ally arrived home, the air, thick with the familiar scen

body toward the small,

en she

, its sleek lines a stark, alien presence against the backd

ropped. They

s dressed in a casual black linen shirt, the setti

om the magazines-impossibly handsome, bru

Bea

deep gray eyes like chips of ice, pinnin

nfrontation a thousand times, but never here

strides eating up the ground between them. Each step se

s height casting a shadow over her. His

r than she'd imagined, a low, velvet

tightening on the strap of her backpack. She forced

eakest, a mocking curve touched his lips. "I came to see my 'legal partner.' To

e was a slap. He made her s

tating a fact. Unlike some people, who

e distance between them in a single, ag

gain, the same one from the DDA buildi

her ear she could feel the warmth of his breath on her skin,

ribs. She wanted to push him

ead, trying to escape the magnetic pul

't move back. "Tell me how you know about

The real reas

past. "Why should I tell you?" she shot ba

closing around her wrist. His grip was

possessive growl, "you're mine now.

against his hold. "Let go of me! You'

optive mother, Laura Burch, stepped out holding a plate

ere wide with worry, fixed on the tall, i

to Laura, his expression shifting into something polit

ands trembled. Dane Be

d resolute, "I am Journey's assigned partner. I've come to co

Journey's mind. Collec

a shield in front of her mot