Read Online Deadly Shadows by Jaycee Clark - Free Book Online

think about it.”
    Aiden could hear the man grinding his teeth from here.
    Kirk balled his hands into fists. “More like you didn’t want to. If not for you, Maddy would have married me.”
    “And divorced you the first time she caught you fucking your newest secretary.” Jesslyn set her cup on the railing with an ominous thunk. It toppled and fell off the railing. “Well, hell, there went a perfectly good cup of coffee,” she said, looking at her cup on the ground. She gazed back at Kirk the Jerk. “Why don’t you go home, Kirk? What the hell are you doing at my place at this time of morning anyway?”
    “I loved her!” he yelled.
    “No,” Jesslyn’s voice held no mercy. “You didn’t love her. You used her to complete your ideal picture. And if you wonder where I got that, remember what you told me back in October.”
    Kirk’s eyes raked Jesslyn up and down. Aiden lounged against the railing.
    “They think I killed her.” Kirk bit out. “I spent all night at the goddamn police station being questioned!”
    For one long moment no one said a word, no one moved.
    “Do you have any idea how this looks?” Kirk asked, raking a hand through his hair.
    Jesslyn straightened as though jolted. “Excuse me?” She stepped down two steps, getting closer to the angry man.
    Aiden didn’t really care for the move.
    “How it looks? You are such a lowlife, sorry-assed, son of a bitch. Who gives a shit how it looks? Maddy is dead! Dead! Somebody used her chest as a goddamn pincushion and you’re worried how it looks?”
    Kirk pointed a finger at her. “Don’t take that tone with me.”
    “No,” she grabbed his finger and twisted. “You don’t come to my house and take crap shots at me. I really don’t give a damn how you spent your precious night.” She let go of his

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    finger and Aiden watched as the man’s eyes darkened. “Where were you, Kirk, when you heard?
    Did the cops find you at home with the kids?” She shook her head. “Nope, my guess is that they found you somewhere else.”
    “That’s none of your damn business.”
    “You’re right, it’s not. But whatever you and Maddy had or didn’t have, she did care about your kids and they cared about her. Have you once thought about how the hell this is going to affect them?”
    At Kirk’s confused look, Jesslyn continued, “Nope that would be too much to hope for in your case.”
    “You keep my kids out of this.”
    Jesslyn held up a hand. “Kirk, go home.”
    “I can’t. They’re searching my house as we speak.”
    Jesslyn tilted her head. “Really?”
    Merrick stood at the edge of the yard yawing, but still watching the spectacle on the front porch. Before Aiden turned back, he saw the blur of movement. Kirk reached out and grabbed Jesslyn’s arm, jerking her close. “What the hell did you tell them?”
    Jesslyn looked at his hand on her arm then back at Kirk.
    Aiden stepped forward. “Let her go.”
    Neither of them paid him a bit of attention.
    “What do you think I told them? Let me go, Kirk. Now.”
    Again a muscle bunched in his jaw. Aiden saw his fingers tighten, but before he reached them, Jesslyn fisted her hand, reared back and sucker punched him right in the nose.
    Kirk let her go.
    Aiden stopped, impressed as she backed up one step and said, “I told you to let go of my arm.” “You bitch.”
    “Leave,” Aiden said, stepping down beside her, and easing in front of her. Lot of good it did now.Blood shot eyes glared at Jesslyn then at him before zeroing in on Jesslyn again. “You broke my nose.”
    “Aren’t you the smart one,” she muttered.
    Merrick puffed up beside them. “Come on,” the policeman said. “Mr. Roberts, you really shouldn’t be here.”
    “No,” Aiden said, “he shouldn’t.”
    Kirk held his nose with one hand, blood dripping from his palm, while he dug something out of his pocket. He pressed it against his nose. “Ja godda pay fer dis.”
    Aiden stepped down the last step and still