Page 15 of Shiver

“When you coming home?”

“Soon.”

“Good, ’cause we all need to be here right now to support your brother. He’s taking it real hard.”

Guilt slithered through Riley. “Yeah, I suppose he is.”

“He has a lot of unanswered questions. We’re hoping you can fill him in.”

“I don’t have a lot of answers right now. If I’d known what Michelle had been planning…I didn’t know she’d try to draw this guy out alone, Dad.”

“We know you didn’t, son. No one blames you.”

Riley could still hear the quiet disappointment in his old man’s voice, disappointment that had been festering for eighteen years. And now he had Michelle to account for, too. A heavy weight pressed against his chest.

“Who knows what she was thinking?”

“She wanted to nail the SOB that had been cutting up women in the Quarter. Only she hadn’t been prepared for a new monster…a different monster. I’m going to find her killer, Dad. I promise,” he whispered, his voice raw with emotion.

“I know you will, son. I know you won’t let us down.”

No, not again I won’t.

Riley ground his teeth with frustration as he hung up the phone. He took a deep breath, steeling his emotions as he watched Miss Morgan talking with Pat and Tony. There she was, playing the demure little kitten again, but it wasn’t as convincing without her big blue eyes directed his way. Now, he could easily see through her little game. Her shifty little glances kept giving her away.

He left the office and approached them. “Come on, Miss Morgan. I’ll take you home.”

“Why don’t you let me do that,” Pat said, rising. “You go see your family.” He stood possessively over her, his chest puffing up like a peacock’s.

Made Riley want to spit. “That’s quite all right, Pat. Thanks for the concern and the offer.” He dropped the good-ole-boy smile and pierced him with a cold stare. “Miss Morgan and I have some unfinished business. I’m sure you understand.”

Pat held his gaze for a moment, then looked away.

Riley turned back to Devra. She was staring at him, her fear shining like a beacon in her luminous eyes. Yeah, she was good—he took her by the arm and led her away—but he was better.

Chapter 7

Devra staredout the Expedition’s window, pushing loose tendrils of hair back into its clip. Everything in its place, her mother used to say. Thankfully, the detective hadn’t muttered a word since they left the station. As he stopped in front of her house, she hopped out of the SUV and all but ran toward her door. Dark storm clouds raced across the sky. Electricity sparked the hairs on the back of her neck. Either that, or it was the detective’s close proximity as he followed behind her.

“Mind if I come in for a minute?” he asked when she stopped to unlock the door.

She turned and looked up into his dark brown eyes. They looked…tormented. She pushed back the compassion rising within her. “I can’t imagine what else we have to say to each other.”

“I have something I’d like to say.”

She cringed at the plea in his voice and the pain clearly etched in his eyes. A part of her wanted to help him, but she couldn’t. To do that, she’d have to trust him with her secrets, and trust was a luxury she couldn’t afford.

She stuck her key in the lock and turned. He didn’t speak. Didn’t leave. She knew it was a mistake even as the words left her mouth. “All right, but only for a minute.” She’d listen, but she wouldn’t help him—that would cost too much. She opened the door and they walked in.

The house was hot and heavy with humidity, but it wasn’t nearly as uncomfortable as his presence behind her. She set the ceiling fan in motion and watched the wide wooden paddles spin, circulating a gentle breeze.

The detective stood just inside her living room, studying her. She could feel his gaze on her exposed skin, hot and demanding. He made her nervous and jittery, but there was something else, too. An emptiness and longing for something she couldn’t quite name. A need that left her restless and shaken.

As the first drops fell, she opened the windows, letting in the thick smell of ozone as the rain battered the white petals of the gardenias outside. She loved the rain, loved the calming sensation that came over her as the water cleansed the earth, washing away the dirt and grime.

“What was it you wanted to say, detective?” Her gaze was on a bird bathing in the sudden shower.

“I’d like to ask you a question.”

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