Read Online Rapid Fire by Jessica Andersen - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jessica Andersen
Tags: Fiction, General, Suspense, Romance, Contemporary, Police, Man-Woman Relationships, Love Stories, Policewomen, Colorado, Romantic Suspense Fiction
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mailbox, diagonally across the right lane of traffic. “Get in. I’ll park
back in the garage and we can head upstairs. We’ll call it in from there. No
way I’m leaving you alone now.”
Whether
she’d received a call or not, something was going on here.
“I think
we should head back to the station,” she said quietly, then cut a glance at
him. “We need to run the delivery van that nearly hit you. Didn’t you think it
was odd to see a ski outfitter’s truck this time of year?”
“I was a
little busy at the time. I didn’t get the name on the van, or the plates.” But
Thorne thought back, picturing the driver’s face the moment before their
almost-impact.
Christ,
she was right. The driver hadn’t looked shocked or scared. He’d looked
determined.
And he’d
steered into Thorne’s skid.
A slick
chill worked its way into his gut. What if she was right? What if the driver
had been aiming for him?
That
would mean she’d been telling the truth.
And she’d
saved his life. Again.
MAYA HELD
IT TOGETHER UNTIL they got to the PD, but when the chief took one look at her
and immediately glanced at Thorne for an explanation, the emotions closed in on
her. She turned away from the men as panic slammed against frustration, then
took a backseat to anger.
She
hadn’t asked for any of this, damn it. All she’d ever wanted was to do her job
and do it well. She’d wanted a chance to atone for her past mistakes.
Instead,
it seemed like she was making more new ones each day.
Thorne’s
voice spoke suddenly from behind her. “If you want to wait downstairs, I’ll
call your desk when we’re ready for you.”
Surprised,
Maya turned to him. She saw sympathy in his mismatched eyes, rather than the
dark anger that had simmered between them during the brief ride to
headquarters.
She took
a step back, unsettled by his nearness, by the hum of her emotions too close to
the surface of her soul. Without another word, she strode to the stairs leading
down to the basement. The crime lab had been remodeled nine months earlier when
they’d first started work, and again during the Canyon Kidnapping case, when a
bomb had detonated in the lab space, nearly killing Alissa and Tucker. Now, the
three large rooms were divided into an expansive crime lab, plus two adjoining
offices the women had streamlined to their individual needs.
Cassie’s
microscopes, DNA amplification units and fluorescent analysis machines were
ranged alongside Alissa’s state-of-the-art reconstruction equipment. Maya
swallowed hard at the familiar hum of the equipment, at the sense of coming
home.
She tried
not to let her descent into familiar territory feel like a retreat.
The three
interconnected rooms were dark, lit only by the occasional beacons of emergency
lamps and equipment LED lights. The dimness reminded her that it was just past
quitting time, though regular business hours meant little to the Bear Claw
cops, especially those on the task force.
Cassie
and Alissa must be out on the case. Maya felt a slice of disappointment that
she’d missed her friends. But alongside that was a strong sense of relief that
she had the place to herself. There was nobody around to see her shoulders
slump as she walked into the smaller shared office, nobody to see her drop into
the chair behind what had once been her desk.
Nobody to
see her fold her arms atop a scattering of papers and drop her cheek onto them.
Tears pressed, but she held them back and touched a fingertip to the charms she
wore around her neck.
Five
charms. Five years of successfully resisting temptation.
Now she
was back to square one.
Or was
she? What had really happened that night at Weston Henkes’s mansion? Had she truly—
“You
okay?”
Maya
jolted upright at a touch on her shoulder, but bit back the squeak of alarm
when she recognized the voice and the honey-blond hair pulled
back in the garage and we can head upstairs. We’ll call it in from there. No
way I’m leaving you alone now.”
Whether
she’d received a call or not, something was going on here.
“I think
we should head back to the station,” she said quietly, then cut a glance at
him. “We need to run the delivery van that nearly hit you. Didn’t you think it
was odd to see a ski outfitter’s truck this time of year?”
“I was a
little busy at the time. I didn’t get the name on the van, or the plates.” But
Thorne thought back, picturing the driver’s face the moment before their
almost-impact.
Christ,
she was right. The driver hadn’t looked shocked or scared. He’d looked
determined.
And he’d
steered into Thorne’s skid.
A slick
chill worked its way into his gut. What if she was right? What if the driver
had been aiming for him?
That
would mean she’d been telling the truth.
And she’d
saved his life. Again.
MAYA HELD
IT TOGETHER UNTIL they got to the PD, but when the chief took one look at her
and immediately glanced at Thorne for an explanation, the emotions closed in on
her. She turned away from the men as panic slammed against frustration, then
took a backseat to anger.
She
hadn’t asked for any of this, damn it. All she’d ever wanted was to do her job
and do it well. She’d wanted a chance to atone for her past mistakes.
Instead,
it seemed like she was making more new ones each day.
Thorne’s
voice spoke suddenly from behind her. “If you want to wait downstairs, I’ll
call your desk when we’re ready for you.”
Surprised,
Maya turned to him. She saw sympathy in his mismatched eyes, rather than the
dark anger that had simmered between them during the brief ride to
headquarters.
She took
a step back, unsettled by his nearness, by the hum of her emotions too close to
the surface of her soul. Without another word, she strode to the stairs leading
down to the basement. The crime lab had been remodeled nine months earlier when
they’d first started work, and again during the Canyon Kidnapping case, when a
bomb had detonated in the lab space, nearly killing Alissa and Tucker. Now, the
three large rooms were divided into an expansive crime lab, plus two adjoining
offices the women had streamlined to their individual needs.
Cassie’s
microscopes, DNA amplification units and fluorescent analysis machines were
ranged alongside Alissa’s state-of-the-art reconstruction equipment. Maya
swallowed hard at the familiar hum of the equipment, at the sense of coming
home.
She tried
not to let her descent into familiar territory feel like a retreat.
The three
interconnected rooms were dark, lit only by the occasional beacons of emergency
lamps and equipment LED lights. The dimness reminded her that it was just past
quitting time, though regular business hours meant little to the Bear Claw
cops, especially those on the task force.
Cassie
and Alissa must be out on the case. Maya felt a slice of disappointment that
she’d missed her friends. But alongside that was a strong sense of relief that
she had the place to herself. There was nobody around to see her shoulders
slump as she walked into the smaller shared office, nobody to see her drop into
the chair behind what had once been her desk.
Nobody to
see her fold her arms atop a scattering of papers and drop her cheek onto them.
Tears pressed, but she held them back and touched a fingertip to the charms she
wore around her neck.
Five
charms. Five years of successfully resisting temptation.
Now she
was back to square one.
Or was
she? What had really happened that night at Weston Henkes’s mansion? Had she truly—
“You
okay?”
Maya
jolted upright at a touch on her shoulder, but bit back the squeak of alarm
when she recognized the voice and the honey-blond hair pulled
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