Naughty Neighbor
Janet Evanovich



Synopsis:

Louisa Brannigan's neighbor is a handsome hell-raiser�and he's driving Louisa crazy. He makes terrible coffee, steals her newspaper, and listens through her walls. But when she's fired from her government job, Louisa is persuaded to join his undercover investigation. Sneaking around in the shadows is more fun than she ever imagined, especially when the getaway car is a Porsche.

Pete Streeter never figured on finding such an attractive partner in crime. Louisa is all he ever wanted in a woman, and more. But once he's taught her to enjoy living on the edge, will she finally feel safe in his love?






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Chapter 1
Pete Streeter came awake on the third ring�just in time to hear the answering machine pick up the call.
Streeter knew what the message would be; he�d been receiving the same one for three days. The
message came at all hours of the day and night. It was untraceable, originating from public phones
throughout the city. It was cryptic. A single word. �Stop.� The voice was electronic. Streeter understood
the warning. He also resented it. He swore softly, more out of habit than feeling, then rolled over and
went back to sleep.
Louisa Brannigan looked up at her ceiling and tried to control the anger that was bubbling inside her. It
was four-thirty in the morning and the idiot upstairs had just gotten another call. He got them all night
long. Not that she cared, but her bedside cordless phone picked up his signal. The phone rang a second
time, sending her flying from the bed in a rage.
�That�s it!� she shouted. �I can�t take it anymore. I need my sleep. I need quiet. I need��
She stood with hands and teeth clenched, eyes narrowed, nose wrinkled, but she couldn�t think what else
she needed, so she snatched the phone from her night table, marched into the bathroom, threw the phone
into the toilet, and closed the lid. Almost at once, peace descended on her. �Much better,� she said.
Three hours later Louisa opened a tired eye and stared at the digital clock beside her bed. She stared at it
for a full minute before her brain kicked in and responded with a shot of adrenaline. She�d slept through
the alarm. �Damn.�
She hurled herself to her feet and ran to the bathroom with her red flannel nightshirt flapping around her
calves. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the slim silver antenna caught between the toilet lid
and seat. She�d drowned her phone. Raising the lid, she gingerly transferred the phone to the

wastebasket. It was impossible not to reflect on the symbolism. Her life, like her phone, was in the
hopper.
With no time to waste, she took a quick shower and dashed back to the bedroom, shaking her curly dark
brown hair like a dog in a rainstorm. She peered into the mirror over her cherrywood bureau while she
picked at her bangs and took stock: Dark circles under her bloodshot blue eyes, definite ...

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