Edge of Black Read online

  “Temple’s just another guy. Prickly, but outside of using a false name, innocent. We confronted him, to tell him we knew what he was up to, and found him packing for a trip. He was heading back to Indiana to start laying the groundwork with the state for the special election. Gretchen Leighton is a shoe-in. He’s going to be her chief of staff.”

  “Wow. God, Fletch. I can’t believe all of this happened in such a short period of time. Are you going to stay at the JTTF?”

  “Oh, hell no. The minute the ink is dry on this case I am back to my ho-humdrum life at Metro, and I can’t wait. I don’t need the glory. And I certainly don’t need the drama. Give me a simple, straightforward murder any day.”

  He glanced at his watch. “Hey, I have to go. Let me know if you get sprung and want a ride back to D.C. I’ve got the JTTF plane, and I can get you on it. I’ll be here until tomorrow. You’ve got my number. Feel better, Xander.”

  He stood, and a look passed over his face. It hurt him to see her with Xander, but she couldn’t help that. Sam got up and hugged him again, extra hard, and said, “I’ll give you a call.”

  He just nodded and tipped his finger to his forehead, then left.

  Sam watched his retreating back, then crossed her arms and looked at Xander.

  “Unreal,” he said.

  “Completely.”

  “So, Sam. We were interrupted.”

  “Xander, let’s get you mobile, first. Then we can talk. All right?”

  He looked deep into her eyes, searching for some sort of sign that she wasn’t rejecting him. She smiled and kissed him, and for now, that was enough.

  Chapter 52

  Savage River

  Dr. Samantha Owens

  Xander was discharged from the hospital on Monday, and they went back to Dillon until he was cleared to travel a few days later. Despite his parents’ protests, Xander was adamant. He wanted to go home.

  They flew into National on a commercial flight and Sam drove them into the mountains, to the cabin in the woods. Thor was overwhelmed to see them, jumping and barking and turning in circles. Xander was gimping around on crutches, his arm wound making it difficult, but not impossible, to keep the weight off his leg.

  It was hard to believe it had been less than a week since the attacks. Everything felt different. Not as innocent. Like her free time in D.C. was over, and real life was back. In another month, she’d start teaching at Georgetown, opening yet another chapter in her life.

  Sam got Xander settled, and despite his protestations to the contrary, he was asleep within minutes. She walked Thor and enjoyed the feeling of freedom that came with this whole mess being behind them.

  She sat on the porch and watched the sun traverse the sky. After a while, Xander woke and joined her, and they sat in a happy, contented silence, Sam swinging in the chair, Xander on his bench, petting Thor.

  When the air began to cool, Sam shivered and said, “Let’s get away from all of this. From the mountains, from D.C., from everything.”

  Xander gave her an amused look.

  “You know you can’t run away.”

  “I’m not talking running away as much as an escape. Something completely antithetical to everything. Someplace you’ve never been. Anywhere.”

  “Where do you want to go?”

  “I’d say the beach, but I can’t imagine you lying quietly in a chaise longue for more than a day without getting totally bored. So what about New York?”

  “New York?”

  “We can get lost there, Xander. Lost in the crowds, in Central Park, the museums. We can have a little vacation.”

  “A vacation. In New York. With millions of other people looming over our shoulders. And me on crutches.”

  “Consider it...desensitization.”

  He smiled. “Let’s walk.”

  He grabbed her hand, and she helped him up. He used her under one arm, and the other crutch in his good hand. They started walking, slowly, around the yard. It was the best way for him to regain his strength. She couldn’t believe she’d nearly lost him. She half wanted to run away, so it could never happen again, and half wanted to throw him to the ground, feel the grass under her legs and take him for her own.

  After ten minutes, they started back toward the house.

  “All right. I’ll be able to walk without these in a day or two. Let’s go to New York. Why not?”

  “Why not, indeed.”

  “I’ve never been, you know.”

  “To New York? Seriously?”

  “Just one of those things. I’d like to see Brooklyn. And the Bronx. Oh, and maybe a Yankees game?”

  “Mets.”

  “Yankees.”

