Still Mine Read Free Page A

where a woman found herself being grateful for the money gained from the death of her husband. She lingered in the pain of that loss as she struggled to fend off guilt and enjoy the life she’d built. In moments like this, she wasn’t sure if she would ever win that battle.
    People often asked her why she had chosen law enforcement. She gave them the expected answers about service and wanting to help people, but the truth was she never wanted to be that helpless again.
    She’d been packed out of her base housing with barely suppressed impatience, the morning after her husband was laid to rest. She hadn’t wanted to linger anyway. Without Paul, the tiny apartment was nothing but a pain-filled hell. The only thing worse had been the pity she’d watched being aimed at her from every person she passed on her way out into the civilian world.
    Catching a slight reflection of her face in a mirror across the bar, Jo felt a measure of satisfaction sweep her. She was nothing like that girl had been! Her feet were firmly planted beneath her now. Paul had loved a sweet, innocent girl. That girl had loved him back and centered her world around him. The memories were treasured but Jolene often wondered just when she would be able to completely bury her husband. She’d managed to grow up, so it was well past time to get on with living.
    That needed to include a lover at some point. Someone who might grow into a husband and family. Being alone sucked. Sleeping with the memory of her dead husband wasn’t going to get any better.
    Maybe she should reconsider Tait’s offer. The deputy was hard bodied and dedicated to his badge. But her smile twisted on her face as she tried to imagine kissing the man. She just couldn’t do it.
    Well, she should. Jo grabbed her glass and finished it. She was an absolute moron! Being faithful to a memory was medieval. If she had an ounce of sense, she’d drink until Tait turned her on and then take the man home for a night of wild irresponsibility. Remaining celibate for six years was another bad habit she really needed to lose. She dreamed of a man who was dead. You’d think her heart would get the message when she woke up to stare at the neatly folded American flag sitting on her dresser. Paul was gone and she was stuck in the world of the living. Tait moved his gaze around to look at her and her skin tightened. But the word “no” shot through her brain. Jo hissed through her teeth as frustration became her closest friend.
    Idiot was the right word tonight all right. She was a blooming poster child for it.
     
    ***
     
    “We have the target in sight, sir.” The words were spoken with calm knowledge.
    “Proceed.”
    Efficient fingers typed competently away at a laptop computer. A quick tap on the entry command key and the operator simply sat still, waiting for further instructions.
    Their target had walked another thirty feet along the sidewalk and was inserting a key into the door lock of a parked vehicle. Dispassionate eyes watched as the door was opened and their target slid behind the wheel. Jolene Benate was falling neatly into their trap. It was boring actually, because she was predictable. Two weeks of surveillance had documented her routine well. The only changing factor was the one they were about to introduce.
    A hint of a mocking smile turned his lips up. Civilian law enforcement was really just another word for “mildly amusing target”. Maybe they knew a little more than the average citizen but it still wasn’t anything impressive.
    She was as good as theirs already. The only thing setting her apart from the average female was the slight possibility that she’d put up enough resistance to entertain the surveillance team for a few moments, before she was contained and neatly shipped off until they were ready to use her.
     
    Slowly adjusting the radio, Jo searched for something soothing. Her mind was too full and she needed a little tranquility for the remainder of the evening.