Rules of Attraction Read Online Free

sympathetically. It made her throat ache. Rase picked up on her mood and nudged her thigh with his muzzle. She patted his head. “That’s Ms. Winston to you.”
    â€œIs she?”
    She needed to tell someone, even this stranger. Maybe especially this stranger. “Yes,” she said quietly. Jenn had taken so few personal possessions with her that Claire might not have realized she was gone, except that she’d left—
    â€œHow do you know?” he asked.
    She propped herself against the doorjamb. “She left a note.”
    â€œMay I see it?”
    â€œNo.” She certainly was not opening her door to a man who’d pretended to like her, who’d lured her just with promise in his eyes. Give her a dull but honest man anytime.
    â€œWhy didn’t she take her car?”
    â€œI don’t know. Go away or I’ll sic my dog on you.” Quinn couldn’t see Rase, all twenty-five wimpy pounds of him. He only sounded like a hundred pounds of ferocity. In truth, he’d been known to run from cats.
    â€œDo you know why the D.A. wants her?” Quinn asked.
    Knowing Jenn, it could be anything. After all, she’d gotten herself involved with an investment broker who’d embezzled millions from his clients, investments they’d made in good faith. Jenn was as gullible as those clients. She’d just been lucky not to have any of her money taken by him.
    â€œThe D.A. believes she’s got Craig Beecham’s stolen funds,” he said when she didn’t answer. “Or at least knows where they are.”
    â€œThat was settled in court. Jenn didn’t know anything about it.”
    â€œShe’s been under investigation because no one believes that. How far gone do you think she can get on five million dollars, Ms. Winston?”
    â€œShe didn’t take the money.” Jenn had assured Claire of that, many times. Claire had sat beside Jenn in the courtroom, supporting her, believing in her. Jenn might be self-centered and immature, but she wasn’t a criminal. “She inherited a lot of cash when my parents died, enough to equal the value of this house, which I inherited. She’s got plenty of money.” More than she should have access to, Claire thought. She’d been spending it, too. On clothes and jewelry and that snazzy car. “She wouldn’t have need for more.”
    â€œEveryone has need for more, but I hope you’re right. Good night.”
    She moved to her front window in time to see him jog across the street and climb into an almost invisible gray sedan parked between two streetlights so that she couldn’t see into the interior. Picking up on her tension, Rase looked out the window then at her, then out the window and back at her again. She waited for Quinn to drive away. He didn’t.
    Fifteen minutes later he still sat there. A half hour more. An hour. She went upstairs to her bedroom to sit by her window. Another half hour went by. Then a car pulled up beside him and stayed for close to a minute before backing up twenty feet. His car pulled out. The other parked.
    A changing of the guard. Claire gave up and went to bed but barely slept. When the sun came up, she peeked outside and saw the car was still there. Why? They already knew that Jenn was gone.
    After showering and changing, she went downstairs into her living room where she could get a good view of the driver, a woman, who seemed to be staring right back at her as Claire peeked through the slats of her blinds.
    She couldn’t talk herself out of the guilt that had burned a hole in her yesterday when she’d come home to an empty house, even though Jenn had merely donewhat Claire had asked. She should be celebrating Jenn’s departure. Instead, she hovered in front of the window like she was to blame for something.
    She was tired. Having Jenn underfoot the past six months, enduring her boyfriend’s trial, putting up with her