Her Frozen Cry (Detective Amanda Steele)

“Again, not ideal. Never was. Tony and I always had bad timing. Now, though, he’s a murder suspect.”

“He’s what?” Becky slapped a hand over her mouth, self-correcting her volume. She dropped her hand. “You’re going to need to tell me more now for sure.”

Amanda proceeded to do just that, leaving out the moment when she’d been alone with Tony in the bedroom.

Becky relaxed against the back of the couch. “You really think the Tony you knew killed his wife?”

“The Tony I knew is from years ago. This one, I don’t know.”

“Okay, fair enough. But still…”

“I don’t know what to think, and it doesn’t matter anyway. I’ll follow the evidence.”

“This is crazy.”

“Yep. And I don’t really want to talk about the case or Tony anymore.”

Becky shifted around so she was facing the TV and said, “Well, Zoe’s asleep, so how about a violent movie?”

“And I’m the one who’s gone dark?”

They quickly settled on a movie. Amanda was certain she’d missed out on the full impact of the opening scene. While blood and guts were flying everywhere, she was lost in her thoughts, her mind a freaking mess. Her time with Logan had made her feel alive as a woman. She’d felt desirable, wanted, needed. Far more than she’d ever experienced with one-night stands. It wouldn’t be horrible to experience those feelings again. But with Zoe, she really didn’t have time to devote to a relationship. Zoe came with luggage at just six years old. She’d seen her father shot and lost both him and her mother in one night. Amanda’s priority as her adoptive mother had to be the child’s welfare—mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, in all ways. Between that and the job, there wasn’t much room for a personal life.