Hard As Ice (Fortis Series 1) by Raven Scott Read Free Book Online

Worthington. Something about him got under her skin. Sure, he was good-looking in a clean-cut, Boy Scout sort of way. But it wasn’t really about that. From their first meeting in the gallery, he seemed strong and capable. Not that she needed those things. Nia had spent years taking care of herself, and certainly wasn’t looking for a man to take over. But she couldn’t deny that she was attracted to him.
    Now the question was what to do about it.
    It was shortly after nine o’clock when the cab dropped her off in front of her two-floor apartment in a South Boston duplex. Once inside, Nia peeled off her clothes upstairs in her bedroom, and headed straight into the bathroom for a long shower. She used the time to wash her hair, and to think. There was so much going on, between the upcoming auction and the investigation into the theft. It was hardly time to start dating someone new.
    Or maybe it was exactly what she needed. Maybe a harmless diversion would help her get through the next few weeks. Assuming she didn’t get fired, or arrested for a crime she didn’t commit. And since Evan was only in Boston for work, why not at least go out for dinner? Standing in front of her foggy bathroom mirror, Nia couldn’t think of a good objection.
    Decision made, she slathered her skin with body cream and dried her hair straight, before dressing in soft cotton pajamas. Downstairs, with her iPad and a cup of tea, she spent the remainder of the evening listening to music and reading all the web links about Evan DaCosta that she had skipped over earlier. Diversion or not, she still wanted to know exactly who and what she was getting involved with.
    Nia headed up to bed at around eleven o’clock. She snuggled under the covers, ready to fall asleep to the drone of the nightly news with her bedroom television on sleep mode.
    “In local news, the police have identified the body of the man killed in Dorchester this afternoon,” the female news anchor stated. “Matthew Flannigan, a local resident of Dorchester, was shot dead in an alley near the Savin Hill train station. . . .”
    Nia bolted up into a sitting position, certain she had heard wrong. But the portrait on the television screen was indeed that of the Worthington security guard. The same security guard who had worked the night shift during a flawlessly executed robbery just forty-eight hours ago.
    She flopped back onto her pillow, covering her mouth with both hands while her heart beat fast and hard. First theft, now murder? The people who were behind this were serious. And with over thirty million dollars of irreplaceable jewelry in play, there was likely very little they wouldn’t do to get away with it all.
    How the hell had she ended up in this middle of this crazy mess?
    Nia’s mind raced in circles for several hours before she managed to get some restless sleep. Thursday morning, she skipped her usual workout at the gym in order to get into the office before eight o’clock. The investigators had booked two hours with her, starting at nine, so she planned to get as much work as possible done before that, including the contract for Evan.
    “Morning, Nia.”
    She looked up to find one of her sales coordinators, Adam Peterson leaning against her door. He was one of the first hires she had made when she joined the team, and was still one of her favorite employees. He was bright, energetic, and creative, always willing to go above and beyond to get the job done.
    “Hi, Adam,” Nia replied somberly. “Did you see the news?”
    “You mean about Matt? Yeah, I couldn’t believe it,” Adam replied, stepping closer to her desk and lowering his voice. “Do you think it was random? Like robbery or something?”
    Nia nibbled on the side of her bottom lip.
    “I don’t know,” she replied, wishing she didn’t have to lie.
    “I saw Chris a little while ago and he seems pretty shaken up,” Adam continued. “They were good friends.”
    “Really?” Nia probed.
    “I think