Read Online The Siren by Elicia Hyder - Free Book Online

of retribution.”  
    “So you had it tattooed on your hip?” I asked.
    He shrugged. “If the shoe fits.”  
    “Do you think that guy knew who you were—or what you were?” I traced my finger over the word again.
    He sighed and shook his head. “If not, it’s one hell of a coincidence.”
    The angel pin little Kayleigh had given to me was attached to the front of the pocket on my jeans. I ran my finger across it. “I don’t believe in coincidences anymore.” I looked up at him. “Do you think whatever we are could be linked to angels?”
    He sat down next to me and laughed. “No.” He turned his palms up. “Then again, who knows? I certainly haven’t come up with any other reasonable explanations.”
    “Do you believe in angels? Or God for that matter?” I asked.
    He blew out a deep sigh. “I don’t know. It’s hard for me to wrap my brain around the notion of some loving, all-powerful being with the hell I’ve seen over the years. However, I do believe there is more out there than just what everyone thinks. You and I are proof of that.”
    I nodded. “Yeah. I agree.”
    He pushed himself up and leaned on his arms over me. His perfect face was inches from mine. “I do know one thing for sure.”  
    I grinned. “What’s that?”
    He shook his head. “You are no angel before nine in the morning.” He laughed and kissed the tip of my nose.
    * * *
    Nathan and Shannon were waiting at a table at Paesano’s restaurant on the River Walk, just down from our hotel, when Warren and I caught up with them. Warren, Nathan, and I were dressed in jeans and t-shirts. Shannon had changed into a green sundress and a hat that was nearly as big as the umbrella over our table.  
    I adjusted my sunglasses and looked up at Warren as we walked toward them. “I’ll play nice, but there are no guarantees I won’t push her into the river.”
    He laughed and tucked his fingers into my back pocket.  
    Warren pulled out my chair, and I sat down between him and Shannon at the square table. Nathan was across from me, sipping on a beer, wearing aviator sunglasses underneath his Shitstarter ball cap.  
    “What are you drinking?” I asked him.
    “Peroni.” He held the glass toward me. “Wanna try it?”
    I shook my head. “I’ve had it before. I think I’ll order one too.” I picked up a menu. “This place is delicious. I ate here when I came for a conference last year.”
    Shannon was fanning herself with the wine list. “I don’t know why anyone would come here. It’s too hot,” she griped. “We should have gotten a table indoors where there’s air conditioning.”
    I blinked my eyes in question at Nathan, wondering what he was thinking in bringing her along. He just grinned at me.  
    Shitstarter is right, I thought.
    After we’d ordered and our beers were delivered, Warren split a glance between me and Nathan. “So, what’s our game plan while we’re here?”
    Nathan sat up in his chair. “Well, we can’t do a whole lot of work until Monday, but I was able to get my hands on some records for caseworkers in the city, females with the last name of Smith.”
    I tipped my beer up to my lips. “What if she’s not a caseworker now? Or what if she’s not going by Smith anymore?”  
    “Who?” Shannon asked.
    “The woman we are here looking for.” I turned my attention back to Nathan. “What if her name never was Rachel Smith?”
    He shrugged his shoulders. “We’ve got to start somewhere. I also got the information for the convenience store where she was last seen. That should help narrow the list down a bit.”
    “How far is it from here?” Warren asked.
    “Just a few miles east,” Nathan said, nodding in the direction away from where the sun was sinking lower in the sky. “We can cruise over that way this afternoon and look around if you want.”
    I shook my head. “Let’s have some downtime for the weekend. We can work on Monday.”
    Shannon laughed. “Sloan and I actually agree on