Dangerous Read Online Free PDF Page B

alone?”
    Camille felt herself start to unravel. Her knees threatened to buckle and her stomach knotted, and she wasn’t sure which was stronger—her fear for the teenager or the unwanted attraction to her former one-weekend stand.
    “Maybe it’s a new game for him,” Drago said. “Using Sandy as bait to get to you.”
    She could only hope it was that simple, that Sandy was locked up somewhere but untouched. Why hadn’t she taken the time to talk to the kid, to know something more about her? Maybe she would have had a better understanding of her character.
    She’d always told herself she didn’t have time to form relationships because of her job, though on examining her own conscience, she knew it had to do with Emily. How she’d failed her childhood friend. She never wanted to lose anyone like that again. All through high school and college, she’d kept other students at arm’s length. Acquaintances rather than good friends. She’d done the same with her fellow officers other than Justus, and when he’d quit the force, she’d let that friendship slide.
    Distance made her feel safe. Or at least it should.
    But, now, she’d failed Sandy, too.
    “He disappeared from the chat rooms when he had the Grant woman for that week before he tired of her. Once he finished her”—she couldn’t say
killed
—“he came back. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t done other things to hurt Sandy—”
    Drago’s finger to her lips stopped her. “It’s too early in the game to make assumptions.”
    She slapped his hand away. “Game? Is that what you think this is?”
    “Investigation. I should have said investigation.” He moved closer. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to trivialize your concern or the case. I’m right there with you.”
    The sincerity in his tone neutralized her anger. She came down quickly, so quickly she was shaking. Drago pulled her to him so that she was pressed to his chest, aware of his heartbeat. Aware of more than she wanted to acknowledge. The next thing she knew, she was clinging to him. He rubbed her back gently, wrapped his arms around her, murmured soothing sounds into her ear. Then his lips brushed the side of her neck and her world whirled around her.
    “You have a good reason to be upset,” he said softly, “but you have to keep steady. You need to be able to tell the good guys from the bad.”
    Closing her eyes, she asked, “Which are you?”
    “Whichever you want me to be.”
    He laughed, a whisper of air stroking her cheek, sending a flutter of something more potent she didn’t want to recognize down her neck. Part of her wanted to push him away and refuse to work with him. But the other part—the part that feared she would ultimately be responsible for a young girl’s death—couldn’t let him go. She’d wrongly thought she could do this alone. Now look at the mess she’d made.
    “No more jokes, Drago, please. I need to know you’re with me.”
    “I’m not only with you, I’m invested,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of terrible things happen to people I knew and cared about over the years. I’m in this one hundred percent.”
    “Good.”
    Shivering, she tried to make her hands let go of his shirt, but they wouldn’t cooperate. When she glanced up at him, Camille realized he was staring at her intently. His expression suddenly went hard, shooting an uneasy thrill through her middle.
    Why couldn’t she let go of him?
    Why couldn’t she turn away?
    Why didn’t
he
move?
    His head moved closer, his deep blue eyes zeroing in on hers, making her think he was going to kiss her. Instead, he finally made that move—away from, not toward her—asking, “When was the last time you ate something?”
    Relief fluttered through her. She thought about it a moment, then said, “Yesterday. I had lunch yesterday.”
    “What about the last time you showered?”
    Not today. Not yesterday. The day before, but…“What’s your point?”
    “You look like crap.” He was heading