about to be shot to hell, then they were going to have to work for the kill.
There was nothing but silence, though. Apparently no one else thought to hide in the bathrooms, and she spent nearly ten minutes sitting on her heels until her phone gave a happy chirp. The noise startled her enough that she almost fell off of the toilet, and she scrabbled one-handed for the phone while keeping the gun trained on the stall door with her other hand. She knew that noise, though, and she knew what the alert would say before she opened it.
Bailey, Jade. Danger resolved. No further assistance necessary.
Exhaling sharply, she hopped down off of the toilet, sliding the gun back into its hidden compartment in her purse and keeping her phone in her hand as she exited the restroom.
She walked out the door, around the corner, and straight into Luke Jackson’s broad chest. He stared blankly down at her and she summoned a halfhearted smile, cursing the Interpersonal Relations Division as she did. He might have been her soulmate, but he was also just about the last person in New York that she wanted to see right now.
“Jade?” he asked, startled, and she ignored the little flare of pleasure at the realization that he’d remembered her name.
“Detective Jackson,” she greeted him, tossing her curls over one shoulder and trying for nonchalance. “Long time, no see.”
“That’s her,” the concierge who’d spoken to her as she ran in said, and she winced.
“This guy?” Luke said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder to indicate the concierge at the door. “He says you came running in here all frantic.”
“Everyone did,” she pointed out lamely. “There was a shooter.”
“He says you
came in before the shooting started.”
She had no good answer for that, and even a lifetime of coming up with flimsy excuses for karmic interventions at the drop of a hat couldn’t help her invent one.
“He’s wrong,” she said finally, knowing as the lie left her lips that her soulmate didn’t believe a word she was saying.
“You think so?” he asked, his tone skeptical. “I think you’re going to have to come down to the station with us, Ms. Bailey.”
His hand on her upper arm was firm but not rough, and she managed to stifle the happy sigh that threatened to escape her. It was girly and pathetic, but he was her
soulmate,
and this was the first time he’d ever touched her. It might have been better if he hadn’t been doing it in order to take her down to the police station for questioning, but at this point in their relationship she would take what she could get.
When they made it outside, she was stunned to see Shannon standing on the sidewalk in front of the hotel, her bright smile at seeing Jade and Luke together a stark contrast to the carnage and destruction around her. She caught Jade’s gaze and offered her a double thumbs-up, and Jade resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
“Do you mind taking me over there for a minute?” she asked Luke, tilting her head in Shannon’s direction. He gave her a baffled look, but they were already headed toward Shannon, who Jade realized belatedly was standing in front of Luke’s unmarked police sedan. She must have seen him arrive and camped out to wait for his return.
“Are you all right?” Shannon asked once Jade was in earshot, and Jade nodded as Luke looked suspiciously from one woman to the other.
“I’m fine. What are you doing here?”
“I was a block away when the shooting started. When I heard about what happened, I thought I should come down and see if there was anything I could do to help.” She gave Luke a smile that smacked of self-satisfaction. “I see you’ve already made a new friend.”
“She’s being questioned in connection with the shooting,” Luke retorted, giving Shannon a hard look. “If you’re smart, you’ll stay out of it. Unless you know something and you’d like to join us?”
Shannon gave him a slow visual once-over that managed to
There was nothing but silence, though. Apparently no one else thought to hide in the bathrooms, and she spent nearly ten minutes sitting on her heels until her phone gave a happy chirp. The noise startled her enough that she almost fell off of the toilet, and she scrabbled one-handed for the phone while keeping the gun trained on the stall door with her other hand. She knew that noise, though, and she knew what the alert would say before she opened it.
Bailey, Jade. Danger resolved. No further assistance necessary.
Exhaling sharply, she hopped down off of the toilet, sliding the gun back into its hidden compartment in her purse and keeping her phone in her hand as she exited the restroom.
She walked out the door, around the corner, and straight into Luke Jackson’s broad chest. He stared blankly down at her and she summoned a halfhearted smile, cursing the Interpersonal Relations Division as she did. He might have been her soulmate, but he was also just about the last person in New York that she wanted to see right now.
“Jade?” he asked, startled, and she ignored the little flare of pleasure at the realization that he’d remembered her name.
“Detective Jackson,” she greeted him, tossing her curls over one shoulder and trying for nonchalance. “Long time, no see.”
“That’s her,” the concierge who’d spoken to her as she ran in said, and she winced.
“This guy?” Luke said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder to indicate the concierge at the door. “He says you came running in here all frantic.”
“Everyone did,” she pointed out lamely. “There was a shooter.”
“He says you
came in before the shooting started.”
She had no good answer for that, and even a lifetime of coming up with flimsy excuses for karmic interventions at the drop of a hat couldn’t help her invent one.
“He’s wrong,” she said finally, knowing as the lie left her lips that her soulmate didn’t believe a word she was saying.
“You think so?” he asked, his tone skeptical. “I think you’re going to have to come down to the station with us, Ms. Bailey.”
His hand on her upper arm was firm but not rough, and she managed to stifle the happy sigh that threatened to escape her. It was girly and pathetic, but he was her
soulmate,
and this was the first time he’d ever touched her. It might have been better if he hadn’t been doing it in order to take her down to the police station for questioning, but at this point in their relationship she would take what she could get.
When they made it outside, she was stunned to see Shannon standing on the sidewalk in front of the hotel, her bright smile at seeing Jade and Luke together a stark contrast to the carnage and destruction around her. She caught Jade’s gaze and offered her a double thumbs-up, and Jade resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
“Do you mind taking me over there for a minute?” she asked Luke, tilting her head in Shannon’s direction. He gave her a baffled look, but they were already headed toward Shannon, who Jade realized belatedly was standing in front of Luke’s unmarked police sedan. She must have seen him arrive and camped out to wait for his return.
“Are you all right?” Shannon asked once Jade was in earshot, and Jade nodded as Luke looked suspiciously from one woman to the other.
“I’m fine. What are you doing here?”
“I was a block away when the shooting started. When I heard about what happened, I thought I should come down and see if there was anything I could do to help.” She gave Luke a smile that smacked of self-satisfaction. “I see you’ve already made a new friend.”
“She’s being questioned in connection with the shooting,” Luke retorted, giving Shannon a hard look. “If you’re smart, you’ll stay out of it. Unless you know something and you’d like to join us?”
Shannon gave him a slow visual once-over that managed to
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