Free Chasing Evil (Circle of Evil) by Kylie Brant

years, she’d decided to take him home one night last month and try him on for a couple weeks.
    The ‘fit’ had been devastating. Addictive. And for the always-in-control Sophia Elise Channing, absolutely terrifying.
    “Hold up for a minute, would you?”
    She jolted at the feel of Cam’s hand on her arm. She’d been so immersed in thought she hadn’t even noticed him. But there he was, as if conjured by her memories.
    Ridiculous to feel this zing of electricity at his touch, at his simple request. Juvenile, she mentally corrected. Sophia had never been the type for crushes and overactive hormones, not even as a high schooler. And she was far from a teenager now.
    “Of course,” she answered casually. And just as casually stepped out of reach. It was useless to wish she’d done the same weeks ago when she’d looked up from her drink to see him standing there. Until then she’d had a solid guard against the man. How he’d managed to fragment her defenses in a matter of a few days remained a mystery.
    He looked at her quizzically. “The way you were tearing by my office I thought maybe there was a fire and I just didn’t hear the alarm.” He gaze swept to her feet. Lingered. “Impressive. Never would have thought you could move that fast on those stilts you wear. There should be an Olympic event for that.”
    Though he wasn’t quite smiling, the masculine creases beside his mouth had deepened in amusement. It was surely a measure of her weakness that she found the expression so attractive.
    “Care to strap on a pair and race?”
    Cam cocked his head, as if considering. “Think those pink things you wore the other day come in twelve wides?”
    The mental picture conjured of him tripping along in canoe-sized open-toed pink pumps was ridiculous enough to draw a laugh. “You’d be surprised. But I’d be happy to check it out for you.”
    He folded his arms, the stance pulling his suit coat across his shoulders. His suit today was a deep brown, several shades darker than his hair. “On second thought I think I’ll stick to my Nikes. Running will still is torture, but at least I can walk afterwards. I got your email.” The segue was so abrupt it took her a moment to follow. “I think we can probably arrange it.”
    She must have looked as blank as she felt, because he added helpfully, “The email you sent today? About travel for the victimology analysis.”
    Feeling foolish, Sophia hitched the strap of her bag higher on her shoulder. “It’s not imperative, of course. I could conduct the interviews with the identified victims’ families by phone. I just thought the proximity of their hometowns would provide a rare opportunity to see where and how the victims lived. To talk to friends and neighbors…”
    “Yes, you said in your email.” This time an actual smile pulled at one corner of his mouth. “Go ahead. I’ll be anxious to hear what you come up with. How long do you plan to take?”
    Sophia did a mental calculation. Both Davenport and Kansas City were within three hours of Des Moines, but the distance from one to the other would be closer to five. “Three days.”
    “All right. I’ll contact you if a need arises before you get back.” Someone called his name and Cam turned to see Special Agent Franks gesturing to him.
    “I’ll keep you updated,” she promised. And watched him move away with a purposeful stride, his mind obviously already on the upcoming conversation with the older agent.
    It occurred to her for the first time to wonder if there were any ill feelings about Cam being named lead investigator on this case. With Gonzalez promoted to SAC Franks was the most senior agent in the MCU. She could think of a couple others who had been here longer than Cam, as well. Before transferring to MCU, he’d started out with DNE, the agency’s narcotics enforcement division.
    Turning toward the door again, Sophia pushed out into the still bright sunshine and headed to her car. She’d worked