Cold Moon (The Huntress/FBI Thrillers Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B
Author: Alexandra Sokoloff
exchanged a glance. The detective cleared his throat. “Well now, it’s not about knowing what to say. We want you to tell the truth.”
Jade rolled her eyes. “ Sure you do. You can chill, I get it. She slashed the living shit out of Danny. Gone baby gone. Can’t have someone like that running around loose, can we?”
Roarke was paying special attention to the words she used, her inflections. He had the strong sense of a California background: her breezy confidence, the hint of Valley in her vowels, the casual use of hippie expressions that were ancient history to a girl her age, and yet she dropped them naturally, as if she’d been hearing them all her life.
Jade narrowed her gaze as if she knew he was analyzing her, but she didn’t look his way. She arched her back against the couch. “You charging her with other murders? Besides Danny?”
Roarke and Mills barely refrained from looking at each other.
“Do you know of any?” Mills asked her.
“That’s your job, isn’t it?” she retorted.
“Doesn’t mean I can’t use some help.”
“Like all you can get,” she agreed, and her eyes slid toward Roarke. “I heard there might be a whole lot more. Charges.”
“Oh yeah?” Mills countered with exaggerated surprise. “Where’d you hear that?”
She widened her eyes. “I do read the papers.”
“Newspapers, huh? I thought those had folded.”
“L-O-L,” she drawled. “You’re a riot, Mills.”
“You’re very interested in Cara Lindstrom,” Roarke said, speaking for the first time.
Jade finally turned her eyes on him, though he knew she had been quite aware of him since he’d walked into the room.
“Someone kills someone in front of you, it makes an impression.” She watched him for a reaction. Roarke didn’t give her one. “So has she killed other people?”
It was not a question they could answer, officially. Roarke settled for “That’s under investigation.”
“Were they all like Danny?”
Roarke paused. Now that was a question.“Like Danny,”meaning pimps, abusers, bad to the bone? The fact was, they were. Some arguably worse.
She was still watching him closely, and he repeated, as neutrally as he could manage, “It’s under investigation.”
“How many?” she demanded. Both men looked at her. “How many people has she killed?”
Mills spread his hands. “She’s in jail, held without bail. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“You mean you guys aren’tworried about it?”
Roarke studied her. “What is it that’s bothering you, Jade? You think Cara Lindstrom will come after you?”
Jade raised her eyebrows. “Shouldn’t it bother me? I saw what she can do.” Her eyes turned shrewd. “Unless you’re sayin’ she wouldn’t do it to me.”
“It’s not an issue, Jade,” Mills said with something approximating patience. “Lindstrom is in jail. If you’re telling the truth, she’ll stay there.”
“Because the bad guys always stay in jail, right?” She glanced at Roarke again, her eyes mocking him. Roarke chose the truth.
“No, you’re right, they don’t. But you’re in a safe place, with people who want to help you. As long as you let them.”
“Let them help me,” she repeated flatly. “Why wouldn’t I do that?”
Roarke sensed some undercurrent in the question, but before he could figure it out, Mills was answering.
“So why not tell Rachel where you’re from?”
Roarke saw a protective wall crash down in the girl’s face, shuttering her expression. What came up a second later was exaggerated boredom.
“Get with the program, Mills.” She lifted her hands. “The past is over . All there is, is the now .”
Roarke knew they were losing her, and it didn’t take a crystal ball to guess what she was escaping from in the past. Rachel had told him, “ Runaway is a literal word. They run away .” He began, “We’re not going to send you back to—”
Her response was a flash of anger, cutting him off. “Fuckin’
Jade rolled her eyes. “ Sure you do. You can chill, I get it. She slashed the living shit out of Danny. Gone baby gone. Can’t have someone like that running around loose, can we?”
Roarke was paying special attention to the words she used, her inflections. He had the strong sense of a California background: her breezy confidence, the hint of Valley in her vowels, the casual use of hippie expressions that were ancient history to a girl her age, and yet she dropped them naturally, as if she’d been hearing them all her life.
Jade narrowed her gaze as if she knew he was analyzing her, but she didn’t look his way. She arched her back against the couch. “You charging her with other murders? Besides Danny?”
Roarke and Mills barely refrained from looking at each other.
“Do you know of any?” Mills asked her.
“That’s your job, isn’t it?” she retorted.
“Doesn’t mean I can’t use some help.”
“Like all you can get,” she agreed, and her eyes slid toward Roarke. “I heard there might be a whole lot more. Charges.”
“Oh yeah?” Mills countered with exaggerated surprise. “Where’d you hear that?”
She widened her eyes. “I do read the papers.”
“Newspapers, huh? I thought those had folded.”
“L-O-L,” she drawled. “You’re a riot, Mills.”
“You’re very interested in Cara Lindstrom,” Roarke said, speaking for the first time.
Jade finally turned her eyes on him, though he knew she had been quite aware of him since he’d walked into the room.
“Someone kills someone in front of you, it makes an impression.” She watched him for a reaction. Roarke didn’t give her one. “So has she killed other people?”
It was not a question they could answer, officially. Roarke settled for “That’s under investigation.”
“Were they all like Danny?”
Roarke paused. Now that was a question.“Like Danny,”meaning pimps, abusers, bad to the bone? The fact was, they were. Some arguably worse.
She was still watching him closely, and he repeated, as neutrally as he could manage, “It’s under investigation.”
“How many?” she demanded. Both men looked at her. “How many people has she killed?”
Mills spread his hands. “She’s in jail, held without bail. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“You mean you guys aren’tworried about it?”
Roarke studied her. “What is it that’s bothering you, Jade? You think Cara Lindstrom will come after you?”
Jade raised her eyebrows. “Shouldn’t it bother me? I saw what she can do.” Her eyes turned shrewd. “Unless you’re sayin’ she wouldn’t do it to me.”
“It’s not an issue, Jade,” Mills said with something approximating patience. “Lindstrom is in jail. If you’re telling the truth, she’ll stay there.”
“Because the bad guys always stay in jail, right?” She glanced at Roarke again, her eyes mocking him. Roarke chose the truth.
“No, you’re right, they don’t. But you’re in a safe place, with people who want to help you. As long as you let them.”
“Let them help me,” she repeated flatly. “Why wouldn’t I do that?”
Roarke sensed some undercurrent in the question, but before he could figure it out, Mills was answering.
“So why not tell Rachel where you’re from?”
Roarke saw a protective wall crash down in the girl’s face, shuttering her expression. What came up a second later was exaggerated boredom.
“Get with the program, Mills.” She lifted her hands. “The past is over . All there is, is the now .”
Roarke knew they were losing her, and it didn’t take a crystal ball to guess what she was escaping from in the past. Rachel had told him, “ Runaway is a literal word. They run away .” He began, “We’re not going to send you back to—”
Her response was a flash of anger, cutting him off. “Fuckin’