Fine by her. At least her thoughts didn’t make her feel violently homicidal.
As the lead singer of Green Day told the world he refused to be an “American Idiot” –ha! Appropriate. And the irony probably flew right over Dillan’s head—she replayed her interview questions and the senator’s answers in her head.
“Why were you at Senator McClean’s house tonight, Senator Chastain?”
“Because he invited me.”
“And why’d he invite you?”
“Because we’re colleagues who work on committees together. And because we live in the same city when we’re not in D.C.”
“Are…were…you and Senator McClean close?”
“Like I said, we were colleagues.”
And so on and so forth. The senator had answered her questions without really giving her anything helpful at all.
It wasn’t until Julia had asked Bethany Chastain if she had any idea why John McClean’s cook would’ve turned on him that things got interesting.
“John wasn’t exactly well liked by most people. Especially powerful people in Washington.”
“So you suspect someonepaidthe chef to kill him? But then why try to kill everyone else? Why not just kill McClean?”
That’s when Chastain had clammed up and claimed she couldn’t trust the FBI. Not that she couldn’t trust Julia and Dillan, but that she couldn’t trust the entirebureau.
Curiouser and curiouser.
Green Day came to a crashing end and a commercial for the latestStar Warsseries to hit Disney Plus played on the radio. Julia was instantly reminded of her wholeI’m Luke Skywalker; I’m here to rescue yougaffe back in the ER. She cringed.
He must think I am the biggest nerd to ever walk on two legs.
Then she scolded herself for caring about what some stranger she’d met only once and whom she might never meet again thought of her.
A dark, delicious, slow-talking stranger with the prettiest eyes and the most intriguing scar and?—
Gah!Really,reallyinconvenient!
9
Black Knights Inc.
Fisher called himself ten kinds of fool for making Eliza cry again. And he wished there was something more he could do for her than simply hold her close and whisper reassuring words in her ear.
Every ragged sigh broke something inside him. Every soft whimper made him want to find that gunman and kill the bastard all over again for what he’d put her through. Every tear that dampened her pillow made him wish for powers of resurrection. He’d use them to give her back the man she loved.
“I didn’t say yes.” Her voice slipped to him through the darkness, low and soggy-sounding.
“Didn’t say yes to what?” With his face nestled into the back of her head, the sweet, clean scent of her shampoo slid inside his nose.
“To Charlie.”
He pushed up on his elbow to stare down at her. He could barely see the outline of her profile in the darkness. Then lightning flashed—the storm was fully upon them now—and he noted the wet tracks her tears had left on her cheek.
With a gentle thumb, he brushed the salty impressions away and marveled at the softness of the skin beneath. For such a lanky woman, she was soft in all the right spots. Her breasts were well-formed and heavy. Her ass was plump and peach-shaped. And she had the most delicious little curve in her lower belly. The perfect place to fit the palm of a man’s hand.
It’d certainly been the perfect perch forhispalm as he’d spooned her. And with his dick snuggled up tight against her ass, it’d taken herculean effort to keep the sorry sonofabitch from giving her a full salute.
He probably wouldn’t have managed it had it not been for her tears. Her sorrow had been just enough to take the edge off and convince him that even though he was a horny asshole, at least he wasn’tthatmuch of a horny asshole.
