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massive brick wall surrounding his house. She wondered if there might be reporters camped back there too. Surely, some were industrious enough to know he might try to slip out the back way. As she grew closer, she saw that it was unlikely, as there were “no trespassing” signs posted on the entrance to the alley with a notation that there were cameras recording and violators would be prosecuted. She was unsure about entering it herself for a moment, but then realized he probably was the one that owned the small gravel road that led behind his property. At least, she hoped he was. She had no desire to get in trouble for being somewhere she shouldn’t. She hit the speaker on her phone and dialed him as she pulled onto the road.
     
    “I’m here,” she told him.
     
    “I see you,” he replied. “Just drive slowly toward the center. I’m on my way out.”
     
    “Okay,” she replied, clicking the phone off and easing up the road. Obviously, she had been right about him being the one monitoring the road if he could see her. No way could he do that from the distance between his house and the brick wall that ran around it, not to mention the height of the brick that blocked his view.
     
    A moment later, she saw him come toppling over the brick wall, using a type of rappelling rope that he unhooked from a post at the top of the fence and brought with him. He looked like some sort of burglar with his dark clothes and a cap that covered his beautiful red hair. He was carrying a large black duffle bag in the hand not holding the rope and hook. If she didn’t know him, his hulking figure was one she most likely wouldn’t be pleased to encounter in a dark alley.
     
    “You look like you just robbed your own house,” she laughed as he climbed into the passenger seat.
     
    “Didn’t I?” he said with a slow smile, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek. “You’re a life saver. Thank you for driving my getaway car.”
     
    “I always wanted to live life a little dangerously,” she quipped, pulling slowly out of the alley and heading south, away from the front entrance of the house, where she could see news vans parked as far as even around the corner. They didn’t seem to notice as she and Shane slid away into the darkness.
     

Chapter 8
     
    Shane remained at her place for the next several days. She had been apprehensive about having him there at first, but he had been a perfect gentleman, sleeping in the guest room and helping her around the place rather than being a messy houseguest. After a while, she began to feel comfortable with him there and found that it was kind of nice having him around. It felt good to have someone happy to see her when she got home from work and to share dinner with her. They cuddled on the sofa and read or watched movies.
     
    “I’m getting a bit stir-crazy,” he confided in her finally.
     
    “We could go out,” she offered.
     
    “I don’t know where we could go that I wouldn’t end up mobbed the moment someone recognized me,” he frowned.
     
    “You have to go out sometime, Shane.”
     
    “I know I do, but I’m just not ready to deal with the carnage and if the district attorney decides to press charges, not only is that another nightmare to deal with, but it will just kick things right back into overdrive instead of them dying down.”
     
    “Any idea when you’ll know about that?”
     
    “None. I just have to wait. The attorney I saw told me that we would just have to deal with it if it happened. He thinks I have a good defense in both the civil and possible criminal case, but they could still ruin me just by tarnishing my reputation. If I manage to win both cases, I have a fighting chance to redeem myself, but if I lose either one, I might well be at the end of my hockey career, not to mention possibly in jail.”
     
    “You can’t think like that. I’ve no doubt that this will all sort itself out.”
     
    “I hope so. I don’t know what I will do without