Witching Hour by Kris Norris Read Free Book Online Page A

mirror’s here so you can fix your makeup.”
    She clenched her jaw, sliding her gaze toward the wall before slowly lowering her hand. He smiled, holding back a chuckle at the way she glared at him. She wasn’t just upset. She was pissed. Good. He didn’t want to be the only one feeling out of place. The only one who wasn’t quite sure whether to run or fight, though he had to admit…fighting with her didn’t sound quite as bad as it should.
    He gave her one last hardened look before releasing her arm. “Does your change in attitude mean you remember what happened last night?”
    She huffed, grazing the bandage on her forehead again. “Some. But it’s still pretty foggy.”
    “That happens when you try to crack your head open.” He pushed to his feet, taking a few heavy steps away. He needed some breathing room before he asked her what was really on his mind. Hell, what made his blood feel like liquid fire inside his veins. He drew a deep breath, reminding himself to keep his voice even as he spun to face her. “Do you remember going to the Winslow house?”
    The fine lines around her eyes deepened as she pulled her lips tight, glancing away before drawing herself up and meeting his heated stare. A flicker of pain flashed in her eyes again, but it faded just as quickly. “Yes.”
    “Care to tell me why you thought that was a good idea when more people have had died there recently?”
    “I think we both know why I was there, Cal.”
    “You have a death wish?”
    She cursed, pushing to her feet, ignoring the way she nearly fell over as she palmed the head rail of the cot when her body swayed sharply. “Maybe I just wanted to know the truth.”
    “And maybe you should have called me first before you went in there…alone.”
    She laughed, but it was obviously not because she found anything funny. “Called you? You’ve been missing in action for ten years. You’re the last person I thought would ever show up here again. And don’t look at me as if I’ve lost my mind. You know it’s true.” She held his gaze, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “And I’ve been alone for a long time. If I let that stop me, I wouldn’t have gotten this far.”
    Her words hit home, and he had to look away, the rawness in her eyes stabbing through his heart. She was right. He’d done little to heal the hurt he’d caused, and there wasn’t a damn good reason she should have trusted him to come, despite the fact he never could have turned her down.
    He released a weary breath, nodding as he finally raised his gaze. “You haven’t changed much, other than get even more beautiful.”
    She smiled before she seemed to realize her reaction. “And you still think you can charm your way out of any situation.”
    “Ouch. Am I that rusty?”
    “Embarrassingly so.”
    He chuckled. “Don’t suppose you’d be willing to call a truce long enough to get you back to your hotel room?”
    “I’m free to go? I thought you said I got arrested?”
    Apparently, the latter part of the night was still the foggy part for her. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “In a matter of speaking. Turns out the deputy in charge is an old friend of Dylan’s. He’s calling the judge as we speak to get permission to release you into my custody on the condition that I guarantee to have you back here on Monday to get this little matter of trespassing cleared up.”
    “I’m being released? Into your custody? Are you serious?”
    He couldn’t hold back his smile. “What can I say? Looks like the universe has a sense of humor after all.” He crossed his arms on his chest. “Unless you’d rather spend the next seventy-two hours here, enjoying the Salem police’s impeccable hospitality?”
    Jordan ran a hand through her hair, finally giving him a genuine smile. “Guess there could be worse consequences than having you chauffeur me back and forth to the hotel.”
    “Not just chauffeur, sweetheart. You aren’t leaving my sight until I’ve