Storm's Cage by Mary Stone (uplifting novels .TXT) 📕

a defeated sigh. “You’re right. We aren’t doing any good running ourselves ragged.”

“Look, here’s what we can do.” He held up his phone as his eyes met hers. “I’ll call the CPD, and when they get here, we can head back to the office. We’re both starving, and after this last week, I think we could both stand to take a load off, you know?”

There it is. The lead-in to a question she’d been expecting for the past week.

Dread churned in Amelia’s stomach, but she chuckled to keep up the amiable façade. “Yeah, definitely.”

He flattened his hands against the steering wheel, but his gaze didn’t falter. “I know you’ve been dealing with a lot after what happened with the Kankakee farm, and now all the work from this case on top of it. I just think it might be good to have some fried food and a few drinks. Just take a little break from work.”

Swallowing the bitter taste on her tongue, she feigned a smile and nodded. “That’s true. Yeah, I…uh, I wouldn’t mind a break. And some food.” As much as she wanted to tell him she’d rather go home to order takeout and lay on the couch or remind him that she wasn’t interested in anything besides a working relationship with him, Joseph’s vague mention of Alton Dalessio was purposeful.

Everything Joseph Larson said, every move he made, it was all purposeful.

It’ll be fine, she told herself. If he makes a move, just be honest with him. Tell him you’re not interested, that you just want to be friends. He’s a reasonable person. He’ll understand. He understood last time.

The fog cleared from her head as Joseph made his next suggestion. “I’ve been hearing about this place that’s pretty close to the field office. We can just go there.” He lifted a shoulder. “Won’t be out of our way, short drive. Great nachos, from what I hear.”

Amelia’s stomach let out a loud grumble. She snorted, despite her apprehension. Clearly, hunger was in charge of this decision. “Great nachos. That’s all I need to hear.”

With a satisfied grin, Joseph unlocked the phone in his hand. “All right. Let’s call up the CPD and get the hell out of here.”

Secretly, she was grateful they’d chosen karaoke night to visit Chereez’s Bar and Grill. If they’d shown up any other day of the week, only god knew how long Amelia would have been stuck with Joseph.

Dinner was a blur of finger foods she had shoveled into her mouth so fast Amelia couldn’t remember actually tasting them. Partly because she had been so hungry, but secretly, Amelia had hoped to end the night as quickly as possible.

She hated the pang of guilt that accompanied the thought. There was no doubt in her mind that Joseph was a womanizing ass, but, on some level, he was still her friend.

Wasn’t he?

Up to that point, Joseph had been…pleasant. His eyes had stayed on her face, and he’d been quick with a joke or a lighthearted comment. She could have, almost, convinced herself that their awkward encounter outside Madison’s Sports Bar had never happened. That he’d never tried to lie his way back into her good graces.

Almost.

Readjusting the handbag on her shoulder, Amelia followed Joseph out a set of wooden double doors as the first notes of the night’s karaoke session rang throughout the bar. Balmy night air rustled the hair around her face as she scanned the parking lot. Even though Joseph was at her side, old habits died hard.

She’d learned at a young age to be aware of her surroundings at all times, but especially at night. The part of Chicago where she’d grown up, Englewood, wasn’t known for its safe streets.

Most military veterans acquired their hyper-awareness after they’d lived in a combat zone, but the borderline paranoia had been second nature to Amelia long before basic training. She’d been taught to trust her instincts, and her intuition told her to keep up her guard any time Joseph Larson was around.

No matter how amiable he seemed, a persistent buzz remained in the back of her head.

As she and Joseph neared their parked cars, Amelia barely kept herself from sprinting toward hers. Brake lights flashed as she pressed the unlock button on her key fob.

A quick goodbye and she’d be home free. She could go feed her cat and brush up on Gabriel Badoni’s case until she passed out beside the laptop’s keyboard.

Keeping her expression as neutral as possible, Amelia turned to face Joseph as they stopped next to the driver’s side of her car. All she had to do was say “goodbye” and drive away. She was nearly home free.

As she opened her mouth, Joseph jerked a thumb over his shoulder, pointing toward the restaurant. “So, same time again next week for karaoke? We can pair up and sing “Africa” by Toto, or maybe something from one of those eighties hair bands I know you love.”

Amelia covered her mouth with the back of one hand as she laughed. “I don’t hate all of them. There are a couple that have some good songs.”

He rolled his eyes in feigned exasperation. “Okay. Whatever you say.”

She expected him to follow the remark with a departing wave.

That would have been the polite thing to do.

Before she could open the car door, Joseph’s lingering gaze deepened. He stared into her eyes and reached out to touch her face. As he brushed his fingers down her cheek, he moved closer until she could feel the warmth of his body through the layers of her clothing.

A phantom hand with fingers made of ice clamped down around Amelia’s throat. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. Time itself ground to a halt as she desperately tried to force her mind to work.

Was this real? Had she fallen asleep during the stakeout only to succumb to a vivid dream?

No, this wasn’t a dream. This was a damn nightmare.

Though Amelia’s body was frozen in place, every cell in her body followed the motion