Shadow Rising Read Online Free PDF Page A

the hell out of these assholes. Are you sure you don’t want the paramedics to look you over?”
    “I’m sure. What are the firefighters planning to do for them?” She looked to the pile of rubble and the men there trying to heft the beam to the side.
    “There’s nothing anyone can do for them now,” Johnson replied.
    “Come on, Kara.” Tray pulled her along beside him with his arm still wrapped around her shoulders. “Do you think you can walk?”
    “Yeah. Of course.”
    “I’ll get these blankets back to you, Johnson. Maybe I’ll drop them by your place tonight,” Tray said behind him, then mumbled to himself, “after I wash them.”
    Kara frowned. Were bloody blankets really that important in the grand scheme of things? “I can buy him new blankets if it’s that big of a deal.”
    “Don’t worry about it.” He adjusted his grip on her shoulders. “You’re shivering. Are you hurt?”
    “I’m fine.”
    “I’m not so sure about that. We should probably call Abbey and have her meet us at my apartment.”
    Kara glanced over at him. In light of what had just happened, she didn’t like the feeling that maybe Tray got a little thrill from needing to involve Abbey. “Not a chance. We don’t need more turmoil at home right now. And when did you get an apartment downtown?”
    He straightened but still supported her weight as they walked. “A month ago. I was sick of the commute. I would have phoned to let Abbey know, but she isn’t taking my calls.”
    “So where is this new apartment exactly? ’Cause, honestly, I’m ready to go home.”
    Kara didn’t allow herself to be weak. She tried not to miss Julian or Gavin, but if she was being honest, in that moment, she wouldn’t have minded being supported by a broad chest, a sturdy pair of arms and shoulders that could carry some of her burden. Sometimes, being strong was a burden of its own.
    “We’re almost there,” he answered.
    They’d only headed south a few blocks when Tray stopped at the main entrance of a parking garage and punched in a code.
    “No way,” Kara said as the metal grate lifted from the driveway. “This is your place? You get an apartment no more than a mile away from where Abbey is currently staying because you suddenly can’t handle the commute? You lived in North Park. How bad could it have been?”
    “Jeez, Kara. Does getting hit over the head usually make you so cranky? I’m going to get you a hard hat for Christmas to go over that thick skull of yours.”
    “Bite me,” she shot back.
    “Hey—” he put his hands up, “—not in my job description. Don’t you have a sex slave for that?”
    “I’m not that kind of mistress, smart-ass.”
    She had to admit she was more comfortable with the old, snarky Tray than the shell of a man she’d had to deal with after Abbey had been attacked. Normal Tray was what she imagined an irritating big brother would be like—and she could handle that.
    He led her to apartment number 713 and ushered her inside, then shut the door behind him. “Well, this is it. Make yourself at home.”
    Kara took in the simple surroundings. White walls. Tan carpet. Same old furniture he’d always had. “You still have the brown sofa, huh?”
    “Yep.”
    She regarded it dubiously. “I’ve heard the stories of what happened on that couch.”
    He stopped and stared, like he was remembering the times he and Abbey had shared. When his gaze roamed from the couch to the table to the chair by the window, Kara could have slapped herself. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to go there.”
    His shoulders hunched as if the marrow had been scraped from his bones. “It’s all right. Come on. Change your clothes, then you can sit on the floor.” He retrieved a box of Abbey’s clothes from his bedroom and handed it to Kara.
    “Do you want me to give this to her?” she asked.
    “Hell no. Take what you need and tell her some of her favorite jeans are still at my place, waiting for her.”
    Kara went to the