Free Flirting With Fate by Lexi Ryan Page A

there for my money.” She closed her eyes. “I hate to imagine what would
have happened if my friend hadn’t come up to the apartment and thrown him off
me.”
    Tanner clenched his fists.
    She wasn’t lying about that. He could see in her
face that her relief was real, and Tanner’s stomach had been churning with the
same thought all night. He’d been too tied up in his own grief to see her up to
her apartment, and none of this would have happened if he’d gone in with her.
    “Do you know of anyone who would have a reason to
want to hurt you? Anyone who wants something you have?”
    Josie shook her head.
    “And what happened when your friend appeared?”
    “Tanner threw the man off me. He asked me if I was
okay, and when he turned around to get the man, he’d run away.”
    Greyly looked at Josie’s arm and frowned. “I’m
sure you haven’t had a chance to look through your apartment, see if anything’s
missing?”
    She shook her head again. “Came straight here,”
she said, attempting a smile.
    “What were you and your friend—what’s his name
again?”
    “Tanner Wiley,” she supplied.
    He studied her, almost sadly. “And Mr. Wiley
is…your boyfriend?”
    Tanner willed her to say “Yes.” He wasn’t deluded
about his relationship with Josie, but he sure as hell didn’t want Greyly
pursuing her.
    Josie opened her mouth, closed it, then tried
again. “Our relationship is complicated.”
    Greyly flashed her another charming frat boy smile.
“Yeah, I understand complicated. What were you doing that got you home so
late?”
    Josie blinked at the officer.
    “When someone comes home at four in the morning to
find their apartment ransacked and an intruder there, we have to wonder where
that person was in the preceding hours. Who would have known you’d be away from
home last night?”
    Tanner held his breath as he waited for her
answer. She’d need to be careful. They didn’t have an alibi for tonight and
wouldn’t want to give Greyly any reason to connect them to the break-in at the
fertility clinic.
    “Tanner and I were at his place.” She chewed on
her bottom lip and looked up at Greyly through her lashes. “At which point we
quickly get into the complicated part.”
    Tanner released his breath. What was he worried
about? She was a pro.
    Greyly nodded. “Where is your friend now?”
    Josie cast a surreptitious glance around the room,
making Tanner chuckle silently. She was no fool. “In the lobby, I presume.”
    “I think I’ll go ask him a few questions. In the
meantime, I’ll send an officer out to your apartment to survey the damage.” He
pulled out his card. “Give me a call if you remember anything that could help
us.”
    Greyly took a step toward the door then stopped.
He was watching her again. He rubbed the back of his neck before asking, “ Depuis
quand avez-vous bougé aux États ?”
    Josie wrinkled her brow. “I’ve lived in the U.S.
my whole life.”
    “But you speak French.” It wasn’t a question.
    She shrugged. “I understand more than I speak.
Dabbling in languages comes in handy in my line of work.”
    He dropped his eyes to his notes. “PI work?”
    “Something like that.”
    Watch out, girl. He’s gonna see that you’re
defensive about your job.
    Tanner shifted as Greyly studied her again. She
wasn’t a goddamn lab rat, but he studied her like her face might hold the
answer to some great mystery. “Take care, then.”
    Greyly walked to the door and was reaching for the
handle when he said, “Mallory?”
    Josie’s head shot up and they locked eyes for a
long beat. She took in a shaky breath. “What did you just call me?”
    Greyly looked down at his papers, smooth as all
hell but not fooling Tanner for a second. He was trying to get her to reveal
something. “I’m sorry. I thought my notes said you sometimes went by the name
Mallory.”
    Josie’s jaw worked for a minute but finally she
shook her head. “No. I’ve never gone by that name. Your