Page 17 of Serial Burn

He bit off a laugh, wondering if she realized how easy she was to read. “Checking on a friend.”

“Well, she was my friend before she was yours and she asked for a few minutes to herself.” Her tone was soft, friendly. And had a thread of steel running through it. “She’ll come out when she’s ready.”

“I really think we should—”

“Excuse me.” Tamryn stood there, drinks on a tray and unable to get by. They were blocking the kitchen.

He moved aside. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. You’re talking about Jesslyn?”

“Yes.”

“She came out just a few minutes ago with a guy.”

Lainie frowned. “What?”

“Yeah, it was a little weird. She looked like she’d been crying and he looked a little sketchy. I asked her if she was all right and she said she was feeling a little sick and her friend was helping her out.”

Lainie gaped. “B-but—”

Nathan shot toward the front door and shoved outside into the cold air with Lainie on his heels. And there next to a truck, Jesslyn was pulling herself to her feet.

“Jesslyn!” Nathan ran to her side and grabbed her bicep to help her the rest of the way up. “What happened?”

A gun lay on the asphalt. She’d been on top of it. He started to reach for it, and she stopped him.

“Don’t.” She dragged in a ragged breath. “That’s evidence. Need a bag.”

The light went on. She’d been attacked. He glanced at one of the bystanders. “Someone find the owner of that vehicle and get the alarm off.” He shot a glance at a wide-eyed Lainie who’d moved closer, her eyes on the seeping welt on the side of Jesslyn’s face.

“Let me get a look at that,” Lainie said.

“It’s okay. He just stunned me.” She touched the wound and frowned when she looked at the blood on her fingers. “And cut me. But it’s not deep.”

“Lainie,” Nathan said, “after you check her out, can you let the others know what’s going on and ask one of the guys to bring an evidence bag?”

“Of course.” She examined the wound and stepped back. “It’s not too bad. Needs cleaning and a bandage, but other than a headache, you should be all right.”

“Thanks.”

The car alarm abruptly—and blessedly—shut off.

“Now I’ll go get the others.” With one last glance at Jesslyn’s head, she hurried back inside the restaurant.

Nathan studied her. “What were you doing out here?”

“I was in the bathroom and he came up behind me while I was rinsing my face.”

“We’ll get any security footage available, but you didn’t happen to see his face, did you?”

“No. He had sunglasses and one of those beanie hats on.” She paused. “He was clean-shaven, and his breath smelled like onions. And”—she looked at Nathan—“he got into a dark blue sedan, with mud on the plates.”

Nathan nodded, his face grim. “Good observations.”

The others came streaming out of the building, faces concerned. Nathan filled them in on what happened, and James gave her the once-over. “Glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks. Me too.”

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