Rhapsody (The Teplo Trilogy #2) Read Free Page A

hours—was his way of trying to keep her safe. But who was keeping him safe? Who was watching over him, making sure he didn't do anything foolish?
    She didn't know, and that terrified her.
    "How long have you been a detective?" she blurted to Warner, trying to keep her mind off of the icy fear squeezing her heart in a vise. Tristan would be fine. He had to be.
    Warner glanced up at her again. "Nine years next spring."
    "Do you like it?"
    He eyed her as if trying to decide whether or not to humor her and engage in this conversation. When he nodded and settled back in his seat, she barely contained a sigh of relief. "Yes," he said then. "It's a tough job, but it's rewarding."
    "Oh." She licked her lips.
    "This job, law enforcement, isn't for everyone. You see things you can't forget, deal with people you'd rather avoid." He crossed his arms over his stomach, getting comfortable. "But you also see the good—people rallying to help out a stranger, or make a difference. When the unthinkable happens, no one goes through it alone."
    Tristan went through it alone. Or at least he thought he did. He kept so much to himself, trying to shoulder the burden alone, because that's what he thought he deserved. To be alone. To continue paying for the deaths of his parents. When did it end? When did he get to live?
    The pager sitting on the corner of Warner's desk vibrated its way across the top. He reached out and snagged it, flicking his eyes toward the display. He pushed a button and tucked it into his pocket before flipping closed the file in front of him. "Kincaid's here," he said then, rising to his feet.
    Lillian gripped the edge of his desk and fought her way into an upright position. Her upper lip curled in a rictus of pain as she placed weight on her bad leg. Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply in through her mouth and out through her nose until the pain eased, allowing her to step away from the desk.
    Warner offered her a sympathetic smile, but, thankfully, said nothing. Instead, he made his way toward her, squeezing through the narrow passage between filing cabinets and the wall, and then held the door open for her to pass through.
    "Thanks," she mumbled, limping into the hallway.
    Warner preceded her down the hallway toward the back of the building. "Agent Kincaid will meet you outside and take you to the safe house," he said, reminding her of the hasty plan Tristan had put together at some point after walking away and leaving her standing outside of Teplo alone.
    "Okay." She bit her lip, fighting the urge to ask if he would be there, instinctively knowing he wouldn't. Not when he'd sent Warner and Michael to deal with her so he wouldn't have to do so. Not when she hadn't heard from him in hours. Blinking her eyes to hold back tears, she took a deep breath. "Thank you for your help," she said softly when Warner stopped at a door with an exit sign glowing overhead.
    "Anytime, sweetheart."
    As soon as he pushed the door open, Michael was there, tugging her toward a sleek gray sports car idling in the alley. Lillian stumbled along at his side, holding her breath as if that would keep anyone from seeing her. Logically, she knew it wouldn't. If Anton Vetrov had sent someone to watch her, nothing she could do would stop them. But holding her breath, hunching her shoulders, and keeping her head down made her feel better. Smaller. Less of a target.
    "You good?" Michael asked when he settled her into the front seat, locking the seatbelt around her.
    She offered him a jerky nod. He took it for truth and slammed her door before jogging around to the driver's side. He said something to Warner who frowned and then nodded. And then he was sliding into the car beside her.
    Lillian curled up in the seat, squeezing her eyes closed.
    Michael chattered as he raced through the darkened Seattle streets, twisting and turning until Lillian lost all sense of direction. She didn't answer him, and she didn't open her eyes to see where they were. She