Page 44 of Hot Pursuit
Jo fell back against the bench and stretched her body out as a sigh rolled all the way through her, a long slow breath that made her muscles turn weak with exhaustion.
Enough.
She’d had enough of her real life for one day.
So she pulled out her phone and dove into her internet life instead, the only place she could be the person she so badly wanted to be, instead of the person that she was.
@TheBakingBandit: Best baked good in New York to clear a sullen mood…GO!
@TheGourmetGoddess: Crack Pie or Cereal Milk soft serve from Milk Bar. There are a few locations in the city. Run, don’t walk!
@Sprinkle-Ella: Oh no, what’s wrong? What level are we working with here? Cheesecake-won’t-freaking-set bad? Or do we have another black wedding cake situation on our hands?
@TheGourmetGoddess: Enough with the freaking cake. Black can be really elegant, you know.
@Sprinkle-Ella: Sure, says the girl from New York.
@TheGourmetGoddess: For your information, I grew up in Connecticut. The land of paisley and pastels.
@Sprinkle-Ella: So how’d you end up with such a dark soul?
Jo lifted her forearm over her eyes and shook her head, mood already lifting. In one quick move, she propelled herself to her feet, keeping her attention on her phone as she typed in the name of the bakery McKenzie had suggested. There was one about a twenty-minute walk south—perfect. And though she knew the Feds could easily track her phone when it was on, she didn’t care. She needed the distraction. She needed her friends. And without a kitchen handy, she needed to escape in the only other way she’d ever known how—the Web.
- 16 -
Nate
“Nathaniel, is that you?”
A guilty burn instantly scratched down his spine at the overly shocked and excited tone of her voice. “Hi, Mom. It’s me.”
He leaned back on the bench, closing his eyes to let the still-soft morning sun sink into his skin a little bit. He was in a park around the corner from Jo’s hotel, waiting for word from his boss for the go-ahead with the immunity deal. Leo and the rest of their team were tailing Ryder for the day, since the slippery weasel had managed to dodge the beta team three days in a row. And with the gala Jo mentioned happening tonight as well as the auction they were monitoring, they couldn’t afford to lose him again.
“Oh, Nathaniel!” The clang of pots and pans came staticky through the receiver. “Just give me a minute. I was in the middle of doing the dishes…”
Aclicklet him know his mother had put the phone on the counter and was probably rushing to take soapy rubber gloves off her hands—yellow if they were the same ones she’d had last time he’d been home. Which had been…eight months ago? Nine maybe?
Jeez. I really do need to check in more often.
“Caroline!” a shout came through the line, distant enough for him to know she still hadn’t picked up the phone. “Caroline! Your brother is on the phone!”
“Mom?” Nate tried to grab her attention. “Mom, I don’t have too much time.”
No answer. The phone was still on the counter undoubtedly.
“Caroline!” And then a mutter… “Where is that girl?”
“Mom?” Nate tried again.
“Oh, I’m back,” she replied cheerily. “Just trying to find your sister. This house is too big for me now, all by myself.”
“You’re not—” But he stopped himself. Because Caroline was only there temporarily, and Nate had been the first to leave and rarely came back. He had no room to speak. “She’s probably in the shower. It’s okay, I’ll catch her next time. I was just calling to say hi, nothing important.”
“You’re always important to me, sweetie.”
The edge of his lip pulled into a smile. That was such a typical mom response. “So how are things with Caroline? When you can find her, I mean. Is she learning the interior design ropes?”
“Oh, you know Caroline…” His mother trailed off with a sigh. She was incapable of saying anything mean about anyone. But she didn’t have to. He knew Caroline all right. “She has a real talent for picking out and pairing colors and patterns. She could do great things if she just applied herself a little bit more.”
