He shifted and nudged a loose piece of concrete with the toe of his brogan. “I think she knows a lot more than she’s willing to tell.” He smiled, seemingly to himself as if he had a delicious secret. “She thinks she’s gonna keep it to herself, but she doesn’t know me very well.” He seemed thrilled at the prospect of dragging true confessions out of my ex-co-worker. What did he have in mind? There was already sexual tension between Presley and Paul. She had made sure of that. Would he use her sexuality against her?
My breath caught in my throat. “Don’t, Paul. Don’t do that.”
“Do what?” He acted as if he didn’t know what I was talking about, but I was certain he did.
“Don’t play her like that.” I didn’t say what I meant—I meant don’t go to bed with her. The thought of the two of them twisting in the sheets made my stomach churn. On some level, I suspected she had taken Tab from me and I was too stupid, too blind, or too busy to notice. But Paul? I wasn’t willing to give up—
“Like what?”
“Don’t get all charming…and all seductive and—”
“You mean you don’t want me to get busy with her?” He smirked, perhaps at his choice of words, or maybe at me. “What’s the matter? Are you jealous?”
I laughed with all the derision I could manage. “Of you and Presley? No. Don’t be ridiculous.”
He smiled. “I thought not.” But it was obvious that’s exactly what he thought. The presumptuous jerk.
I turned and headed up the steps, tired of the conversation and of his posturing. If he was trying to get a rise out of me… Well, he succeeded.
“Wait, Ellie.”
I twisted on my heel. “What?”
“I mean it. I don’t think you should be alone.” He took a step toward me.
“Are you volunteering to keep me company?” My tone suggested there was no way I’d even consider the option. Although my heart did a little tap dance at the thought.
He grinned. “Do you want me to?”
“I have Betsy.”
His mouth twisted as if he was suppressing a condescending remark. “When was the last time you cleaned her? Or went to the practice range?”
I lifted my chin. “I’ll go tonight.”
He nodded. “That’s my girl. I’ll go with you.” Before I could object, he strolled down the street toward the corner. “I’ll see you at seven.”
“I’m not your girl,” I hollered after him. “And make it eight.” I wouldn’t be dictated to and I was nobody’s girl. But suddenly the idea struck me that I might want to be his girlfriend, not someone he owned, just someone he cared about on a very personal level. It had already become obvious we could be more than friends…if that’s what I wanted.
“It’s a date.” He grinned and I failed to argue with him about whether it was really a date or not. I mentally debated the status of our planned outing right up until he rang my buzzer promptly at eight.
Sometimes the end is only the beginning.
Almost a year after her husband dies, Ellie Marston opens the file for Tab’s last manuscript, a thriller so compelling it reads like a true story. His manuscript needs an ending, so Ellie writes the obvious conclusion. The same morning she types The End, her career as an assistant district attorney falls apart. Accused of throwing the high profile Patterson case, she resigns in disgrace. The only friend she has left in the criminal justice system is Det. Paul Santiago, a man she has worked closely with on numerous cases. While she was married to Tab, she squashed her growing feelings for Paul, determined to make her deteriorating marriage work, but circumstances after Tab’s death bring Ellie and Paul together.
Ellie’s paranoia increases as she becomes convinced Patterson is harassing her, certain that someone is searching her belongings for any hidden evidence she might have that would reopen his case. It becomes clear there was a conspiracy to release Patterson. She seeks help from her former co-worker, Presley Sinclair, but soon discovers Presley is deeply involved in the subsequent cover up. Worse yet, Tab’s affair with Presley drew him into the twisted conspiracy as well.
Together Paul and Ellie attempt to uncover the conspiracy in the District Attorney’s office, the set up that forced her to resign. The key to the mystery is hidden in the pages of Tab’s manuscript. Once Paul and Ellie come to the correct conclusion—Tab’s manuscript is a true story and Ellie’s added ending is the only logical outcome—Ellie attempts to reveal Patterson’s hidden partner in the District Attorney’s office, but the co-conspirator she uncovers is not whom she suspects. Danger swirls around her as she steps further and further into the conspirator’s trap.
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Genre – Romantic Suspense
Rating – PG
More details about the author
Website http://www.denisemoncrief.com/
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