Read Online Serial Bride by Ann Voss Peterson - Free Book Online Page A

was more psychological than physical, he shrugged out of his wool overcoat and draped it around her shoulders.
    She held up a hand. “Thank you, but I’m fine.”
    That stubborn streak again. Stubbornness that only made him want to take care of her more, to help her more. “It’s cold. Take it. It’s the least I can do.”
    Grudgingly, she grasped the lapels, pulled the coat around her and continued walking.
    â€œThank you.”
    â€œFor what?”
    â€œAccepting my coat. You’re saving me from all the guilt I would feel watching you shiver.”
    â€œI’m not used to having someone take care of me. Or help me.”
    â€œNo kidding.”
    She shot him a frown. The breeze blew a strand of blond against her cheek.
    Bryce stared straight down the hill and quickened his pace. He shouldn’t even be noticing the way the wind blew her hair. Not if he wanted to avoid driving himself crazy. Not if he wanted to keep his focus where it belonged.
    â€œWho else visited Kane in prison? Besides Diana?”
    â€œNo one in the last six months. Just your sister and Kane’s attorney.”
    â€œIf someone is relaying messages for him, acting as a go-between, maybe it’s his attorney.”
    Her idea was so ironic, it took a second for his brain to rattle back into place. “Impossible.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œI know his attorney. Or his former attorney, now. The guy’s an egotistical bastard, but he’d never be Kane’s lackey. Trust me.”
    â€œAre you sure there’s no one else?”
    â€œThere are other possibilities. Too many of them. Prison guards. Other inmates. Any of them could have delivered a message for him.”
    When they reached the footbridge arching over Park Street, Sylvie stopped and spun to face him. “What if we’re looking at this from the wrong angle entirely?”
    She’d lost him. He was still recovering from her attorney question. “What do you mean?”
    â€œWhat if what happened to Diana and Reed didn’t have anything to do with Dryden Kane? What if Reed was the real target in the attack? What if Diana was only taken to get to him?”
    She was grasping at straws again, and the path of her thoughts became as clear as if she’d drawn them on a map. “You’re thinking about Perreth.”
    â€œHe hates Reed. He wants to get back at him. What better way than to attack him and kidnap Diana? God, maybe he can even blame the whole thing on her. That would really tear Reed apart.”
    Bryce couldn’t bear to douse her hope that there was another way out. A way that didn’t lead through Dryden Kane. “Maybe.”
    â€œYou don’t think so.” She frowned. “Why? Because he’s a cop?”
    â€œFor starters.”
    â€œCops break the law. Some believe the law doesn’t even apply to them.”
    â€œMaybe some do. But I haven’t met them. And I’ve dealt with a lot of cops.”
    â€œMaybe you’ve only dealt with good ones.There are bad people out there, too. And some of them are cops.”
    â€œI’m sure you’re right. And I agree that Perreth is no gem. But I still think Diana’s connection to Dryden Kane is too strong to ignore.”
    â€œYou’re probably right. But I’m not discounting any possibilities.” She raised her chin. Her lower lip appeared to quiver slightly, but she caught it between her teeth before he could tell for sure.
    The gesture dug into Bryce’s chest like a dull and rusty blade. What was he thinking? Dryden Kane wasn’t the only possibility. There were others. One came to mind immediately. “You know, of the people we talked to today, I’d be inclined to believe Red is our best bet.”
    â€œLouis Ingersoll?” Her brows pulled together. “He likes Diana.”
    â€œA little too much, don’t you think?”
    â€œYou think he was stalking