Page 44 of Chilled

Shaking her head, Brenna jumped up onto the concrete block and, standing on her tiptoes, stared through the blinds.

Victor Greeley and a woman Brenna recognized stood with a bottle between them as he poured liquid into two glasses.

“Get down.” Nick caught her around the waist, pulling her off the brick and back into his arms. “Do you want to get killed?”

The feel of his arms around her could be addictive if she didn’t get her mind back on her work. “Only way I’ll be killed by one of them is if I get hit by the cork.” She didn’t add that he could let her go now. She liked how warm he was compared to her wet clothing. Then her phone vibrated in her pocket.

Nick dropped his arms and stepped away, running his hand through his hair.

On the third vibration, Brenna accepted the call and answered in little more than a whisper, “Yes?”

“This is Sergeant Putnam at the station. That address you asked for?”

“Let me guess...Greta Farley?”

The sergeant laughed. “That’s right. Guess you didn’t need us after all.”

On the contrary, the call had saved her from Nick Tarver’s arms for the second time in so many minutes. “Thanks, Sergeant.” She ended the call and brushed the slush from her pants, the cold and dampness sinking through her skin to her bones. A shiver shook her frame.

Nick’s brow furrowed. “Was Greta Farley one of the women on the list?”

“No.”

“But you know her.”

“Yes. I went to high school with her. Let’s just say...she had a reputation.” She glanced toward the trailer that was rocking now.

“Looks like she still does.” Nick grinned. “Think we should stick it out?”

“I think we should have a cop keep an eye on Victor, but I wouldn’t bet my paycheck on Greta being a target for the killer.”

“Why not?” Nick asked.

“Her reputation wasn’t for her intelligence, and she surely hasn’t been on the Who’s Who list of Riverton Women.”

“Then come on.” He brushed the slush from his own pants. “Let’s get back to the hotel and out of these clothes. We can check in with Paul and Melissa and see if they’ve come up with anything on Jason Conlin.”

“Sounds like a plan.” She looked forward to a hot shower and warm, dry clothes.

A loud thump sounded in the trailer, stopping Brenna in her tracks. She locked gazes with Nick.

A giggle erupted, and the little mobile home rocked again.

That was Victor, up to his old tricks. Glad she was over the creep, Brenna realized she’d never been in love with him. The more she thought about it, the more she admitted to herself she’d been in love with the idea of being loved.

She followed Nick out of the trailer park and back to the car, enjoying the view from behind. Here was a man who carried himself proudly and admitted when he was wrong in a relationship. He’d never stoop to sneaking around, never betray the woman he loved.

What would it be like to be loved by Nick Tarver?

Brenna’s breath caught and her chest squeezed so hard it hurt.

Get those notions out of your mind right now, girl.

Nick Tarver would never look at her any differently than he did Melissa or Paul. She was only a part of the team, nothing more.

Brenna drew a deep breath and climbed into the car next to Nick, suddenly shy and too aware of his physical attributes and her shortcomings.

Would a man like Nick look past her imperfections to the person beneath the scars? She shook her head.Why set yourself up for disappointment?As Victor had put it, she wasn’t even pretty.

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