same route.”
“Lots of people have parents they admire and they don’t go into the same line of work. Give me another reason.”
She watched him thinking, casting back to earlier decisions he probably didn’t remember making. She gave him the time he needed. Finally, he said, “This is going to sound stupid.”
“Good. We’re getting somewhere.”
From the way he appeared a little sheepish she suspected he’d tapped into memories he’d nearly forgotten. “When I was in elementary school, I was walking home one day and there was a group of older kids. They were bullying some kid who was a bit of a misfit. You could tell he’d peed his pants and they were tormenting him.” He glanced up at her. “Do you really want to hear this?”
“Oh, I really do.”
“It was stupid and reckless. I walked up to them and told them to knock it off. Me against probably five or six older guys.” He scratched his nose. “I was always big for my age, but they were bigger. And I was definitely outnumbered.”
“What made you do it? What was the impulse?”
He looked at her as though he weren’t really seeing her. He was looking back into his past.
“It was the right thing to do,” he said finally. Simply.
Urge to protect. A strong sense of justice. Not the worst reasons to become a law officer. “What happened?”
“I got into a fight. I got beat up a little. Would have ended a lot worse if Dylan and Max hadn’t come by.” He grinned at the memory. “Those guys didn’t stand a chance.”
“Do you still feel like you’re fighting injustice?”
“Working in policing, I often feel like I’m fighting big battles I can’t win. The bad guys have the money—they can afford resources we can’t. They kill witnesses. It’s a tough job. Getting tougher all the time.” He settled back into his seat. “But we do what we can. Catch enough bad guys that I can sleep at night.”
“You make the world a safer place.”
“One tiny corner of it. At least, I try.”
“Do you think—”
The text message alert went off on her smartphone, interrupting her.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said. “I forgot to turn off my phone.” She was annoyed with herself and with Lisa. If her assistant hadn’t picked such a bad moment to have their little talk, Serena would never have been so unprofessional as to forget to turn off her cell.
“No problem.”
She reached for her phone to switch it off, but the words of the text were right there. She read the message and a garbled sound came out of her throat. Part scream, part moan.
Adam crossed the room in a stride. “Serena, what is it?”
He squatted in front of her. Took her wrists in his hands.
She couldn’t seem to form words. She simply handed him the phone.
You should wear blue more often. Makes a nice change from all that black. Your heart is pounding with fear right now. I’m so close to you. I can feel it.
The text ended with a smiley-face emoticon.
“What the...?” Adam squeezed her wrists gently where a pulse beat crazily. “Serena? Who sent this? What’s going on?”
“I don’t know.” Her voice didn’t sound like hers. It sounded like the scared little girl she hadn’t been for a long time. “I don’t know.”
“How long have you been getting these messages?”
Adam had his cop face on, she noted. Hard eyes. Watchful expression. The hands gripping her wrists felt strong. Capable.
“This is the first time he’s texted me. How did he get my number?”
“I don’t know. You say this is the first time he’s texted you? So there have been other messages?”
She nodded, trying to pull her thoughts together. “Yes. Some emails. I thought they were pranks. I get inappropriate emails through my website. It happens. But these were creepier. Threatening.” She shivered.
“Did you keep them?”
She nodded. “Not me. I won’t have that negative garbage in my space. Lisa kept them on the office computer.”
“Good. Can you show
“Lots of people have parents they admire and they don’t go into the same line of work. Give me another reason.”
She watched him thinking, casting back to earlier decisions he probably didn’t remember making. She gave him the time he needed. Finally, he said, “This is going to sound stupid.”
“Good. We’re getting somewhere.”
From the way he appeared a little sheepish she suspected he’d tapped into memories he’d nearly forgotten. “When I was in elementary school, I was walking home one day and there was a group of older kids. They were bullying some kid who was a bit of a misfit. You could tell he’d peed his pants and they were tormenting him.” He glanced up at her. “Do you really want to hear this?”
“Oh, I really do.”
“It was stupid and reckless. I walked up to them and told them to knock it off. Me against probably five or six older guys.” He scratched his nose. “I was always big for my age, but they were bigger. And I was definitely outnumbered.”
“What made you do it? What was the impulse?”
He looked at her as though he weren’t really seeing her. He was looking back into his past.
“It was the right thing to do,” he said finally. Simply.
Urge to protect. A strong sense of justice. Not the worst reasons to become a law officer. “What happened?”
“I got into a fight. I got beat up a little. Would have ended a lot worse if Dylan and Max hadn’t come by.” He grinned at the memory. “Those guys didn’t stand a chance.”
“Do you still feel like you’re fighting injustice?”
“Working in policing, I often feel like I’m fighting big battles I can’t win. The bad guys have the money—they can afford resources we can’t. They kill witnesses. It’s a tough job. Getting tougher all the time.” He settled back into his seat. “But we do what we can. Catch enough bad guys that I can sleep at night.”
“You make the world a safer place.”
“One tiny corner of it. At least, I try.”
“Do you think—”
The text message alert went off on her smartphone, interrupting her.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said. “I forgot to turn off my phone.” She was annoyed with herself and with Lisa. If her assistant hadn’t picked such a bad moment to have their little talk, Serena would never have been so unprofessional as to forget to turn off her cell.
“No problem.”
She reached for her phone to switch it off, but the words of the text were right there. She read the message and a garbled sound came out of her throat. Part scream, part moan.
Adam crossed the room in a stride. “Serena, what is it?”
He squatted in front of her. Took her wrists in his hands.
She couldn’t seem to form words. She simply handed him the phone.
You should wear blue more often. Makes a nice change from all that black. Your heart is pounding with fear right now. I’m so close to you. I can feel it.
The text ended with a smiley-face emoticon.
“What the...?” Adam squeezed her wrists gently where a pulse beat crazily. “Serena? Who sent this? What’s going on?”
“I don’t know.” Her voice didn’t sound like hers. It sounded like the scared little girl she hadn’t been for a long time. “I don’t know.”
“How long have you been getting these messages?”
Adam had his cop face on, she noted. Hard eyes. Watchful expression. The hands gripping her wrists felt strong. Capable.
“This is the first time he’s texted me. How did he get my number?”
“I don’t know. You say this is the first time he’s texted you? So there have been other messages?”
She nodded, trying to pull her thoughts together. “Yes. Some emails. I thought they were pranks. I get inappropriate emails through my website. It happens. But these were creepier. Threatening.” She shivered.
“Did you keep them?”
She nodded. “Not me. I won’t have that negative garbage in my space. Lisa kept them on the office computer.”
“Good. Can you show
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