bell dana marie fire within the

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Mrs. Blake had been murdered. But I don t know anything else. Mr. Blessing kept the door closed
while he spoke with police. Mrs. Messinger shot him an annoyed glance, like the fact that she d
cracked under Elizabeth s stare was his fault. You can check the officer s notes.
Thank you. You ve certainly been a big help. Elizabeth smiled, but the expression didn t reach
her eyes. When will Mr. Blessing be back in the office?
I believe he s stepped out for some lunch after his morning appointment. He should be returning in
about an hour and a half.
Please tell him that we ll wish to speak to him then.
Mr. Blessing has a very busy schedule. I m not certain when he ll be available to speak with
you. Mrs. Messinger smiled with total insincerity.
Dante decided to step in at that point. This is a murder investigation. We want everything to go
smoothly, with, he added as her face filled with indignation, as little bad publicity as possible for
the candidate.
She blinked. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Elizabeth smiling cynically. She knew exactly
what he was up to. He just hoped that his idea worked, and Mrs. Messinger backed down.
He was lucky. The dragon guarding her knight stopped breathing fire. I ll pencil you in at two this
afternoon. Would that be convenient for you? She was all business, already marking their names in
Blessing s calendar book.
Yes, that would be fine. He placed his card on her desk. She barely glanced at it.
He and Elizabeth turned away, heading toward the door of the campaign office. Want lunch? I m
buying.
Elizabeth looked up at him in surprise. Aren t we already doing dinner?
He shrugged. We both have to kill time until Blessing is available. Why not do lunch?
She shrugged, wary. No reason not to, I guess.
She held open the campaign office s door for him. He smiled at the small gesture. He knew it for
what it was. She was flush with success and asserting her dominance. I gather that Cranston wasn t
in? Or did the interview with both of them take up so little of your time?
She glowered at him as the door shut softly behind her. He was out to lunch. Maybe we ll get
lucky and run into him.
Despite the thick winter coat her hips swayed temptingly. Yup. Maybe we ll get lucky. Dante
held open the car door for her, amused at her confused frown. She slid into the seat, and Dante knew
in that moment he wanted to keep her right where she was.
He closed the car door and hurried behind the car, staring at her dark head the entire time. When
she waved at him impatiently he couldn t stop himself from smiling. He found even that little gesture
adorable.
Wait. Adorable?
He stopped dead, his hand on the handle of the car, and sighed as she gestured for him to hurry the
hell up. I am so very fucked.
* * *
He took her to the Golden Lotus, one of her favorite restaurants. It was a place she and her friends
often ate lunch at. She d seen him in there once or twice when she ate with her friends, so maybe it
was a coincidence he d chosen it.
Of course, when dealing with Dante, she figured there were no coincidences. He must want her to
feel comfortable before doing whatever it was he d plotted.
You learned about the break-in from Oates? Dante asked once they d ordered.
Oh. What a brilliant piece of detective work, Detective. Is that why they pay you the big bucks?
She batted her lashes at him in true Candy Grahame fashion.
He picked up his water glass and drank half of it. One more crack like that and we re eating
Dutch.
Damn. How did he make her smile so often? He hid it well, but he had a good sense of humor, one
she wouldn t mind seeing more of. You learn anything from Mrs. Messinger?
Other than she makes a mean peanut butter cookie? Nope.
And you didn t save any for me? She tried her best to look outraged, but she didn t think she d
pulled it off because he suddenly grinned at her.
At my dinner table, you snooze, you lose.
I ll keep that in mind at dinner tonight. Beth glanced over at the doorway when she caught sight
of a familiar red coat.
Oh shit.
Two of her best friends had just entered the restaurant. They paused and stared at her, shock on
both of their faces before Andi nudged Sam. Their gazes bounced between her and Dante, unholy glee
lighting their faces.
She glared at them for a split second before turning back to Dante with a bland smile.
Dante looked over his shoulder at the doorway. Uh-oh. He ducked a bit in his seat, trying to
make himself look smaller. An impossible feat, considering his bulk. I know those two.
Those two were Andrea Hancock, Piotr Romanov s personal assistant, and Samantha Brody. Sam
and Andi were her closest friends, something that still surprised her. They d stand by her no matter
what. Hell, they d help her bury the bodies if she finally decided to lose her damn mind and off her
parents.
She wished she could tell them about what had happened with Abby. She needed them, their
advice, their concern. Even Sam s quirky way of always looking on the bright side would make things
so much better.
But Abby had sworn her to secrecy, and while Beth understood that this involved Seth s safety, she
still didn t like it. It felt wrong not to share what had happened with Andi and Sam.
Beth, Detective Zucco. What a pleasant surprise. Andi couldn t hide her interest as well as she
thought she did. She might fool others with her cool looks and exotic beauty, but Beth knew Andi. The
woman was about to die of curiosity. The brown-haired beauty sat next to Dante, her unusual
turquoise eyes alight with curiosity. Andi was far too genteel to ask what they d just walked in on.
At least, she was too genteel to ask while Dante was sitting there. Beth wouldn t be surprised to
find herself with a visitor in the near future. For all her sophistication, Andi was a twelve-year-old
girl at heart.
A tom-boy too. Something that would surprise anyone who didn t know Andi well. With her sleek,
sophisticated hairstyle and her impeccable wardrobe, most thought she was nothing more than Piotr
Romanov s arm candy. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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