Free Bloodlines by Dinah McCall Page B

just escalated. With her grandfather’s presence, she’d been able to maintain a mental distance between herself and Trey. The change in plans was unsettling, but she would handle it. Eleven years was a long enough time to get over a mistake—even if she was coming to believe it might have been the biggest one she’d ever made.
    She was still struggling with her emotions whenthey arrived at the crime lab. As they pulled into the parking lot, they quickly realized something was wrong. Two vans from local television stations were waiting, and a half-dozen reporters with cameramen were hovering around the entrance, as well as a man who was standing on the corner carrying a sign that read Baby Killer?
    â€œOh, hell,” Trey muttered. “I’d like to get my hands on the jerk who tipped them off.”
    â€œWhat’s going on here?” Marcus demanded.
    â€œJust stay in the car,” Trey said tersely. “I’ll get rid of them.”
    From the corner of her eye, Olivia saw Trey reaching toward the police radio, then heard him calling the dispatcher to request assistance. To her horror, the reporters suddenly spied her in the back seat and rushed toward the window. The press of their bodies against the car set it to rocking. Then, in the midst of it all, the man carrying the sign slammed his way through the crowd and shoved it against the window.
    All she could see of the man’s face were his eyes and their maniacal gleam as he peered over the placard into the car. In sudden panic, she grabbed her grandfather’s hand.
    Trey turned abruptly. She knew he was talking to her, because his lips were moving, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying above the noise outside. She sank back, putting as much distance as she could between herself and the doors. Even though she knew they couldn’t get to her, it didn’t deter them from aiming their cameras at the windows while pushing and shoving at each other to get a clear view of her face.
    She started to shake.
    â€œTrey…”
    He heard the fear in her voice and silently wished all the head cases and the media a long, slow trip to hell.
    â€œIt’s okay,” he said quickly. “I’ll get rid of them.”
    â€œDo something,” she mumbled.
    As Trey was reaching for the door latch, someone shouted her name.
    â€œTrey…for God’s sake,” she begged.
    Disgusted, he got out of the car shouting, with his badge in his hand.
    â€œGet back!” he shouted. “Get the hell away from my car, or I will arrest the whole lot of you.”
    The reporters backed up, but, still wanting to get some kind of sound bite for the evening news, they persisted in shouting out questions. The man with the sign was jostled to the back of the crowd, but Trey could still see the sign waving above their heads.
    At the same time, two police cars pulled into the lot and parked beside Trey’s car. Four uniformed officers emerged and headed toward the crowd.
    Confident that the media was now contained, Trey strode to his car, opened the back door, leaned in and took Olivia’s hand.
    â€œCome on, Livvie, it’s all right now,” he said shortly.
    Her fingers curled around his wrist as he helped her out of the car.
    â€œIt’s not all right,” she whispered. “Oh God…don’t you see? It’s never going to be all right again.”
    Marcus was right behind them. He put his arm around Olivia’s shoulders, shielding her from the reporters with his body.
    â€œIt’s nothing, darling,” he said briefly as they hurried toward the door. “They’re only reporters doing their job. They can’t hurt you.”
    Trey led them into the building, then seated them in a hallway, safely away from the prying eyes and long-distance camera lenses of the media.
    â€œWait here,” he said, and pushed through a pair of double doors opposite where they were