Concealed Read Online Free PDF Page A

What’s that?”
    “Lunatic Bureau of Investigation, of course,” she said with a grin. There was such sadness behind his eyes she wanted to do what she could to make him smile.
    “Let’s hear it.”
    “They said she was a prostitute who was found naked at the edge of town. Old Jim told ten people her body was mutilated with a message scrawled into her skin. He had the whole table believing him, too, until his wife mentioned that was what happened on some police drama he watched last night. Then he shut up pretty quick.”
    Wade sat back and continued eating his pie, listening. It was strange to be crammed into the tiny booth with him considering the circumstances, but it felt right. All around them people tried to interrupt their conversation, but he ignored them, his full attention focused on Sydney. She found it incredibly sexy.
    “Johnny has a theory that it was a mafia hit, revenge for some bad blood back in Jersey. Personally, I think he just said that to piss off Pete because he burned his grilled cheese.”
    He finished the pie and leaned back, casually draping his arm along the back of the seat. “Any others I should know about?”
    Sydney counted off the others on her fingers. “The victim of alien abduction, werewolf attack, and the Sasquatch theories were some of my favorites.” She rolled her eyes. “Highly delusional, but entertaining nonetheless.”
    A group of men barged over to their table and began peppering Wade with more questions. “Was she tied up? Any signs of a struggle? Did you do a rape kit on her?” The improper musing from the crowd continued until Sydney’s fist slammed down on the table, rattling the fork on Wade’s plate, and stunning the men around them into silence. Wade’s head swiveled in her direction but he didn’t say a word. There was no need to because, disgust and frustration getting the best of her, Sydney erupted with anger.
    “Have you all lost your minds? A woman is dead. Dead. Some psycho robbed her of her life, of a future with those she loved. She has a mother and a father somewhere, a family who is probably devastated, and all you can do is play junior deputy coming up with awful scenarios that might have happened, for your own entertainment. Show a little respect, light a candle, say a prayer or two, and stop all the asinine questions!”
    Her temper rarely flared but once it started, it was hard to pull back until it had run its course. There was too much history behind these feelings for her to control it in any rational way.
    “Now, for the love of God, let the man eat his pie in peace!”
    Silence. The entire diner had gone quiet in the midst of her tirade. The only sound to be heard was the sizzle of the deep fryer working overtime. Melissa gave her a proud fist pump from across the room. Pete pulled Cara under his shoulder and the pair beamed at her like proud parents, but every other eye in the place was incredulous. Luke studied her like she was a stranger. Johnny and his crew were mumbling things under their breath, probably questioning her mental stability, which was understandable. She’d just publicly berated the entire town.
    With her shaking hands clasped together under the table, Sydney peeked through her lashes at Wade, the one person whose opinion mattered the most to her at that point. He seemed to be taking it all in stride, as if encountering a rabid woman was a daily occurrence for him. The crowd took her not-so-subtle hint and slowly returned to their tables, giving Wade his space. Unfortunately, that left her to somehow explain what happened. There was no way she could share the origins of that outburst. That would be suicidal, for sure. She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed deeply, knowing her cheeks were flushed.
    There still hadn’t been a word said between them when she felt the gentle nudge of his knee under the table. At first she jumped, pulling her foot back to give him space, but when his leg brushed against her