Deadly Abandon Read Free Page B

direction.
    She turned her face away from his scrutiny, hunched over Bruiser, and started removing the splinters. Pretended her world hadn’t just spun out of control.
    Her son’s voice threaded through the ringing in her ears. “You never said you had the flu. Is it the hurl variety or the blow-your-brains-out-sneezing kind?”
    “Give me a break, Cody. I’m trying to concentrate.”
    It was all she could do to keep focused and not slide to the floor in a grief-stricken heap. She dug deep for endurance and tried to block everything out, except Bruiser. She couldn’t face the heartache of losing Rainey. Not now. Not with Cody in the room. Not when they both still grieved for Miranda.
    Sauvage hovered in her peripheral vision. She felt trapped, didn’t need to see him. His piney masculine scent was a dead giveaway. Why wouldn’t he leave her alone? She jumped when his fingers brushed her shoulder.
    “Doc? Why not take a breather and talk to me?”
    “Look, I’ve got to get this done. I’m fine, really.”
    She inched out from under his big hand, uninterested in his concern. She wanted nothing to do with the man. After all, had the local police launched an investigation into Miranda’s death? No.
    Had anyone on the force believed her when she had insisted Miranda was murdered? No again.
    The Mallard Bay Police had labeled Miranda’s death an accidental drowning and closed the book on it. A senseless tragedy, they had said, and suggested Breeana take her murder theory to the nearest crime publisher and leave the real crime solving to them. Ha!
    “Cody, take the lieutenant over to the sink and pour some antiseptic on his arm, then show him to the waiting room. He’s bleeding on my patient.”
    The lieutenant shot her a steely look. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Chapter Two
    Sully glanced at his forearm after the boy removed the makeshift bandage, surprised to see a gaping wound oozing blood down to his wrist and between his fingers. The sight and coppery scent caused pain receptors to flare, like they’d only just realized he’d been bitten. He gritted his teeth, counted to ten under his breath, and focused on the vet.
    Mistake number one.
    Her sleek body clad in workout gear was one hell of a distraction. Against his will, his gaze traveled, taking her in, assessing how long it would take to get her out of all the spandex. Shit . The true problem? The doc piqued his interest for many reasons, most of which had nothing to do with his case.
    Mistake number two.
    He’d tried to adjust when he’d first seen her at the crime scene. Hell, he’d behaved like a jerk, playing the chauvinist card, attempting to screw his head on straight while she choked on the ‘cookie’ comment. It hadn’t worked, not after she blindsided him with frightened eyes, swayed on her feet, and almost passed out from the shock once she realized her friend was dead.
    Talk about a damsel in distress.
    He scrubbed a hand over his face and risked another glance in her direction. She was still there. Still trembling. Still packaged in an athlete’s body with a riot of auburn hair and the face of an angel.
    He tried to switch gears, to categorize her as a person of interest in his murder investigation. He couldn’t. Withholding information about her relationship with the murder victim didn’t mean she was involved.
    Hell, who am I kidding? Her duplicity was huge. Gigantic. The cop inside him reasserted itself and regained control.
    He moved back against the doorframe after stepping away from the boy and snagged a fresh towel for his arm. His gaze zoomed in on her as closely as an entomologist would study a new species of insect under a microscope. He noticed how she shifted her bottle-green gaze everywhere in the room but in his direction. A guilty conscience, maybe? Or just plain unimpressed with him and his bad cop routine?
    Edging to the table, he ignored her chilling stare, extracted several baggies from his forensic kit, and got to