Actual Stop by Kara A. McLeod Read Free Book Online Page B

doorway looking at me with a curious expression. “You okay?” Her voice was soft, her expression tinged with concern, which caused a heavy pang of guilt to resound deep in my gut.
    “Yeah.” I rubbed at my eyes without thinking about what I was doing and then swore softly. I’d probably just smeared my makeup everywhere. Great. “Just tired.”
    “You sure?” Meaghan stepped closer to my desk to peer at me intently.
    I nodded, but my thoughts kept drifting elsewhere. I was trying, I really was. But Allison’s sudden and completely unexpected reappearance had stirred up a whole host of emotions I’d spent a considerable amount of effort burying. Unsuccessfully, it seemed. With barely a thought, she’d thrown my entire world into chaos. Again.
    “Here.” Meaghan handed me a manila envelope. She was obviously choosing to accept my explanation, though not looking as if she really believed it.
    “What’s this?”
    Meaghan’s eyes twinkled with something close to pride as she took the seat Allison had just vacated. “Photos. From last night.”
    “Really?”
    Meaghan nodded, and her smile widened as I shook the pictures loose from the envelope. “What do you think?”
    Impatiently, I shoved some of the clutter on my desk to one side, so I could splay the photos out in front of me.
    Meaghan was something of an amateur photographer, a hobby she studied tirelessly in what little free time she had. She’d even converted her spare bedroom into a darkroom. I found her work absolutely breathtaking and actually had a few of the pictures she’d taken while we’d once gone hiking hanging up in my living room. But she always shrugged and gave an absent wave of her hand when I complimented her considerable skill, stating she was merely okay.
    Meaghan’s new obsession of late had been night photography. She’d been raving for weeks about this fancy, high-tech-sounding equipment she’d bought, and her entire body had practically vibrated every time the subject came up. It was all way over my head. She might not have wanted to go interview Akbari with me, but once she’d gotten over being mad at me for dragging her along in the first place, she’d decided it was the perfect opportunity to test her new toys.
    “These are great, Meg.” I marveled at the work spread out in front of me. She hadn’t been after photos of anything in particular when she’d set out. But the details I could make out of people’s faces, even in the almost nonexistent light, amazed me.
    “They’re okay.”
    “They’re fantastic.” I pushed one across the desk at her, so she could admire it, too. “Look at this. You can see this guy’s face perfectly. And that right there.” I ran my fingertip over the area in question. “You can see the license plate on that car. Hell, you can even almost make out that sticker in the back window. It was nearly black out when you took these. Great job.”
    Meaghan gathered up the pictures and slid them back into the envelope she held. “Thanks. I’m just glad I was able to test my new stuff. I’d been dying for an opportunity.”
    Something clicked in the back of my mind as she said that, and I was suddenly apprehensive. “Uh, Meaghan? Did you see Mark today?”
    “Yeah, why?”
    I hesitated. “He lit into me about going to Utica Avenue last night.”
    “I told you he’d find out. Wait, how did he do that?”
    “I have no idea. Did he say anything to you?”
    “No.”
    The relief that surged then made me dizzy. I hadn’t dragged her down with me. “Good. He didn’t mention your presence to me, either. I’m hoping he didn’t see you.”
    Meaghan shook her head, a small smile touching her lips.
    “What?”
    “Where’s all your bravado from yesterday? Not so much of an adventure now, is it?”
    My thoughts wandered immediately to Allison. “My life’s a nonstop adventure. That’s the problem.”

Chapter Five

    “So, are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?” Lucia murmured