Page 16 of Lethal Danger

Nev laughed. “Thought so. But I want to read it right after you’re done.”

“No promises. I might have to read it twice.” Jazz chuckled. But reading it twice was her usual tradition. The first time through, she read super fast because she couldn’t wait to find out what happened to Carson Steele, the former Military Police investigator turned private investigator hero of the bestselling series. But then she always read the story again, slower, to savor the poetic prose, the witty dialogue, and all the delicious character details amid the thrilling action.

“A’ight, you have fun then.”

“Oh, I will.”

They ended the call with a shared laugh. Jazz really lucked out. Give her a Hawthorne Emerson novel over a movie any day. And the story description for Seconds in Shadow sounded so good.

Jazz’s pulse quickened. She could let Flash outside quickly when she got home, and then start reading.

Some ice cream would be fun, though. And she should fill up with gas, too. She glanced at the gas gauge. Definitely needed a fill or she’d have to fit it in on her way to her morning shift at the fair.

She pulled into the lot of the twenty-four-hour gas station and convenience store she often used since it was only five minutes from her apartment.

The canopy overhead shielded her from the rain as she got out and stuck her credit card into the pump computer.

A breeze whispered across her shoulder, left bare in the white sleeveless blouse she’d paired with skinny jeans and pink heels for her date.

The fine hairs on her arms stood on end.

Something felt off.

She glanced around, stepping to the side to scan the other gas pumps. The bright overhead lights made it easy to see…and to be seen.

A gray sedan was parked at the next pump over, and a man stood outside the car. He stared at his smartphone while he waited for the gas to pump. Business suit, expensive ride, distracted. Probably not the reason for her sudden edginess.

She kept an eye out as she waited for the pump to fill the big tank of her SUV.

A middle-aged woman left the convenience store carrying chips and a soda. No one else seemed to be in the vicinity.

But Jazz’s nerves still tingled. Ready.

Too bad Flash wasn’t there. He had much better instincts and would actually be able to pinpoint the danger she could only sense. Or imagine.

Though it wouldn’t be the first time she’d been approached by a creep at a gas station.

The businessman pulled away from the other pump as she finished filling her SUV.

She could just go home. She’d already paid. But that would be the first time she’d let danger keep her from living her life the way she wanted. She wasn’t about to give up her freedom now, even if her instincts were right.

She peered into the darkness on either side of the convenience store as she crossed the blacktop.

No sign of any movement in the shadows. No sounds.

Maybe the idea of the excitement waiting for her in the Carson Steele novel was enough to put her nerves on edge.

A smile curved her mouth as she entered the store and grabbed the chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream that would pair perfectly with Carson Steele. Though his favorite was mint chip, according to Book Five in the series.

“Have a good night!” She waved at the clerk as she leaned into the exit door, spreading her new-thriller-novel joy to the guy who probably had a long shift ahead of him.

“Thanks.” He gave her a small smile back, and she swung away to step onto the sidewalk outside the door.

Strong arms clamped around her.

Six

You’ve gotta be kidding me. The thought hadn’t even finished by the time Jazz escaped the muscled guy’s hold with a shoulder slip. She pushed off his body to gain some distance.

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