  “Uh-oh.” Sam laughed. “This may be an insurmountable issue.”

  “Well, why don’t we just agree on the Red Sox, and be done with it.”

  “Red Sox? My God, next you’re going to tell me you like the Cubs.”

  “I do.” He held his right hand to his heart, and they were both laughing now. The sun began to slip behind the trees, and Thor bounded ahead of them, racing back and forth with a stick in his mouth. The scent of jasmine and pine grew heavy on the wind, and Sam sighed, deeply, completely and totally content.

  They managed to get up the steps to the porch, and Sam stopped and turned to look down the mountain. Everything was in its summer bloom, coated with the dusky sunset, and she didn’t think she’d ever seen a prettier place.

  “On second thought,” she said, eyebrow cocked. “We could just watch the games from bed. Though you’d have to buy a television.”

  Xander pulled her hand to his mouth, lightly resting her skin on his lips. “You hussy. Teasing me with dreams of Yankee Stadium, then whisking them away.” But he kissed the inside of her wrist and, with the dog barking joyfully behind them, they went inside.

  * * * * *

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin ebook. Connect with us for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

  Subscribe to our newsletter: Harlequin.com/newsletters

  Visit Harlequin.com

  We like you—why not like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks

  Follow us on Twitter: Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks

  Read our blog for all the latest news on our authors and books: HarlequinBlog.com

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  My village expands. I couldn’t do this without them. Thanks to:

  My dear agent, Scott Miller, who goes above and beyond all the time; My lovely new editor, Miranda Indrigo, whose well-placed touches made this book so much stronger and my former editor Adam Wilson, who loved this idea from the get-go; My intrepid publicist Tiffany Shiu, who earns her cookies; Everyone at Harlequin Mira, especially Valerie Gray and Margaret Marbury, who are such a joy to work with; and Sean Kapitain and Tara Scarcello in the art department, who’ve crafted such a gorgeous look for Sam’s books. My team at Brilliance Audio, especially Sheryl Zajechowski, Natalie Fedewa and the amazing Joyce Bean, make the written word come alive.

  Without regular contact with the following people I would surely go insane: Laura Benedict, Jeff Abbott, Erica Spindler, Allison Brennan, Alex Kava, Deb Carlin, Jeanne Veillette Bowerman, Jill Thompson, Del Tinsley, Paige Crutcher, Cecelia Tichi, Alethea Kontis, Jason Pinter and Andy Levy. Y’all are the best.

  Sophie Littlefield, for the cello concertos and the best road trip ever.

  Joan Huston who played the role of comma cop with aplomb.

  Sherrie Saint, the woman whose brain is a scary, scary place, helped so much—from the abrin to Godzilla. I have never enjoyed a Starbucks date quite like our afternoon in Franklin discussing cow necropsies.

  Dr. Sandra Thomas guided me through the proper terminology for Sam’s scene
s at the morgue. Frothy is all her fault. As always, mistakes are my own.

  Two lovely young ladies gave money to charity to appear in this novel—Loa Ledbetter—Loa, I hope I got the hair, and your spirit, right. And my friend Andrea Bianco, who helped me get into a lot of fun and trouble in junior high. Thank you both for trusting me to do crazy things with your names.

  Huge thanks to all the incredible librarians and independent booksellers and book reps who have been recommending my titles. Without you I would be lost. And a special shout out to the fine folks on Facebook and Twitter, who keep me honest.

  A lot of research went into this novel—and several websites and books helped tremendously. I would be remiss if I didn’t single out SurvivalCache.com, which ended up being a daily resource. If you’re interested in “prepping” or simply some common sense precautions to take if you live in a nasty weather zone, I highly recommend getting to know Joel and the crew.

  Finally, I must say thank you to my family. To my mom, who cheers me on daily, and my daddy, who takes me golfing to get away from the stress of writing. And as always, for Randy, who never seems to tire of hearing various plot points over dinner, no matter how bizarre. I love you, honey. And I like you a lot, too.

  ISBN: 9781459248977

  EDGE OF BLACK

  Copyright © 2012 by J. T. Ellison

  All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

  www.Harlequin.com