Free Bite of Envy (Just One Bite #4) by Kay Glass Page A

any other
way." She tried to pull Diandra close, but she stiffened and held herself
apart.
    "I see a woman trying to do the right thing, and I
admire that. I see a woman who believes in the law, and justice, who will only
be disappointed. He considers himself above the law," Dia said as a tear
rolled down her cheek. "And as long as he believes that, truly believes it
in his stone-cold heart, the law will never win against him." She went to
Lizzie then, wrapping her arms tight around her lover.
    Lizbeth tightened her grip, holding Dia close. "I know
you're right, but I just can't live with going outside the law. Not like this-
not yet. I'll try to get Sandy to come stay with us, but she's stubborn and
self-reliant. She won't be made to come- she'll have to be talked into it, and
I doubt she'll listen."
    "Try to convince her, but try hard. She's in danger,
and you and I both know this isn't the normal dangerous scenario that reporters
face. She's never dealt with anyone like Carson, and she won't survive him. Not
without help. Talk her into letting us help her." She stepped away from
Lizzie and poured herself a cup of coffee. "I can handle her being here,
knowing what she once meant to you. I can handle it, and I know you couldn't
handle her dying. You'd blame yourself, and that's what he wants. We don't want
him to have what he wants, so this is the only thing that makes sense."
With that, she gestured for Lizbeth to go to work and take care of it. Slumping
at her seat at the dining room table, she smiled gratefully up at Adrian when
he put a gentle hand on her arm.
    "That was a kind thing you did," he said simply.
He set a platter in front of her- eggs over easy, whole wheat toast, and a bowl
of raspberries. She didn't know how he always managed to provide her with fresh
fruit, especially when they weren't in season, but she appreciated it
nonetheless.
    "It wasn't kind- it was the only thing I could do. We
can't let this bastard win, and denying him access to someone he fully intends
to kill will be a way for us to win, even if it's something as small as
this," she replied. Adrian shook his head but he didn’t argue with her.
Instead, he sat down to his own meal, and they both sent up a prayer, him to
the Goddess, and her to God, that Sandra Willis would listen to reason.
*****
    Sandra breezed into the coffee shop Lizbeth had frequented
the other day with the boy, Andrew. She couldn't bring herself to think of him
as anything other than "the boy" even though he'd showed more
maturity in their brief acquaintance than most adults she knew. Lizbeth shook
her head, more to herself than to the waitress who gestured her way with the
coffee pot, silently asking if she wanted a refill. She turned her attention to
Sandy who planted a friendly kiss on her cheek before sliding into the booth's
seat across from her.
    "What's this about, Liz? You sounded so serious on the
phone," Sandy laughed, but just as quickly her laughter faded away and her
pretty face paled beneath her subtle makeup. "Has there been another
murder?" she whispered harshly as she reached across and gripped Lizbeth's
arm with a painful intensity.
    Lizbeth shook her head as she patted that tense hand.
"No, not yet," she said sadly. When she saw the confusion work its
way across Sandy's face, she slumped dejectedly in the seat, twirling her
coffee mug from hand to hand, not wanting to drink any more of the delicious
brew. What she had drunk already was burning a hole in her gut, and she
wondered idly how much she'd actually had today. She counted silently, stopped
and shrugging it off when the count came to seven. She was pretty sure this cup
made eight or nine, but it truly didn't matter. She tuned back into the
conversation at hand. "My office is bugged," she said simply, and watched
the understanding wash over Sandy's face. "He called me last night, and
he's made it crystal clear that you're next." She released the mug to grip
Sandra's arm, keeping her from fleeing