One Secret Night by Jennifer Morey Read Free Book Online Page A

and blinked a few times. Then she turned away and walked to the windows overlooking Houston.
    “Why would anyone try to kill me?” she asked.
    “Someone must have found out about you. What did you say to Kai when you called?”
    “That I knew about Creighton...and the man who killed him.”
    “Well, there you have it. It’s obvious why someone started shooting at you.” The person who’d hired Creighton had likely panicked and decided not to take a chance that Autumn would discover his identity. Either that, or he’d heard what Autumn had said to Kai, which meant Kai was being bugged.
    She turned and he caught her unappreciative look in response to his sarcasm. “Tell me the truth about Tabor Creighton.”
    He stared at her a moment and then relented. “Kai contacted me after Creighton tried to kill him at his home in Houston. He was in his garage, had just gotten out of his car when Creighton drove by and took a few shots at him. Luckily, he missed, and Kai’s security cameras captured Creighton’s image. That’s how I was able to track him down.”
    “In Reykjavik.”
    “Yes.”
    Autumn walked from one end of the window, turned and walked back to where she’d stood before. “So...whoever hired Creighton is watching Kai.”
    “Yes.”
    She walked the length of the window again, stopping at the end and facing him. “Do you think whoever shot at me today is the one who hired Creighton?”
    “Yes.”
    “Then...why not shoot Kai? Why go after me when he could get the job done?”
    He joined her at the window. “Kai was in a public place and he has a bodyguard. I’m sure given the chance, he’d try to kill him again.”
    “You could expose him. Has he tried to go after you?”
    It wasn’t only her that threatened today’s shooter. “He’d try to kill me, too, if he had the chance.”
    He watched her process that. The reason the shooter didn’t have a chance was that Raith was good at what he did. The shooter was probably scared and was at the point where he’d do anything to avoid getting caught taking a contract out on Kai’s head.
    “Why didn’t Kai go to the police? Why go to you for help?”
    “The police were involved. Still are.”
    “But he doesn’t think they’ll be able to catch the man who hired Creighton?”
    “No. Not in time.” He was already complaining about how long it was taking Raith, as it was. With Creighton dead, there was no one Raith could seek out for information, and he’d been unable to find anyone close to him who might know something.
    “He told me you were the only one who could help him.”
    He had nothing to say in response to that. He had a lot of experience at what he did. Whether it was rescuing Americans from foreign prisons or kidnappers, or taking down killers. He was a black market cop, one without a badge.
    “What did you need to talk to me about?”
    She glanced at him before leaving the window and going to stand by the sofa again, putting distance between them. “I was going to ask you why you left without saying goodbye. I guess I have my answer now. You weren’t telling the truth.”
    “You weren’t exactly honest, either... Ivy? ” More angst went into his tone than he intended.
    “It’s not my fault you didn’t recognize the name.”
    Was she put off that he hadn’t? He followed her over to the seating area, leaving a few feet to separate them. Distance might be prudent. “Should I have recognized one of your boyfriends, too?”
    Her eyes narrowed and one of her hands went to her hip. “Now you’re being mean.”
    This felt like an argument between lovers, but Raith couldn’t stop himself. “I can see why the actor didn’t last, but what was wrong with the detective?”
    She almost blanched as her arm lowered, her eyes no longer narrow with anger. “Why do you care?”
    He did sound as if he cared. Did he? Yes, but to what degree? Ever since he’d met her he’d been mystified by her effect on him. When he’d discovered who