wife and child when they needed him most. He had no right to put Mia in danger if he couldn’t save her. So why had he brought her along tonight? Taken her into an abandoned condominium? A crime scene no less.
“Tall, brewed, cream, no sugar.” He forced the words past numb lips as if he were speaking to a stranger.
Mia stared at him for a moment longer and got out of the Jeep.
Jake searched the parking area for any sign of danger. He glanced toward the direction the black SUV had traveled, then back at Mia as she entered the shop.
No sign of the vehicle returning or hint of danger from the inside or out of the shop, but the danger was inside him. How long could he deny his attraction to Mia?
***
“So, we have files on the company executives and their secretaries. What else do we need?” Mia stretched her arms over her head and yawned.
“How are they connected? Why did Leigh Anne keep these files? What are we missing?” Jake looked up for the legal tablet he was making notes on. Feet propped on the coffee table and leaning back in the stuffed chair, he felt as sleepy as Mia looked. Her cheeks were flushed. Her dark hair flared over her shoulders like a curtain of silk.
He stood up. He would go crazy if he continued this line of thought. Tossing the paper down on the low table, he turned to check locks on the doors. “Get some sleep. We’ll get more done after we’ve had some rest.”
“Are we safe here?”
Jake glanced over his shoulder. “I don’t see why not. No one knows we’re here.”
“That car—“
“We don’t know if it was following us. Stop worrying. Get some sleep.” He turned off the light over the kitchen range. The only light left on was the lamp on the table beside Mia. The glow made her hair shine like a halo, but he couldn’t think about that.
“Tomorrow you need to convince me that your brother is innocent.”
Her lips clamped making her chin wrinkle like a prune. The glare she sent him reminded him of his third grade teacher, and he hadn’t forgotten what that meant. Pain. Punishment. Regret.
***
“Come listen to this,” Jake called over his shoulder the next morning when he heard Mia’s steps in the hall. He hadn’t slept a wink. She appeared looking flushed and fresh from her bed.
“What—“
“Listen.” Jake pointed to the screen and turned the volume up.
“Officers arrested Pam Foley this morning around three A.M. and charged her with breaking and entering the apartment of Leigh Anne Saddler. Sources say the suspect is a co-worker of the woman found dead two days ago in the burned out Courtney County Courthouse in Pittsboro. Authorities suspect Ms. Foley might have been looking for something that connected her to her co-worker’s death.”
Mouth open, Mia stared at the images on TV, then turned wide eyes on Jake. “They think a woman murdered Leigh Anne?”
Fingers gripping the legal tablet, Jake studied Mia’s shocked expression. “You don’t?”
“No, I don’t.” Frowning, she dropped to the sofa and raked her hair back with both hands. “You said a woman couldn’t carry the body up the stairs in the courthouse.”
“Unless Leigh Anne was alive and walked up the stairs.”
“Okay, but we were across the hall. Wouldn’t we have heard the attack?”
“Ummm, unless she was already dead when we arrived.”
“What was the time of death? Did the coroner say?” Mia looked across the coffee table with a hopeful expression in her eyes.
“Nothing on the news about time, and we can’t risk a call. They could track our phone.”
Mia’s eyes widened. “Dan could ask—“
“They wouldn’t release that information. He doesn’t have connections to the case.” Jake held up a finger. “If they searched his interest, it would lead them to us.”
Shoulders slumping, Mia heaved a loud sigh. “I need coffee.”
“I’ll whip up breakfast.” Jake moved past her. “What was Pam Foley looking for in the model’s
“Tall, brewed, cream, no sugar.” He forced the words past numb lips as if he were speaking to a stranger.
Mia stared at him for a moment longer and got out of the Jeep.
Jake searched the parking area for any sign of danger. He glanced toward the direction the black SUV had traveled, then back at Mia as she entered the shop.
No sign of the vehicle returning or hint of danger from the inside or out of the shop, but the danger was inside him. How long could he deny his attraction to Mia?
***
“So, we have files on the company executives and their secretaries. What else do we need?” Mia stretched her arms over her head and yawned.
“How are they connected? Why did Leigh Anne keep these files? What are we missing?” Jake looked up for the legal tablet he was making notes on. Feet propped on the coffee table and leaning back in the stuffed chair, he felt as sleepy as Mia looked. Her cheeks were flushed. Her dark hair flared over her shoulders like a curtain of silk.
He stood up. He would go crazy if he continued this line of thought. Tossing the paper down on the low table, he turned to check locks on the doors. “Get some sleep. We’ll get more done after we’ve had some rest.”
“Are we safe here?”
Jake glanced over his shoulder. “I don’t see why not. No one knows we’re here.”
“That car—“
“We don’t know if it was following us. Stop worrying. Get some sleep.” He turned off the light over the kitchen range. The only light left on was the lamp on the table beside Mia. The glow made her hair shine like a halo, but he couldn’t think about that.
“Tomorrow you need to convince me that your brother is innocent.”
Her lips clamped making her chin wrinkle like a prune. The glare she sent him reminded him of his third grade teacher, and he hadn’t forgotten what that meant. Pain. Punishment. Regret.
***
“Come listen to this,” Jake called over his shoulder the next morning when he heard Mia’s steps in the hall. He hadn’t slept a wink. She appeared looking flushed and fresh from her bed.
“What—“
“Listen.” Jake pointed to the screen and turned the volume up.
“Officers arrested Pam Foley this morning around three A.M. and charged her with breaking and entering the apartment of Leigh Anne Saddler. Sources say the suspect is a co-worker of the woman found dead two days ago in the burned out Courtney County Courthouse in Pittsboro. Authorities suspect Ms. Foley might have been looking for something that connected her to her co-worker’s death.”
Mouth open, Mia stared at the images on TV, then turned wide eyes on Jake. “They think a woman murdered Leigh Anne?”
Fingers gripping the legal tablet, Jake studied Mia’s shocked expression. “You don’t?”
“No, I don’t.” Frowning, she dropped to the sofa and raked her hair back with both hands. “You said a woman couldn’t carry the body up the stairs in the courthouse.”
“Unless Leigh Anne was alive and walked up the stairs.”
“Okay, but we were across the hall. Wouldn’t we have heard the attack?”
“Ummm, unless she was already dead when we arrived.”
“What was the time of death? Did the coroner say?” Mia looked across the coffee table with a hopeful expression in her eyes.
“Nothing on the news about time, and we can’t risk a call. They could track our phone.”
Mia’s eyes widened. “Dan could ask—“
“They wouldn’t release that information. He doesn’t have connections to the case.” Jake held up a finger. “If they searched his interest, it would lead them to us.”
Shoulders slumping, Mia heaved a loud sigh. “I need coffee.”
“I’ll whip up breakfast.” Jake moved past her. “What was Pam Foley looking for in the model’s
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