Easy Prey (Love-Inspired Suspense) Read Online Free PDF Page A

back on all of us. Well, guess what? Apparently you were right about Fix. Congratulations.” Elise poured all of her emotion into that last word.
    “This has nothing to do with me. Fix made his own choices.”
    “You’re right about that. You only think you have that much power over people. But guess what? We weren’t all put on this planet to sit around and wait for you to tell us what we can and can’t do. We made our own lives just fine without you.”
    Elise closed her mouth. The simple fact he was standing in front of her now made her brain twirl like a spinning top, merging losing Martin with Jonah’s...desertion. That had sure been what it felt like. Why did he have to come to the hospital? She’d learned not to need him in her life.
    Jonah was looking down at her with a dark expression. He’d never worn that face before, not directed at her. Jonah had always had a serious side that meant he never failed to do what was right. It had been hard to coax a smile, or even laughter, out of him—something that hadn’t happened too often, even in all the years they’d known each other.
    Martin had been much more lighthearted. The partyer, always chasing a laugh. Their relationship had been nothing but fun, until Elise lost both of them.
    This Jonah was entirely new. The disappointment on his face had formerly been reserved for his mother’s disapproval of Elise’s friendship with the Rivers boys. Elise had never before been the recipient of it from him. He had better not look that way at Nathan.
    Jonah studied her. “You’ve changed.”
    She clenched her jaw, not willing to dignify that with a response. Elise wasn’t a perky twentysomething anymore. She dressed like what she was—the single forty-year-old mother of a teenager, who also happened to have a hard-earned doctorate in zoology. Her best friend was always talking about makeovers, but who had time for that?
    Jonah, however, looked as though he never missed a workout. His T-shirt was tight on his biceps, and the rest of him just looked...incredibly strong. As though life had forced him to weather the years, always leaning in to the wind, trying to control the direction of it with sheer willpower. Had Martin’s death done that?
    It was plain to see nothing about her impressed him at all. And why would it? It wasn’t like she’d spent seventeen years trying to catch a new man. She’d been way too busy with work and Nathan.
    She said, “I’m not the only one who’s changed.”
    “Regardless, I’m going to make sure you and Nathan are safe until we find the guy who hurt you tonight.”
    “What about Fix?”
    “If you say you haven’t seen your brother, I believe you. But if you hear from him, I need to know. I am going to catch him. I know he’s family, but he’s hurt people since you’ve been gone, Elise.” Jonah paused. “Why haven’t you talked to him?”
    Elise looked aside. She’d known she was going to have to explain it sometime. It might as well be now.
    “With you and Martin gone it was like Fix lost all the restraint he’d had. Before I left, things were...bad. Cops coming around, asking if I knew where he was.” She bit her lip and looked at Jonah. “When I was told Martin died, I called Fix. He never picked up. I left.”
    “I’m sorry.” Jonah’s voice was quiet.
    “Can I at least talk to him after you bring him in? I’d like to say something to my brother before I lose the chance.”
    Jonah stayed silent for a moment. Then he said, “You have my word.”
    After his pronouncement, Elise didn’t figure there was much else worth arguing about. At least not when it was so late, and they’d had such a long day. Tomorrow they would figure out where to go from here. Tomorrow she would look at mug shots and help the police find the bomber. Right now she was so exhausted she just wanted to crawl into bed, pull the blanket over her head and forget she’d ever thought coming back here was a good idea.
    But for the one