was gunning for her.
“Count to ten, Jonas, ’cause you look like you’re about to blow.” She patted his cheek, let her palm rest there, the gesture as light and teasing as Rayne’s would have been.
Only Skylar wasn’t Rayne, and the contact shot through Jonas like lightning through a stormy sky. Skylar felt it, too. Her breath caught, her pupils dilating as she let her hand drop away and stepped back.
“Remind me to give you the code tonight.” His voice was gruff, his muscles tight as he grabbed juice from the fridge, poured her a glass. “Drink.”
She eyed him over the rim as he phoned the security company, her gaze uneasy and unsure.
Funny. That was exactly how he felt
Or maybe it wasn’t so funny.
He hung up, tried to focus his thoughts.
“I just spoke to Sheriff Smithson. His office is taking over the investigation from the Phoenix P.D. since you were abducted from their jurisdiction. He’d like to interview both of us. He also said he has some of your things. You’re free to pick them up when you’re ready.”
“I’m ready.” She set the empty glass in the sink, brushing past him as she walked out of the kitchen. Just a hint of contact, but Jonas felt it to his core.
He frowned, grabbing his keys and wallet, tossing a jacketin Skylar’s direction. She pulled it on, hurried to the door, as eager to escape, it seemed, as Jonas was.
By the time he’d locked the door, she was in the truck, her jean-clad legs and boot-encased feet disappearing as she shut the door.
“What did you think of the sheriff?” Skylar asked after Jonas had climbed into the truck and started the engine. Jonas met her eyes. Wished he hadn’t. Everything she felt was written there. Trepidation. Confusion. Curiosity.
It was the curiosity that might get them both in deeper than either wanted to go. Especially since it was a trait he shared.
“Not much. He said he’d been keeping an eye on Redmond, but wouldn’t answer when I asked who the guy’s friends were. Where he hung out.”
“Probably because he was tired of answering me when I asked.”
“That’s what he said.”
“The thing is, I asked a dozen times in a dozen different ways, and all he’d say was that Redmond hung out at the diner where he worked, spent all his time with the people there. No specifics. No names.”
“Maybe he’s hiding something.”
“Or he doesn’t know and doesn’t want to admit it. He’s arrogant enough to think he knows everything about the people in Cave Creek. It might stick in his craw that he doesn’t.”
“It sounds like he didn’t make much of an impression on you.”
“Actually, he didn’t. Not a good impression, and not a bad one, either. Which is unusual. When you’re a cop, it helps to know the good guys from the bad ones. I’ve almost always been able to do it.”
“ Almost always?”
“There’ve been a few exceptions.”
“Your partner?”
“Yes, though I did think something was up with him the last year we worked together. I thought maybe he was cheating on his wife. Turns out he was cheating on the department.”
“Who else did you mistake for a good guy?” There it was. The curiosity. Pushing Jonas to find out more than he needed to.
“No one important.”
“Which means he was.”
“I never said it was a ‘he.’”
“But it was a man, right?”
“If you can call the kind of guy Matthew was a man, then yeah.” She crossed her arms over her chest, closed in and off in a way he’d never seen her before.
“You dated?”
“We were engaged.”
“You didn’t make it to the altar, so I guess you saw him for what he was.”
“It’s hard not to see something when it’s right in front of your face.”
“What happened?”
“How about we change the subject?”
“This one was just getting interesting.”
“I can think of some that would interest me more.”
“Like?”
“One of the nurses said you were a Shadow Wolf.”
“And?”
“Were you?”
“I told
“Count to ten, Jonas, ’cause you look like you’re about to blow.” She patted his cheek, let her palm rest there, the gesture as light and teasing as Rayne’s would have been.
Only Skylar wasn’t Rayne, and the contact shot through Jonas like lightning through a stormy sky. Skylar felt it, too. Her breath caught, her pupils dilating as she let her hand drop away and stepped back.
“Remind me to give you the code tonight.” His voice was gruff, his muscles tight as he grabbed juice from the fridge, poured her a glass. “Drink.”
She eyed him over the rim as he phoned the security company, her gaze uneasy and unsure.
Funny. That was exactly how he felt
Or maybe it wasn’t so funny.
He hung up, tried to focus his thoughts.
“I just spoke to Sheriff Smithson. His office is taking over the investigation from the Phoenix P.D. since you were abducted from their jurisdiction. He’d like to interview both of us. He also said he has some of your things. You’re free to pick them up when you’re ready.”
“I’m ready.” She set the empty glass in the sink, brushing past him as she walked out of the kitchen. Just a hint of contact, but Jonas felt it to his core.
He frowned, grabbing his keys and wallet, tossing a jacketin Skylar’s direction. She pulled it on, hurried to the door, as eager to escape, it seemed, as Jonas was.
By the time he’d locked the door, she was in the truck, her jean-clad legs and boot-encased feet disappearing as she shut the door.
“What did you think of the sheriff?” Skylar asked after Jonas had climbed into the truck and started the engine. Jonas met her eyes. Wished he hadn’t. Everything she felt was written there. Trepidation. Confusion. Curiosity.
It was the curiosity that might get them both in deeper than either wanted to go. Especially since it was a trait he shared.
“Not much. He said he’d been keeping an eye on Redmond, but wouldn’t answer when I asked who the guy’s friends were. Where he hung out.”
“Probably because he was tired of answering me when I asked.”
“That’s what he said.”
“The thing is, I asked a dozen times in a dozen different ways, and all he’d say was that Redmond hung out at the diner where he worked, spent all his time with the people there. No specifics. No names.”
“Maybe he’s hiding something.”
“Or he doesn’t know and doesn’t want to admit it. He’s arrogant enough to think he knows everything about the people in Cave Creek. It might stick in his craw that he doesn’t.”
“It sounds like he didn’t make much of an impression on you.”
“Actually, he didn’t. Not a good impression, and not a bad one, either. Which is unusual. When you’re a cop, it helps to know the good guys from the bad ones. I’ve almost always been able to do it.”
“ Almost always?”
“There’ve been a few exceptions.”
“Your partner?”
“Yes, though I did think something was up with him the last year we worked together. I thought maybe he was cheating on his wife. Turns out he was cheating on the department.”
“Who else did you mistake for a good guy?” There it was. The curiosity. Pushing Jonas to find out more than he needed to.
“No one important.”
“Which means he was.”
“I never said it was a ‘he.’”
“But it was a man, right?”
“If you can call the kind of guy Matthew was a man, then yeah.” She crossed her arms over her chest, closed in and off in a way he’d never seen her before.
“You dated?”
“We were engaged.”
“You didn’t make it to the altar, so I guess you saw him for what he was.”
“It’s hard not to see something when it’s right in front of your face.”
“What happened?”
“How about we change the subject?”
“This one was just getting interesting.”
“I can think of some that would interest me more.”
“Like?”
“One of the nurses said you were a Shadow Wolf.”
“And?”
“Were you?”
“I told
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