Dance Away, Danger by Alexa Bourne Read Free Book Online

and Tessa, it’s not good.”
    “What? What’re you talking about?” Don’t glance at Matt. Don’t gawk at Pete. She wasn’t that good an actress. “There’s got to be some kind of mistake.”
    “Mr. Rylan, how are you involved?” Gerry asked.
    “Involved in what?” The wooden chair creaked as Matt shuffled in the seat.
    “Wait a minute. It sounds like you’re accusing him of something. Are you?”
    The officers traded stone cold expressions. The hum of the refrigerator grew louder in the human silence.
    “Of course not,” Gerry answered. “We’re trying to get a clear picture of the situation.”
    “Well, I can tell you he’s been with me the whole night. He has nothing to do with my brother’s disappearance, never mind a motive for hurting him.”
    Matt clenched his fingers into a fist. Gerry shifted his weight forward. Pete pinched the toothpick and removed it from his mouth.
    Uh-oh.
    “Hurting him?” Pete rested both palms on the back of a chair. “No one said anything about him being hurt.”
    Damn.
    “So you two did go in the house,” Gerry said.
    Matt nodded. “We did because we were worried about her brother, but he wasn’t there.”
    “What’s your connection to Jason and Tessa?” Pete asked.
    “Jason and I are old friends.”
    “And you just happen to show up the night he goes missing?” Sarcasm dripped off each of Pete’s words. Again he chewed on the little piece of wood.
    “’Right.”
    The air crackled with tension.
    Tessa nipped the inside of her cheek. Gerry’s cell phone rang.
    She flinched.
    He answered the call and headed for the living room.
    Time to regain control. “Can you stop interrogating us for one minute and tell me what’s being done to find my brother?”
    “Everything we can do. Trust me,” Pete said.
    Trust him? She trusted her brother and, for the time being, her protector.
    “So what do you need from us?” Matt asked.
    Gerry returned to the kitchen, his phone still stuck to his ear. He nodded at Pete and continued his conversation just out of earshot by the couch. The other officer moved toward them. “We’re going to need you both to come with us.”
    A bone-chilling panic stole her breath. Had they hurt Jason? She shot up from the chair. “Absolutely not. I’m not leaving until I get some answers.”
    Matt stood, too. “You heard the lady, and unless you’re charging us with something, we don’t have to go anywhere.”
    Pete’s voice gentled, sounding like the friend she’d always known him to be. “Tessa, you need to come with us.” He moved closer to her, draped his arm across her shoulders.
    “She’s not going anywhere with you.” Matt pushed the other man’s hand from her shoulder. His swift defense soothed her.
    Pete bent the toothpick and tossed it on the floor. “Please. We’ve got enough to be concerned about with your brother. Don’t make us worry about you, too.”
    “You’re making less sense with every word.” Tessa rubbed her aching temples again. “Are you telling me I’m in danger?”
    “Not if I can help it. I promised your brother I’d watch out for you if anything ever happened to him. Dave and I both did. Please let me keep my promise.”
    “And what about Matt?”
    “I’m not letting you leave with them,” Matt said.
    Pete held his palms out toward them. “Relax, buddy. We really are the good guys. Tessa, if everything works out, your friend will be free to go, and you’ll be placed in protective custody until we find Jason. Gerry’s working out the details with Sergeant Whittaker.”
    The other officer stood just inside the living room, his lips moving in conversation...with Whit. “Why would I need to be in protective custody?” This discussion made less sense as the seconds ticked by on the kitchen wall clock.
    Tessa’s phone buzzed from her front pocket. Pete’s gaze dropped to her jeans. “It might be Jason.”
    “Go ahead,” Pete said.
    She pulled the device free and answered it.