Page 101 of Marked for Obsession

“Our jobs aren’t to cater to assholes who take a bunch of innocent people hostage because he’s having a shitty day. It’s to ensure the asshole with the gun doesn’t kill anyone before we can take him out. Including you.”

Especially you.

Isobel shot back with a feisty, “Well guess what, Detective? That’s precisely why I’m here. Now if you’ll excuse me…”

Grady watched while the stubborn woman followed his and Declan’s boss to the black HRT van parked several yards away. And he absolutely didnotcheck out her fine ass when she opened the door and climbed inside.

“Geez, man.” Declan’s disapproving tone pulled Grady’s focus back to where it needed to be. “What did she do to piss you off?”

Other than being here, in the line of some crazed man’s fire? Not a damn thing.

“She doesn’t belong here,” Grady grumbled.

“Because….”

“Come on. You heard her.” He turned to his partner. “She writes a fucking paper and all of a sudden she’s an expert?”

Declan’s dark brows turned inward. “Uh…I mean…she kind ofisthe expert.”

“As a shrink, sure. But this is different. A situation like this needs—”

“Every available person working it to ensure it resolves itself in a peaceful manner.”

Grady shot his partner and incredulous look. “What’d you do, memorize the fucking employee handbook?”

“After my first joint op with HRT, yeah. As a matter of fact, I did.”

Of course, he did. The man was a freaking Boy Scout.

“What’s going on with you?” Declan stared back at him expectantly.

“Nothing.”

“Really? ’Cause you were fine before Dr. Garcia showed up.” It took the other man all of two seconds to come to the conclusion Grady had prayed he wouldn’t. “Oh, shit! Are you two…”

“We’re not anything,” he lied. “We’re co-workers. That’s all. And barely that.”

“Then why are you so bent out of shape by her being here?”

Lie, Thorne. Lie your fucking ass off.“I just think the more people who muddy the waters, the harder it’s going to be for our HT to see a way out.”

“Except this particular HT asked to speak to her specifically. Which implies a past relationship.”

“You think she fucked the guy or something?”

“What?” Declan’s face twisted up with a what-the-hell-are-you-talking-about expression. “No. My guess is, she used to treat the guy. Jesus.” He shook his head before returning his focus to the business in front of them.

The Mexican restaurant was positioned between two other small businesses in one of the city’s busier strip malls. The rest of the businesses had already been evacuated to minimize potential casualties, so at least they didn’t have that to worry about.

Their target had closed all of the blinds shortly after entering the establishment, effectively stealing law enforcement’s only chance of getting a good look inside.

Now they were stuck out here at the mercy of a dumbass. And to top it all off,shewas here.

But Grady knew Declan was right. He was being a total dick, and if he wasn’t careful, his piss poor attitude was going to reveal the very thing he’d worked damn hard to keep under wraps.

“There’s activity by the window,” Declan announced. “Looks like our guy is peaking through the blinds.”

Grady saw him and was close enough to see just what their HT was staring at.

---