Reckless Endangerment Read Free Page A

created some threats.  She grinned. Where there were threats, there was a story. 
“I have a feeling this is going to be a big one, Dev.”  She exited the car and strode toward a corner store.  “Just hopefully not too big, if you know what I mean. I’ve had enough of dangerous situations to last me a lifetime.”
“Yet here we are skulking around one of the worst neighborhoods in town,” Devon complained, keeping pace.  “I never knew Denver’s seedy underworld until you arrived.  You bring out the worst in people.”
“High compliment, Dev.”  She grinned at her friend, feeling the zap of adrenaline pulse through her veins at the prospect of breaking open a conspiracy. “We’ll get a feel for the place before we decide where to begin, I’m thinking we can do a few feature stories about the neighborhood—”
“No one’s going to believe that you’re doing feature stories—”

“That way we can build up some trust while we do the real digging.”  Her grin turned into a toothy smile when she noticed Devon’s frown.  “Where’s the faith, Dev?  I can blend.  I can be charming.”
Devon snorted her answer. 
“Let’s have lunch,” she said, spotting a diner.  “Mingle.  You know, we could find some great stories here.  People trying to better their community, stuff like that.  I bet we can find some real gems while we sniff out the bad guys.”
“Sniff out the bad guys?  Right.  Got it.  But do we have to eat?  I just had breakfast,” Devon protested. 
“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do.”  She stopped, mind jumping with ideas.  “We’ll do a feature on the diner to begin with, make nice with the locals, smile a lot.  People like being on television. They’ll be flattered. The more we hang around, the easier it will be for us to find out what’s really happening.”

“And you think Marion will go for the feature series?”
“Of course he will.  He’s thrilled to have me as part of the 9 News team, remember? He loves me.”  She laughed at the doubt twisting Devon’s face.  “And I’m adorable...charming...the list is long.”
“Gee, I forgot.” Devon rolled her eyes.  
“Maybe our source will surface.” Energy pumped through her veins like an out of control freight train.  “We’re being noticed.  People like to talk.  This is a good thing.  Excellent.”
“You never should have left network.  Denver will bore you.  Did you know there’s a bet at the station about how long you’ll stick around?  You’re a danger junkie, meant to cover wars and other major catastrophes around the world.”  Devon motioned to their surroundings.  “You had the glamorous job, the prestige of being a network war correspondent.  I don’t know how you could have left it all for this.”
Her smile faltered at the memory of being caught in the crossfire between insurgents and the US military, the memory of her best friend Peter’s head exploding in front of her, the memory of crawling into an overturned jeep with corpses at her feet and picking bits of Peter’s skull from her hair, the memory of dragging a wounded Marine to safety while hell erupted around them.  Not so glamorous.
    Now was not the time for memories.  Focus, focus, busy, busy.
Inside the diner wasn’t much more appealing than the outside. Tile had been bleached more than once and the damage was irreparable. Orange booths lined the walls; some ripped, some not, a cliché of mundane.
“You were the It Girl, the reporter destined to be a network anchor one day or to at least have your own show like Anderson Cooper.   You were so close to having it all, the golden ring that every journalism student dreams of and you walked away. Don’t you ever miss it?”
“Let’s see what’s on the menu, Dev.  I need to eat,” she said.
She feigned interest in the choices while her peripheral vision took in the room.  She had been in worse places than this, eaten worse food. Hands shook on