Read Online Deadly Abandon by Kallie Lane - Free Book Online Page A

cursed the adrenaline still pumping through his veins.
    The night air stirred around him, the quiet almost absolute with most of the city tucked safely in their beds.
    If they only knew.
    The only noise came from the crime scene on the far corner, the hustle of firemen dragging hoses and setting equipment to rights. The collective murmur of the crowd gathered on the street. He needed a closer look.
    A small bottle lay on the console. He tapped its contents into his palms, masking the smoky scent still lingering on his skin with expensive sage cologne. Next he stripped off the coveralls, stuffed them in a garbage bag, and tossed them in the trunk. He’d burn those later.
    A brief glance at his golf shirt, khaki trousers and spit-shined shoes confirmed he was good to go. Locking up, he set off down the street and noticed a uniform panning the crowd with a camera zoom lens. Thanks to CSI and other crime shows, even dumbass local cops filmed at arson investigations now. It seemed everyone knew firebugs returned to the scene.
    I’m here. Come and get me.
    Images of Breeana poured through his mind and taunted him. Her perfect face. Her tight body. Her slutty woman scent. Was she badly burned and disfigured now? She had better be, considering the trouble he’d gone to. He needed to see the damage for himself, but doubted she was still inside.
    Wind whipped around a corner of the brownstone, bringing with it the smoky stench pouring from a broken window. The Shepherd inhaled deep, searching for the stink of burned flesh. It wasn’t happening.
    An hour later, the front door opened and a man came out carrying several garbage bags. Jack Forest, the devil who had spawned her. A local television reporter rushed up to catch a few sound bytes before he dropped the trash in a dumpster and moved back inside.
    “Doctor Forest, is there any news on your daughter? How is she doing?”
    Forest turned to the woman and smiled. “She’s doing fine, Katy. She’ll be back at work in a few days.”
    The Shepherd clenched his fists, moved out of the crowd, and headed for his car. We’ll see how fine she is after I’m finished with her.
    Angling into his ride, he cranked the engine. He had to move. Breeana was waiting.
    ****
    Cody paced the rain-soaked driveway when they rolled to a stop in front of the house.
    “Mom? Are you okay?”
    “I’m fine, kiddo. The smoke got to me, that’s all. I just need a hot shower.”
    “Yeah, and a bowl of my famous chili to perk you up. It’s an old family recipe. Gramps and I made it for dinner when you were at the hockey meeting.”
    Much later, after they’d eaten the chili—well, Bree only nibbled a few bites—and after she’d shared the details of the clinic fire with Cody for the umpteenth time, her son headed back to bed. Sully could see Breeana was shaken more than she’d wanted anyone to know. Hell, she crumpled before his eyes. While she could hide her face in her hands, she could not control the tremors racking her body.
    Unable to help himself, he sank to the leather couch beside her and drew her into his arms. Regret hit him like a sidewinder. He shouldn’t be doing this—holding her, comforting her, getting too damn close for his own good.
    Her hair was damp from the shower and smelled of flowery shampoo. The intoxicating scent soon combined with the rustle of black silk pajamas skimming her curves and drove him wild. Whoa. He brushed his lips against her temple and his groin twitched up a notch. She must have felt it, yet she snuggled deeper into his shoulder as she sobbed her heart out.
    Lord have mercy.
    He broke into a cold sweat; the significance of Jack’s parting words topped the “Keep-Your-Hands-Off” list of reasons why he could not have sex with an assault victim. And as if it wasn’t enough, there was also Breeana’s son sleeping upstairs, the woman’s total vulnerability, and the full-scale police investigation he conducted.
    Maybe he should also add she wasn’t a