some sound?” The orderly, the tall lanky one called Rick, walked to the television and fiddled with the controls. The volume roared, and the singsong jingle for cereal blared in a deafening roar to the patient’s ears.
“Noooo!” the patient cried, clapping his hands to the sides of his head, trying to block out the sound. “No, no, no!”
“Okay, okay. Hey, man, don’t get upset.” Rick held his palms outward before quickly turning down the volume. “Hey, Lee, ya gotta learn to chill out a little. Relax.”
“No noise!” the patient said with an effort, and Rick sighed loudly as he stripped the bed of soiled sheets.
“Yeah, I know, no noise. Just like every day at this time. I don’t get it, you know. All day long you’re fine, until the morning shows come on. Maybe you should watch something else—”
But the patient didn’t hear. The program had resumed, and Kaylie—his Kaylie—was staring into the camera again, smiling. For him. He felt suddenly near tears as her green eyes locked with his and her perfect lips moved in silent words of love. It won’t be long, he thought, his own lips twitching. Reaching deep into his pocket, he rubbed the worn picture between his thumb and forefinger.
“Who is this?” Zane Flannery demanded, his fingers clutching the phone’s receiver in a death grip.
“Ted.” The voice was barely audible; rough as a shark’s skin. Zane couldn’t identify the caller as a man or woman.
“Okay, Ted. So what is it?” Zane’s mouth had turned to cotton, and the numbing fear that had gripped him ever since “Ted’s” call the day before gnawed at his guts.
“It’s Kaylie. She’s not safe,” the voice grated out.
Kaylie. Oh, God. A knot of painful memories twisted his stomach. “Why not?”
“I told you. Lee Johnston’s about to be released.”
Zane managed to keep his voice steady. “I went to the hospital. No one there is saying anything about letting him out.” In fact, no one had said much of anything. Dr. Anthony Henshaw, Johnston’s doctor, had been particularly tight-lipped about his patient. Phrases like patient confidentiality and maintaining patient equilibrium, had kept spouting from the doctor’s mouth. He’d even had the gall to tell Zane point-blank that Zane wasn’t Kaylie’s husband any longer. That Zane had no
The man had nearly killed Kaylie, and now Zane was accused of “persecuting” the maniac. Figures.
In the well-modulated voice of one who weighs everything before he speaks, Henshaw had informed Zane that Johnston was still locked away and that Zane had nothing to worry about. As a patient of Whispering Hills hospital, Johnston was being observed constantly and there was nothing to fear. Though Lee was a model patient, Dr. Henshaw didn’t
Not good enough for Zane. He didn’t work well with words like
Pacing between his desk and window, stretching the phone cord taut, Zane felt as helpless as he had seven years ago when Lee Johnston had nearly taken Kaylie’s life.