Free Armed With Steele by Kyra Jacobs Page A

lead detective on Monday, and we kicked your theory around. About there being another car. Maybe something linked to Maxwell Office Solutions.”
    “Yeah?”
    “Yeah. Even got some buy-in from his Sergeant. But then we hit a roadblock. One we can’t seem to get around.”
    “Which is?”
    Nate’s eyes darkened. “It’s an election year.”
    “So? What, are the owners of Maxwell some big campaign contributors or something?”
    “Bingo.”
    My jaw dropped open. “Seriously? We’re being overridden by small town politics?”
    He leaned back in his seat. “On the books? Yes, we’ve been overridden.”
    “On the books?” I tipped my head to the side. “What other option do we have?”
    “That’s what I came here to talk to you about. I hate being told to walk away from this case, especially when someone might be getting away with attempted murder. So I have another idea. One that’s a little less orthodox.” His eyes now glowed with a sense of purpose, determination.
    “I’m listening.”
    “I think we should re-open the case.”
    “But you just said—”
    “Not the department. You and me. We ,” he said, motioning back and forth from me to him, “should reopen the case.”
    “I…don’t get it.”
    Nate leaned forward, making me an unwilling captive to his intense gaze. “Jessica, how badly do you want to know what really happened to Grace?”
    I wanted to look away, to avoid whatever trap he was setting. But I couldn’t. “More than words can describe.”
    His voice took on a darker edge. “And how far would you be willing to go to find those answers?”
    “Whatever it takes,” I whispered, my mouth working in conjunction with my heart. Which, unfortunately, was running about a millisecond faster than my brain.
    “That’s what I was counting on.” He leaned closer and unleashed the full power of those brilliant blues on me. “How would you feel about going undercover to help me get those answers?”
    And there it was. Only, that wasn’t some little mousetrap he’d set for me—it was a freaking bear trap! “You’ve got to be joking.”
    “No, I’m not.”
    “Undercover?” I leaned back. “Seriously? I don’t know the first thing about working undercover.”
    “You don’t have to. All you need to do is apply for Grace’s old job at Maxwell—I can teach you the rest.”
    I shook my head in disbelief.
    “Sometimes the legal system breaks down,” he said, his gaze working to reclaim mine. “This is one of those times. But if we team up, we can get you your answers. The ones I know you desperately want. All we have to do think outside the box.”
    “No, we don’t.” I got up and walked over to the counter. Needed to put some space between us so I could think more clearly. “Look, Sherlock, in case you forgot, I already have a job. I’m a web designer—I don’t do police work, and I sure as hell don’t know anything about being an administrative assistant at a large company.”
    “How hard can it be?”
    I ran my hands through my hair. “How hard can it be ? Look, you don’t get it. I have a job. A Full. Time. Job. And I own my own business—one that I’ve worked my ass off for years to get up and running. I can’t afford to take time off to play cops and robbers and leave my poor clients hanging in the wind!”
    “I’m not asking you to quit your business,” he said, his voice cool and collected.
    “What, you want me to work both? Ha! Like that could possibly work. Hell, I’d be working around the clock! But who needs sleep, right?”
    He shrugged. “It might not be that bad. And the faster you work undercover, the less time you’d be doing double duties.”
    Those deep blue eyes honed in on me again. I felt my resolve begin to waver and had to clamp my eyes shut before I got talked into something I’d regret.
    “Look, I’m sorry you got shot down by your superiors. And I’m even more sorry that it happened on my best friend’s case. But my career is