Faces of Evil [2] Impulse by Debra Webb Page A

produced a smile. “That won’t be an issue in the future, sis, I accepted a deputy chief position with Birmingham PD. I’ll be around a lot more.”
    Lily’s expression brightened. “That’s great. You can move in with me. The kids’ll be gone. Maybe Blake, too. We have lots of room!”
    Jess lifted her lips into what she hoped resembled a smile but couldn’t do a damned thing about the dismay she felt widening her eyes. “Wow.”
    Her sister smiled, swiped her tears. “It’ll be just like when we were kids.” She hugged Jess hard. “You and me against the world.” When she drew back, her smile widened to a grin. “We can go to church together, too! There are a couple very nice men your age who’re single for one reason or another.”
    “Wow,” Jess repeated as she suffered through another exuberant hug. Exactly what she needed. A man who was single. . . for one reason or another. Awesome. Wouldn’t they make a pair?
    Just like her and Burnett.
    Dear God.
    Five days. She’d been back in Birmingham a mere five days and Jess felt her life spiraling backwards more than two decades. Already her hard work to take the south out of her vocabulary and diction had vanished. She spoke as if she’d never left. Ten years ago when she’d fallen back into Burnett’s arms for a frantic tangle in the sheets, she had sworn she would never, ever be vulnerable to the man again. And here she was, skirting that old flame as if she hadn’t gotten burned badly enough the first time.
    Evidently she was destined to repeat the same mistakes over and over.
    When another ten minutes of discussion failed to convince her sister to leave town, Jess reluctantly gave up for the moment and joined Burnett and the others. Lily opted to remain in her room until her eyes weren’t so red anymore.
    Shock and confusion related to the conversation with her sister warred with the worry and frustration associated with the case. None of which was conducive to Jess’s focus on the problems at hand.
    Burnett and Lil’s husband stood near the fireplace, speaking in soft, quiet tones. Their posture warned that the subject matter was far from soft. The kids were sprawled on the sofa, Alice reading a book on her Kindle, Blake Junior surfing on his iPad. The two were as different as night and day. Lil’s son had dark hair and eyes like his father and he loved being in the thick of things, athletics, social activities, anything that involved lots of people and a challenge. Her daughter was the spitting image of her – of Jess – and Alice would rather curl up in a corner all alone and read her books.
    Mercy, how did she make these people understand that this was not like the movies? This was real, the danger was real. And they didn’t seem to have a clue.
    As soon as Burnett noticed her lingering in the archway that separated the family room from the kitchen, he shifted toward her. The move was subtle, the slightest turning of his body to face her. Whether it was the way he moved or just the way he looked, tall, strong and steady, Jess had never wanted to lean on those broad shoulders more than she did at that moment.
    There she went, falling back into that same old pattern.
    God, help her.
    “She won’t budge,” Jess announced.
    Saying the words weighed heavily on her shoulders, fueling the urge to lean against him. . . her new boss . A single-for-one-reason-or-another man.
    Jess blinked. She straightened her weary body, drew her burdened shoulders back. She was stronger than this. Dammit. “You need to talk some sense into her, Blake.”
    Shoulders down, hands in his pockets, and worry cluttering his face, Blake studied Jess a moment. “You really think we could be targets in this?”
    Rather than march over and shake the hell out of him, she held onto her unraveling composure as best she could. “Belinda Howard was a guest in your home last night. If being here with me made her a target, do you really need to ask that question?”
    Blake