Free All of You by Dee Tenorio Page A

hung up.
    Which meant he was smart enough to quit when he was ahead.
    She put the handset down, staring at it for far too long before she took her hand away. He might be shy a few sandwiches, but if he kept saying things like that, she was going to have to start worrying that her own lunchbox was just as empty.

All of You: The Lonnigans, Book 1

Chapter Six
    Kyle stepped into the elevator with more than his usual shiver. What the hell was he doing here? Goesler & Groom was the last place he should be at noon in the middle of the week. But one call from Dory and he found himself exactly where she told him to be. To be honest, it was more than one phone call. Since this whole siege began, she’d called him a total of forty-seven times.
    Most of the calls were vaguely cryptic instructions left on his voice mail. A few were cackled calls of success about his gifts. Well, Dory’s idea of success. “If she doesn’t set it on fire, honey, it’s a win.”
    So far, manicotti and plants were supposedly the way into Jessica’s heart. Not that he was entirely sure that was where Dory was trying to get him. Still, she’d called, and against his better judgment he answered. “Get here and be in the west elevator at twelve fifteen, exactly. I’ll do the rest. You got me, kid?”
    Here he was, at twelve fourteen and forty-five seconds, traveling up to Jessica’s floor. Whatever Dory’s plan was, Kyle just hoped it didn’t involve Jessica kicking his ass in front of her colleagues.
    The door opened and he only had enough time to take a breath before he realized the woman on the other side was none other than his favorite redhead and her ancient Girl Friday.
    For a second, Jessica’s brown eyes lit up, as if she were excited to see him before she reminded herself she wasn’t. Then her slim brows came together and her full lips flattened. “I’ll take the next one,” she said through lips that didn’t move.
    Kyle switched his gaze to Dory in question for a second—the second it took Dory to shake her head minimally—but it was long enough for Jessica to register. Her dark eyes narrowed and her mouth pursed. He’d kind of figured Dory intended him to cross paths with Jessica, but that expression had “backfire” written all over it. Before he could get out any words of apology, the doors started to close and that’s when it all slowed down.
    Jessica let out a squawk when Dory suddenly shoved her inside the car with the force of a middle linebacker. It was all he could do to catch her as the doors shut in front of Dory’s waggling fingers.
    “I’m not sure who to kill first, you or her,” Jessica said into his shoulder, still regaining her balance. She found her footing, accepting his help only because she had to or fall down in an ungraceful heap. She’d just leveled him a dirty look when the elevator gave a sickening lurch and tumbled them into each other all over again. The lights flickered overhead and the bottom of Kyle’s stomach disappeared entirely.
    “Her,” he heard himself saying, never afraid to throw an old lady under a bus when she had it coming. “Definitely her.”
    As last words went, they probably weren’t all too heroic, but Kyle didn’t have much time to take them back. The lack of movement was registering in his brain and he expected the panic to follow as soon as it did. His throat was already tightening. He watched his hands claw around Jessica’s shoulders, denting the felt fabric of her coat. Against his will, he looked up at the sealed doors. Sealed. Like a tomb. Like the cold, metal box of death it was.
    “Kyle?”
    Dory wouldn’t lock him in an elevator, would she? Could she? She wouldn’t do that to him. Not that he’d gotten around to telling her about his problem. His usually insignificant, fairly-easy-to-ignore problem.
    “Kyle, you’re hurting me,” Jessica said quietly. Or maybe she just sounded quiet. Distant. It was hard to hear anything over the blood starting to rush