Page 15 of Jina

“Glick?” Mitch repeated as he jotted a note. “What’s his deal?”

She sighed, wishing she didn’t have to repeat the story. It wasn’t one of her best moments. She never should have gone to the party with Rory in the first place. They’d had a few drinks, which had also been stupid. “He tried to rape me in college. I smashed a laptop against his head, called the police, and testified against him. He’s on the sexual offender registry.”

Mitch’s expression turned sympathetic, which only made her mad. Maybe she’d made mistakes, but she’d also managed to fight back. Not just against Rory but firing at the hoodie stalker too. She wasn’t helpless, and she resented anyone thinking she was.

“Wow, I’m surprised you didn’t beat him to a pulp,” Mitch said.

His comment almost made her smile. “I would be more than capable of that now, but the incident was a long time ago. Before I joined the police academy.”

They discussed various possibilities for a few minutes before Mitch closed his notebook. “You’ve given me a great place to start. Please keep me in the loop if this guy makes another attempt against you.”

“Sure.” Rhy had given her the same instruction. The list of people that were becoming embroiled in this mess was growing longer by the second.

True to his word, Cole drove Mr. Glen to Ravenswood. Seeing how concerned his daughter Olivia was when she greeted her father made Jina feel a little better about the situation. Especially since Mr. Glen wasn’t the target.

She was.

As they backed out of the driveway, she grabbed Cole’s arm. “Hold on. We can’t do this.”

“Do what?” He looked confused.

“Interview Shelly.” She tightened her grip. “We don’t know who this guy is, and he might follow us out there. I refuse to put my pregnant sister and her husband in danger.”

He sighed, then reluctantly nodded. “We’ll talk to her over the phone, then.”

She wanted to protest but forced a nod. The least she could do was to compromise on this. A phone call was far better than showing up on Shelly’s doorstep.

And if she had her way, Shelly’s husband, Greg, would take her sister on an impromptu vacation until they had this perp behind bars.

After seeing the fire raging out of control, Cole understood Jina’s concern about putting her sister in harm’s way but doubted his boss would agree. Phone interviews were not nearly as good as talking to someone face-to-face.

A video call? It may help, but not by much.

This immediate threat to Jina overshadowed a ten-year-old cold case. He could tell himself the arson and gunshots targeting her wasn’t his problem, but it didn’t matter.

He was involved whether he liked it or not. Yes, the dead guy deserved justice but so did Jina.

And Mr. Glen.

Besides, for all he knew, the perp who’d smashed the dead man’s skull could already be in prison. Or dead. It made more sense to focus on the more recent attempts against Jina.

“Okay, let’s grab breakfast and regroup,” he said. “Our breakfast sandwiches are cold and so is the coffee. I don’t know about you, but I think more clearly on a full stomach.”

“Yeah, I’m hungry too.” She stared out the window for a moment. “Have you ever tried Rosie’s Diner?”

“No, where is it?”

“Not far from here. Turn left at the next set of lights.” She glanced at him. “You’ll love it. Rosie makes the best pastries on the planet.”

“Sounds good to me.” He followed her directions until he was in front of a small restaurant with a half-full parking lot. “Does she serve breakfast this late? It’s going on eleven.”

“Yes, trust me.” She flashed another rare smile. “Breakfast is her specialty.”

“I’m game.” He fought to keep his tone light, even though he felt himself sinking deeper under Jina’s spell. Not that she had given him a single ounce of encouragement or acted remotely interested in him on a personal level.

No, this was on him. He needed to get this weird attraction to her under control. And quick.

Before he made a fool of himself. He could just imagine himself lying on his back on the gym floor, staring up at Jina’s satisfied smirk at putting him there. Like every other guy before him. Irrationally, that image only made him want to kiss her.

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