Circle of Fire (Damask Circle 1)

The predatory light in his gaze belied the blandness of his smile. She edged a little closer to Jon. “Sure.” When hell freezes over.

“See you back at the inn, then,” Jon said.

“That you can be assured of,” Hank murmured. He nodded to Maddie and walked away.

She waited until he’d left the restaurant, then grabbed Jon’s arm, pulling him around to face her.

“What the hell was that all about?”

“You needed help, didn’t you?” he replied mildly. He sat down at the table and reached across to her half-finished milkshake. “May I?”

She nodded. “What made you think I needed help? And why show yourself to Hank? He might be involved with the attempt on your life.”

“He might be. Or he might not.” Jon shrugged and took a long drink.

She frowned. “Why on earth were you going on about that Gazette photo?”

Again he shrugged. “Just stirring the pot, so to speak.”

Jeez, he could be so damn infuriating sometimes! “Will you just answer my questions?”

“No.” He pushed the empty shake container away and sat up straight. “Why didn’t you tell me your brother-in-law was a cop?”

She blinked in surprise. “What has that got to do with anything?”

“Plenty. He’s reported you missing and claims that you may know more about Evan’s disappearance than what you’re admitting—especially since you seem to have been aware of it before it happened. The cops, as well as the FBI, are sniffing around Taurin Bay looking for you.”

Trust Steve to do something like that. And obviously, Jayne hadn’t mentioned the fact that she’d asked Maddie to search for Evan. “Why is everyone in Taurin Bay? Why are you?”

“Because the bodies of several missing teenagers have been found nearby.” He hesitated, his gaze searching her face. “And you didn’t answer my question.”

“I didn’t think it was important enough to mention.” And she didn’t think Steve’s hatred for her would blind his common sense. Damn it, it wasn’t as if this were the first time she’d had a vision concerning Evan. Steve certainly knew about these visions, even if he didn’t acknowledge them—or her. He’d even seen them hit her a couple of times.

But he also knew about her shady history with sudden disappearances. Maybe, in his fear for Evan, he was grabbing at straws. Maybe it was easier to believe she might have been involved in taking his son simply because it would make the chances of Evan coming back alive greater.

She rubbed her eyes wearily. How was she going to avoid the police and still find Evan? Lord, another round of questioning was not what she needed right now! She’d had more than her fair share when Brian had disappeared. Nor had the questioning stopped when they found his remains among the smoking ruins of their house. She knew some of the investigators still suspected she’d killed him, even though his death had eventually been classed as accidental. And they weren’t far wrong in their accusations, either.

“I’ll go call him right now.” Or at least she’d call Jayne, and see if her sister could convince Steve to get his police buddies off her tail.

“I wouldn’t.” Jon caught her hand, his fingers warm and gentle against hers. “Your brother-in-law might know you’re not directly involved in Evan’s absence, but the fact of the matter is you did warn them of the disappearance before it happened. They’ll want to know how and why, and they will question you until you tell them.”

She closed her eyes. “And waste everyone’s time in doing so.”

“Exactly. We’re all caught in a no-win situation.”

And Jon was going to use it to keep her out of the way of his investigations. A flicker of anger curled through her stomach. Doing what other people thought was best for her had never worked. She’d married Brian only because Jayne had convinced her he was the safe harbor she needed. How wrong they’d been! And Brian had died because of their foolishness. Though didn’t his ruthlessness have something to do with that as well?

She ignored the thought and pulled her hand from Jon’s. “I’m not going back to the inn.”

“Maddie—”

She held up her hand, cutting him off angrily. “No. I’m staying with you. I’m going to find Evan even if I have to avoid every cop in the country to do so.”

He raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair, a grin twitching the corners of his generous mouth. “Can I finish now?”

She glared at him and didn’t reply.

His smile broke free, doing odd things to her stomach. Yet his bright eyes held a thoughtful note that calmed her rising anger. He was taking her seriously, despite his outward appearance.