Terri Reed - Chasing Shadows

He backed up a few steps before turning and hurrying to the end of the block. Just a little farther and he’d be done with his business. He shivered. He loathed being outside in the dark. Too many shadows, too many possibilities.

Bad things happened in the dark.

Kris clutched her camera to her chest and used her booted heel to kick the person holding her. Please, Lord, save me! She whipped her head around, trying to loosen the grip over her mouth.

“Kristina! Stop!”

The harshly whispered command given in a familiar deep baritone registered. She went limp with relief. The arm around her waist held her for a moment before withdrawing. She sagged, using the brick building for support.

Taking deep, calming breaths, she allowed anger to replace her terror. “What do you think you’re doing?”

The moon bathed Gabe Burke’s hard expression in the muted light. He’d changed out of his suit into jeans and a dark leather bomber jacket. A knit beanie covered his honey-blond hair. “I’m doing my job. What are you doing?”

“Your job.” She pushed away from the wall. Anger warmed her face. Peering around the corner, she smacked the bricks with her palm. “He’s turning the corner.”

“You need to go home.”

“No way.” She darted forward. “We have to at least try to catch up.”

Gabe gritted his teeth. Short of hauling her over his shoulder and carrying her away, he had no choice but to follow. Frank was probably gone now, anyway. Gabe would let Kristina figure it out and then he’d escort her home. Though he’d like nothing better than to throw her in jail for doing something as idiotic and dangerous as following an ex-con.

After Kristina left the station, Gabe had done a little digging and found out that Frank hung out at the HogsHead Tavern. And sure enough, Frank had shown up. Gabe had intended to follow him when he’d seen someone else doing the same. It had taken less than ten seconds for him to recognize the lithe lines of Kristina Worthington. The fact that he could still do so didn’t say much about his ability to forget her.

He grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her out of the middle of the street and into the shadows where they would be less visible as they followed. Thankfully, this part of town quieted down at night. But in a few hours, when the bars closed, the story would be vastly different.

At the next corner, he pushed her behind him and looked down the street. The dim glow of the moon barely revealed Frank. Gabe debated for a second about lying to Kristina and saying Frank was gone, but lying never solved anything.

Besides, he had a strong hunch she would just do this again. And he may not be there to protect her.

Clutching her slender, cold hand, he pulled her around the corner and kept to the shadows. Ahead, Frank paused and whirled around.

Gabe reacted swiftly, pulling Kristina into his arms and angling his body to shield her from view. Gabe bent his head close, suspended inches from Kristina’s lips while keeping his gaze on Frank. He heard her sharp intake of breath.

The man either didn’t notice them or saw what Gabe had intended, a pair of lovers stealing a kiss in the moonlight. Frank continued on.

Gabe should have stepped back, far away from Kristina right then, but she was so soft and pliant in his arms. Her sweet breath fanned over his face causing a yearning to kiss her lips that gripped him in a tight vise. And suddenly he was back to those warm summer days when he’d been a rookie cop wild about a girl way out of his league, yet sure a future together wasn’t impossible. That maybe he’d found what his mother insisted existed.

But then reality had set in and he’d walked away.

And kissing Kristina now would only cause him more pain than he was willing to endure.

Using every ounce of self-control he possessed, he released her and stumbled back.

She blinked up at him with wide, confused eyes. “What was that?”

Refocusing on the situation, he put his finger to his lips. “Shh. We better hurry.”

Taking her hand again, they moved forward, keeping close to the buildings. Up ahead, Frank slipped down a side alley. Gabe and Kristina ran for cover behind a parked car where they had a clear view of the alley. They watched as a man stepped out of the deeper darkness. He was of medium height and build with short cropped hair and a goatee on his pointed chin.

Kristina raised her camera.

“Hey, be careful,” Gabe admonished softly.

“I will.” She snapped some shots.

In the alley, Frank was handing the man an envelope. The man ripped the envelope open and spilled the contents into his hand. From this distance, Gabe couldn’t see what had come out.

Just then, Frank spun in their direction, seeming to stare directly at them.

Gabe grabbed Kristina and pulled her into a crouch.

“I don’t think he saw me,” she whispered, her voice shaky.

Gabe clenched his jaw tight. He scrambled onto his belly and watched the two men from underneath the car. The two spoke for a moment more, then the man handed Frank something before Frank scurried down an adjacent alley while the other man disappeared back the way he’d come. Gabe listened hard, but he didn’t hear a car engine start. Which meant no plates to run. He shoved himself to his feet and brushed himself off.

“Aren’t you going to arrest him?” Kristina asked.

“For what? We don’t have any idea if he’s up to something illegal and I don’t want to spook him. Let’s see where he goes now.”

Cautiously they followed Frank back to his little car.

“I parked over there.” Kristina dug into her pocket for her keys.

Gabe took her hand. “We’ll take mine.”

He led her to his black 4x4. Once settled inside, he pulled out of his parking space and followed Frank’s car onto the tollway back to Miller’s Rest.

“Nice ride,” she commented, her tone bland.

Unsure if she was mocking him or not, he said, “I like it.”

“It suits you.”

“Meaning?”

“All of our choices in life reveal a little about us.”

She’d become philosophical in the past eight years. “And what does my rig say about me?”

“You like to be in control and have a lot of power. Black is the absence of light. It’s mysterious, serious and dramatic.”

He wasn’t sure exactly how to take that. “And you know this…how?”

She waved a hand. “Just one of the many things I learned in college.”

“Ah, yes.” She’d been enrolled at Boston University when they’d met. He couldn’t remember her major. “You a psychologist or something?”

“No. Just took some psych classes.”

“So what color car do you drive?”

She gave a small laugh. “Oh, my car won’t reveal anything about me. It’s my grandmother’s car.”

He glanced sideways, taking in Kristina’s profile, liking the straight line of her nose and the arch of her brows. Her cheekbones were high and her jawline strong yet feminine. She’d actually grown more beautiful over the years.

She’d taken off her black cap. Her long blond hair fell over her shoulders, the strands illuminated against her black clothing.

Gabe slowed the car as Frank parked at the retirement center and hurriedly entered the facility through a side entrance. “Investigation’s over tonight.” Unless Gabe wanted to break in and follow, which he didn’t. He made a U-turn and headed back the way they’d come.

“Did you find out anything about Carl and Lena?” Kris asked.

“Not yet.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “This isn’t some game, you know.”

“I’m not playing a game,” she said with a huff.

“You can’t go around sneaking through the night like some superhero looking for danger. Eventually you’ll find it, and then what?”