In Too Deep Read Online Free PDF

frown.
“I’ve told Shaye before you’re meant to—”
    “— not Shaye. Piper.”
    “ Oh.” He aligned a pen next to the
desk pad and straightened his stack of invoices. “I forgot to tell
Piper to make sure you take a break. And she’s not my
girl.”
    Bill cocked a finger at him.
“Waiting for that. As I said, since she waltzed back in the door,
you’ve been off your game.” He rubbed a hand through his white hair
and yawned. “I am beat. Bloody old age.”
    “ Go to bed. I’ll look after the
rest.”
    “ Thought Glenna told you to drop
the girl home?” Bill chuckled. “Though how the bleedin’ hell she
ended up staying at your place—should’ve seen your face,
boy!”
    “ Ms. I’m-so-independent Harland
declined a lift with me, saying she was quite capable of walking.
She left about ten minutes ago.”
    Bill’s gaze slid to the rain
zigzagging down the office windows. “In this?”
    “ Bit of rain never killed
anyone.”
    “ True, true. She’ll miss the turn
to your road in the dark.”
    “ More than likely.”
    Bill scratched the back of his
head. “Ah well. As you say, bit of rain never hurts. Might cool
that temper of hers.”
    West snorted and moved around the
desk to collect his helmet. “Yeah. That’ll happen. I’d better go
find her.”
    West shooed Bill out the kitchen
door in the direction of the tiny cottage he and his younger
brother, Del, had grown up in on the corner of Due South’s
property. He’d have fobbed Piper off at his father’s place if the
cottage’s second bedroom hadn’t been stacked halfway to the ceiling
with Bill’s junk.
    He changed into jeans, tugged on
an ancient leather jacket, and headed outside. Temperamental
weather was a fact of island life, something he was sure Piper had
forgotten while living in the capital city.
    Rain like automatic gunfire
plinked onto his helmet as he strode to his bike, tucked away under
a covered car-port. His plans of a quiet beer alone were screwed.
The last thing he wanted tonight was to deal with a Harland temper
tantrum. Why had he caved to Glenna’s demands?
    He straddled the bike and twisted
the key. Revving the accelerator, West guided the bike onto the
road and headed along the foreshore, tires hissing across the wet
asphalt as he changed gears. He passed the wharf, where the
streetlights abruptly ended. Surely a street savvy cop wouldn’t
walk off into the night without a flashlight? Or maybe it was Boy
Scouts that were prepared for any eventuality. He sure as hell
wasn’t prepared for Piper. He swallowed thickly and concentrated on
riding.
    The bike’s headlight illuminated
the narrow lane leading to his place, and he stopped parallel to
the entrance. A gust of wind howled over the crest of the hill.
Branches rattled and the rain hammered down so hard it bounced.
West squinted through the trees to see whether his house lights
were on. Nope. Which presumably meant she’d walked straight past.
Piper was likely halfway to Horseshoe Bay, if she hadn’t fallen
into a ditch.
    With a sigh, he continued on. Less
than a minute later, a solitary figure appeared through the curtain
of rain. Shoulders hunched, thumbs hooked into the straps of her
backpack, Piper trudged single-mindedly toward him. He braked
slowly and rolled to a halt, dropping his feet to the ground. Piper
kept walking, head down. Either the driving rain had drowned out
the sound of his bike or, knowing Piper, she’d chosen to ignore his
presence.
    At least she had the common sense
to turn around and come back.
    He pulled off his helmet as she
drew alongside, and held it out to her. She froze beside him and
kept her hands on the backpack straps, her mouth a pale, straight
gash on her face.
    Cold rain trickled down his neck
and oozed inside his collar. The fingers on his left hand felt
frozen to the handlebars with icy rivets. “For once in your bloody
life don’t argue—just get on.”
    Her face jerked toward his, but
her eyes were hidden under the