Ember Burns (The Seeker) by Ditter Kellen Page B

sight, aware of every move his prey made.
    Ember would still be looking over her shoulder or possibly be dead by now if not for the diligence of Detective Clay Harper. He’d led the investigation with the efficiency of a general, eventually catching the Watcher through evidence left at one of the crime scenes.
    “I know of a really good doctor if—”
    “I need a drink not a shrink,” Ember interrupted, effectively cutting her off.
    “Okay. You win. Where are we going tonight?” Laura’s gaze softened.
    “I thought we would go to Sam’s Pub. They have a live band and the best wings in town, unless you’d rather have sushi?” She took a drink of the now lukewarm coffee and glanced over the rim to wink at Laura, whose blue eyes were narrowed in her direction.
    “I don’t know how you eat that nasty stuff. It’s raw and sticky. Not to mention it reeks. I’m surprised you ingest it with that bad-breath fetish you have.” Laura visibly shuddered.
    Ember laughed. “It’s not a fetish. It’s an aversion. And sushi is an acquired taste much like oysters.”
    “I’ll stick with the wings. You’re freak enough for the both of us.” Laura chuckled and picked up her coffee. “Are you driving or riding with me?”
    “I’ll take my car. I have some things to do this evening, so I’ll just meet you there.”
    “You really need to get laid, Miss Lead Photojournalist. Did you ever call that cop? He seemed pretty interested in you.”
    “Clay? Not yet. And before you say anything, he’s been on annual leave for a few weeks. He was back at work last Wednesday from what I hear, so maybe I’ll give him a call this weekend.” She stood and tucked the envelope back under her arm. “Speaking of interests, I heard from Shon last night. He said to tell you hello, and he’s planning a visit soon.” Laura showed no reaction to the news other than a slight blush.
    Ember smirked. “Go ahead and ask. I can smell your curiosity from here.”
    A sigh came from the other side of the desk along with a raised middle finger. “Okay. I’ll bite. Wait. Let me guess. Your cousin broke another heart and is looking for someone to fill the bubblehead’s shoes?”
    Ember wasn’t fooled by Laura’s display of sarcasm. Beneath the editor’s cool exterior lay a vulnerability visible only to those closest to her. “He’ll be in Daytona for bike week and was hoping you would ride with him.”
    “He’s persistent, isn’t he? It must run in the family.” She winked. “I’ll think about it. Now go do whatever it is you do and let me finish this report before Kalli crawls up my ass.” She made a shooing motion with her hands. “And stay away from that janitor; he’s mine.”
    They both laughed as Ember turned to go.
    “Oh, wait. When is bike week?”
    “Friday after next,” Ember responded while fighting a smile. This is going to get interesting.
    She strode off in the direction of her new office and made a mental note to text Clay. Laura’s right. I do need to have some fun . The last date she’d been on was with Alan the Octopus. He was a nice enough guy if you could get past the overpowering cologne, roaming hands, and dragon breath. Yeah, not my cup of tea.
    It didn’t take long to reach her destination, which was a blessing since both feet were cramping with every step from the new shoes she’d worn against her better judgment. She unlocked the door and hurried inside, tossing the envelope onto the desk before heading to the bathroom.
    Ember poured the coffee down the sink and practically limped to the computer chair to remove the painful stilettos. Relief was instant. Why the hell did I wear stilts to work? And new ones at that.
    She opened the bottom drawer and fished out her cell, glaring at the offensive heels. It only took a moment to locate Clay’s name and type out a quick message. Her finger hovered over the Send key a second before pressing it. That wasnt so hard . She shook her head and set the phone