On Pins and Needles: Sierra Fox, Book 3 Read Online Free PDF Page B

face against Conrad’s chest and closed her eyes.  
    “Why are you blaming me for this, Eb?” I blurted the dumbest question I could’ve summoned before I could stop myself.
    She turned her face towards me. “This happened to me because of you. It’s your fault!”
    “Eb, honey, don’t be hasty.” Conrad patted her hair. “It wasn’t her fault that asshole took you, and she did everything she could to get you back.”
    She ignored him—didn’t even seem to register his touch. She only had eyes for me at the moment, and they were full of accusation. “Do you have any idea what it feels like to have your soul yanked out of your body and then shoved back in, only to find that you don’t quite fit together anymore?”
    “He did the same thing to me. So yeah, I have a clue.”
    Ebony snorted. “Yeah, he did it to you for about five minutes. I was separated for hours! You should’ve let me die. It would’ve been a hell of a lot easier than trying to wear a body that doesn’t fit.”
    “Hey, don’t say that,” Conrad whispered. “Never say that.”
    Anger boiled inside me. It was fine to blame me for my part. After all, Mace had taken her because he wanted to get to me, but I’d warned her to the point of sounding like an overbearing mother. Maybe she needed to be reminded. “You know what, Ebony? You can condemn me all you want, but I tried telling you to stay away from the Council several times, and you reacted the way you usually do—by doing whatever the hell you want!”
    Her eyes filled with tears. “Just leave me the fuck alone. I don’t want to see you right now, and I don’t know if I ever will.”
    “Ebony,” I said, but it was too late. She’d already retreated into Conrad’s apartment and I knew she wasn’t coming out again. We were done for now, or indefinitely. Giving her the space she wanted was my only option. Chasing her down probably wasn’t the best way I could have handled this, but at least I knew how she really felt.
    There was no getting through to her at the moment, so I would respect her decision and accept that I might have lost my best friend and colleague, forever.
    “I’ll talk to her,” Conrad said with a small smile. “She doesn’t mean what she said. I know how much she cares about you. Just give her some time.”
    I nodded. This was the second time I’d heard this today. “Yeah, thanks.” I swung around and strode away, then paused. “Take good care of her, okay? She really needs you right now,” I called over my shoulder. I didn’t bother waiting for a response, just willed my heavy legs to move along the concrete walkway beneath my feet, and continued down the stairs. I held onto the wet metal railing all the way, because I wasn’t sure if I would be able to stay upright or not.
    Between almost being hit by a car, the death prediction and now this, I couldn’t see how my day could get any worse.  
    That’s when the rain finally broke through the clouds in a torrential downpour.  
    I didn’t quicken my step, actually took my time to reach my 1972 Ford ZF Fairlane.
     
     
    Half an hour later, I stepped into the familiar red-brick block and kept my head down until I reached my floor. Benita’s accountant office was no longer marked by police tape, but it was an empty reminder of what had happened. Her husband had cleared out the small space last week—he’d told me his plan at the funeral and I was glad I hadn’t been around when he returned to the place where his wife was murdered.  
    It might make me a coward, but I had so much to deal with at the moment that Benita’s murder only made me feel more like a freak. A guilty freak, because her death was as much my fault as Ebony seemed to think her getting grabbed had been.
    The corridor was empty—the other offices on this floor had their doors closed but I could hear the buzz of activity and see lights glowing behind the glass panels.  
    I wrung the water from my wet hair and shook off my