Jennifer Morey - Justice Hunter

“You’re not going anywhere.”

What would he do to stop her? Rachel stepped back and out of his reach. Passion had stolen her mind last night. Today she saw his true agenda. She should have never let down her guard. She’d sensed something off in him. She should have listened to the silent warning.

Well, she’d listen now.

“You told my mother you haven’t spoken with Jared,” he said.

Why had he zeroed in on that? What interest did he have in Jared, other than his possible involvement in his sister’s murder?

“I didn’t,” she said. “Not after I found out he was married.”

“But you have talked to him.”

She began to have a bad feeling. How would he know if she’d spoken with Jared or not?

“He tried to restart things with you,” he said.

His mother turned sharply to her, and Rachel drew her head back, an involuntary flinch.

“How do you know that?” Then her jaw went slack as the reason came to her. “You spied on me?” Not only had he lied to her, he’d spied on her! He knew about Jared. Furthermore, his ex-wife was trying to restart things with him. All the distrust she felt with Jared rushed forth with Lucas. She refused to be victimized again.

Giving him a shove, she went to the door.

He caught up to her, taking hold of her arm and pulling her back toward him. “What are you hiding, Rachel?”

“Let me go.” She’d feared consequences like this, both the danger to herself and those close to her. While she even now didn’t second-guess her decision, she often wondered if she should have been braver.

“Tell me about your job at the insurance company. It was Jared’s, wasn’t it? You worked for him.”

Oh, God, no. This could not come out now. She yanked her arm free and left the house.

Lucas followed her. She walked down the street.

“If there’s something you know, you have to do the right thing and tell me.”

She ignored him and kept walking.

“Rachel.”

“Leave me alone. I wish you well and that you find your sister’s killer. I don’t know anything that will help you or the investigation.” She glanced pointedly at him. “If I did, I’d have gone to the police.” If she had something concrete.

“The smallest detail could change the direction of the investigation,” he said.

The smallest detail...

Telling him about the first and last time she saw his sister wouldn’t hand him the killer, and she didn’t qualify what little she did know as a small detail. Or the things that had occurred afterward. But dare she reveal anything?

Without responding, she kept walking. He sighed with resignation.

“Where are you going?” he finally asked.

“Bus stop.”

“Wait.”

He seemed awkward over a shift in his mood, going from angry and frustrated to needing something from her. Information.

“I’ll drive you home,” he said, his persuasive side coming out in a forced way. He must have sensed she held back and didn’t like that, but he’d try to get her to talk. To what extent would he go? He’d already lied to her. She had to expect he could lie again.

“No, thanks. You did that last night.” And he had his ex-wife to deal with. She wanted no part of him with even the slightest chance he’d go back to her.

“This has nothing to do with last night.”

How could he say that? “Last night was based on a lie.”

“I have to find my sister’s killer, and you aren’t exactly a fountain of information.”

She wasn’t helping him at all. She couldn’t. “I didn’t kill her.”

“Do you know who did?”

Rachel thought of the faceless man who’d stalked her, frightened her and still did. “No.” She reached the bus stop, where she’d have to wait twenty minutes.

“Let me drive you home.”

She eyed him, seeing his distrust and lack of appreciation. He’d like to let his irritation loose, she’d bet.

“You lied to me, and all you care about is what you think I might know, which is nothing,” she said.

His attitude changed in an instant. He softened and regarded her contritely.

“It’s cold out here,” he said. “Come on. I’ll drive you home.”

“There’s nothing I can say that will help you,” she said. “So maybe you’d rather not waste your time on a girl like me.”

He blinked acknowledgment of her insight. “I won’t be wasting my time. And I’m sorry for lying. But as you can see, this case is very important to me. Come on, Rachel.” He held out his hand. “Come with me.”

She wasn’t ready to let him off that easy. “What about your ex-wife? Won’t she mind if you take me home?”

He took a second or two to piece together what she’d said. “I don’t care if she does.”

Jared would have said something like that to her. Experienced liar.

She looked away.

“Hmph,” Lucas scoffed. “You think I’d actually take her back after what she did?”

She rolled her eyes his way. His lying bothered her more than the threat of his ex-wife.

“I’m not Jared,” he said. “And I resent you comparing me to that.”

Again, she turned away.

Lucas took her hand and pulled her toward him. “I get why you don’t trust easily, especially since I lied to you. But you aren’t in any danger if all I do is drive you home.”

Pulling her hand free of his, she started toward his black SUV.

“Where’s your car?” she asked.

“In my garage. I have more than one vehicle.”

Of course he did. He had money.

It was the cold, not him, that made up her mind. She’d be a fool to trust this master manipulator.

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