Read Online Devil in the Deadline by Lyndee Walker - Free Book Online

dog’s head popped up. She gave me a once-over and dropped her chin back to Joey’s knee. He did the same and his lips crept slowly into the sexy grin that played a prominent role in my better dreams.
    Must. Resist.
    I narrowed my eyes and leaned against the doorframe, folding my arms across my chest. “You forget what I look like? Or maybe you’re in the wrong girl’s house. Got your keys mixed up?”
    He shook his head. “I only have the one key.” His voice was low, his eyes serious. “And quite a memory for important things.”
    My pulse stuttered. Damn him.
    â€œSo, you lost it? Your phone, too?”
    He locked his dark eyes with my violet ones, shaking his head slowly.
    The utter calm pissed me off.
    â€œThen where the hell did you disappear to?” I half-shouted, my resolve cracking. Why try to act like I didn’t care? He wasn’t stupid, and he was as good or better than me at reading people. “I called, I texted you. You’ve been ignoring me for almost five weeks, and now here you sit, petting the dog on a random Sunday like you belong here or something.”
    â€œI don’t.” He said it so quietly I almost didn’t hear him.
    â€œI’m sorry?” I felt my brow furrow.
    His dark eyes lost their playful gleam. “I don’t belong here.” He cleared his throat, dropping his gaze to Darcy’s collar. “I never did. I tried to stay away. Then I saw your article this morning.”
    My thoughts pinged in a thousand different directions. He didn’t want to be here. Or felt like he shouldn’t, anyway, and I knew him well enough to know that could end whatever we had going on.
    But he was here. Because he saw my story.
    About the crazy butcher scene and the dead woman.
    Shit.
    Was he worried about me?
    Or did he know something about her?
    I latched onto the latter, pushing emotion to one side and holding it at bay with thoughts of the murder scene. Joey couldn’t have had anything to do with it. I’d wear ski socks with my Manolos before I’d believe that.
    So why was he in my living room?
    I pushed off the wall and perched on the edge of the chaise. “Why exactly would my story make you decide to break this vow of silence?”
    He twisted his mouth to one side and hauled in a deep breath. “No comment?”
    â€œI’m so not in the mood for games I’d turn down a round of spin the bottle.”
    He nodded, a frustrated sigh making Darcy pop to attention. He dropped his head back and stared at the ceiling.
    â€œThis can’t work. I know it, and I know you know it, too. One of us has to be strong enough to back away. So I try. And then I see this.” He pulled his iPhone from his pocket, brandishing it. My story was on the screen. “What the hell are you doing, nosing around in this? Do you have any idea how dangerous it could be?”
    â€œAaron asked me to help.”
    From the stiff set his jaw took, that was the wrong thing to say.
    â€œI would’ve chased this story anyway,” I added. “It’s horrifying. Which sells a shit-ton of newspapers. And helping the cops catch this guy adds the bigger bonus of being a freaking public service. How could I not ‘nose around in’ this one? It practically has ‘Hey, Nichelle, big headline this way’ stamped across it in neon.”
    â€œAt the risk of giving myself some déjà vu, the headline does you how much good if you get yourself killed chasing it?”
    â€œWhy does your brain always jump to that?”
    â€œThe same reason you always wonder if I’m the culprit when I try to warn you off a story? Just a guess.” He grinned, and my insides turned to mush.
    It couldn’t just be easy.
    I ducked my head and caught his gaze. “To be fair, I dismissed that immediately today. There’s no way you had a hand in this.”
    Joey had criminal underworld connections that had