Dangerous by Patricia Rosemoor Read Free Book Online Page B

Roaches
always
worked. Not that they remembered all the juicy things they did to come after.
    “Do you know what I do to liars?” he asked.
    He let up the pressure on her throat enough so that she could gasp, “I don’t know her last name! I swear!”
    “Then the address. Give me the address or I swear I’ll break your scrawny neck.”
    This time he got what he wanted.
    He had business to take care of, but later he would find time. Maybe tonight if the deal went like clockwork. It would have to be late, though. Middle of the night late if he could even manage it tonight. If so, and if he was still in a dark, vengeful mood, then he would seek out “Morrigan” in person.
    —
    Stone had gotten what they needed—the name of Angel’s Internet service provider, and the company address. It had been obvious that Camille had forced herself to thank the hacker before leaving. Now, while driving to Connect Chicago, Drago glanced her way and noted that she’d curled her nails into her palms. They finally had a solid lead. Her being anxious was only natural. But he was still irritated with her.
    “You could have been a little more gracious to Stone.”
    “I thanked him.” Her voice was tight. “And I didn’t say what I was really thinking.”
    “What? That he was helping you find a killer?”
    She flushed. “You know what I mean.”
    “Right.” She was going all cop on him. Black and white. No shades of gray. “People have different layers to them. They aren’t necessarily just one thing. Believe it or not, Stone has a decent set of ethics when it comes to people. And a sense of justice. You might not approve of the way he makes his living, but he didn’t have to do a damn thing for us, and he didn’t ask for anything in return.”
    Silent for a tension-filled moment, Camille finally said, “Okay. I could have been more gracious.”
    Was that a note of regret he heard in her voice? Or was she playing him to shut him up? Drago couldn’t tell. Didn’t want to know if it wasn’t real. Just wanted this case to be over, so he could get back to his own life. To forget Camille Martell.
    As if…
    Crossing a major intersection, he said, “We’re almost there.”
    He sensed her pulling herself together, getting her cop face on.
    At the next block, he turned east. Connect Chicago was located in one of the sprawling office buildings along the North Branch of the Chicago River. Spotting the Connect Chicago sign, he pulled to the curb. Before he could shut off the engine, Camille threw open the passenger door and was already halfway out of the car. He hurriedly got out, catching up to her at the entrance. He put an arm across the door and stopped her from throwing it open.
    “What do you think you’re doing, Drago?”
    Tension curled off Camille. She was all emotion. Her face had drained of color. It was apparent how important getting this killer was to her. So important, she was all wide-eyed and breathing shallow and fast. No wonder her lieutenant had taken her off the case.
    “Take a deep breath first,” he said. “You need to relax before we go inside.” As he knew from his brother’s experience when Justus had been part of the CPD, detectives quickly learned not to get personally involved with their cases. Camille was all about getting involved, at least with this one. “You’re wound up a little too tight.”
    “Of course I’m wound up.” With a trembling hand, she slashed a strand of errant hair from her face. “This could be it.”
    “All the more reason. You need to focus. To be sharp. To employ logic instead of your gut. Now, breathe.”
    “Okay.” She sucked in a lungful of air and let it out slowly.
    “Again.”
    Another slow, even breath and a little color returned to her cheeks. “Are we good?”
    “One more.”
    She did as he asked. That wild look left her eyes and she seemed steadier.
    He nodded and opened the door for her.
    The area inside was small. A young Asian woman with spiked