The Girl Next Door (Shadow Agents 6)

The EMT ran toward him. The man reached for Gabrielle.

For an instant, Cooper had the crazy urge to keep holding her. I don’t want to let her go.

But he never got too close to anyone or anything. That was the way he wanted his life to be. The way it had always been.

He let her go.

As she was taken away from him, Cooper’s shoulders tensed. He was going to find out exactly what had happened to Gabrielle in that alley.

Once more, his gaze swept the area, but he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

With this killer, I wouldn’t.

The ambulance’s siren blared, and Cooper found himself hurrying toward that sound.

* * *

HE HADN’T BEEN able to resist. The woman had been right there. All alone.

She was the one who kept digging into his life.

So he’d thought it would only be fair that he started to play with her life.

The fact that she was connected to Cooper Marshall was just bonus. The connection made things even more interesting.

I can use her.

But not yet. She didn’t matter enough. Not yet.

He whistled as he walked down the street. Plenty of tourists were still out. Even this late, the streets were full of people.

It was easy to blend with those people. To walk right past the overworked cops.

Cooper had climbed into the ambulance. He was playing hero. That wasn’t a role well suited to the man.

He and Cooper were a lot alike. That was why Mercer had Cooper hunting him.

Darkness clung to them both. They were loners. Killers.

In the end, though, only one of them would survive this game.

It wouldn’t be Cooper.

Pity. He’d once called the man friend.

Now, he just thought of Cooper Marshall as a target.

Chapter Three

Gabrielle took a deep breath. She squared her shoulders, smoothed her skirt. Then she lifted her hand and knocked soundly on Cooper’s door.

She had a proposition for him, one that she very much hoped he’d accept. She wanted—

The door swung open. Only Cooper wasn’t the person standing on the other side of that door.

A very pretty woman with glass-sharp cheekbones and shoulder-length black hair stared back at Gabrielle.

A date. He’s on a date. The kiss—the one she ridiculously thought about far too much—had been fake. As good-looking as Cooper was, of course, the guy had a pretty girlfriend.