Free By a Thread by Jennifer Estep Page B

and she put on her hard, flat cop face. “Of course. Gin’s my sister. We were just telling Callie about Gin’s . . .”
    â€œSecurity business,” I finished in a helpful tone.
    Bria gave me a look that said it would be a very good idea for me to shut the hell up right now. “Yes, her security business , when you arrived, Detective.”
    Donovan let out a harsh, bitter laugh, something he’d done more than once when I was around. Even now, after all these months, the dark, caustic sound still felt like a knife twisting in my stomach.
    â€œDonovan?” Callie asked, laying her hand on his arm. “Are you okay?”
    He turned to her. “I’m sorry. It’s just been a long day, and I was so worried when I got the call about the fight here. Are you all right? Did anyone hurt you?”
    â€œI’m fine, really. Gin made sure that those men didn’t harm me or anyone else.”
    Donovan didn’t look at me. “I’m glad.”
    Callie wrapped her arms around Donovan. The two of them shared a soft, gentle kiss; then he pulled her into a tight embrace, sliding his arms across her back and burying his face in her neck. The diamond ring on Callie’s finger winked at me like a cold, mocking eye, and I finally put two and two together. Took me long enough.
    Callie had mentioned thather fiancé was a cop and had asked the bartender to call him. I’d just never expected it to be my cop. Or my ex-cop. Or whatever the hell Donovan Caine was to me now.
    Callie was Donovan’s fiancée. The thought rattled around inside my head, echoing over and over again. Of course she was. If I’d thought the irony of the situation had merely been kicking me before, it was now laying a full-body smackdown on me, concentrating on my bruised ego and battered pride—and maybe my wounded heart too.
    I felt as though a giant had just sucker punched me, but I kept my face cold, smooth, remote, and impassive. Hiding my true feelings was one of the first things Fletcher had taught me when he’d started training me to be an assassin—even if I wasn’t quite sure what those feelings were right now. Anger, longing, regret, attraction. They were all a big jumbled mess inside me, tiny barbed threads that pulled my emotions first one way, then the other, until everything was twisted, tangled, and snarled beyond all comprehension.
    Donovan and Callie broke apart, although he kept one arm around her waist, holding her close to his side, something he’d never done with me—not even once. He hadn’t been able to get away from me fast enough whenever we were together.
    â€œYou want to tell me what happened?” Donovan asked in a quiet voice, finally looking at me. “And why you’re in Blue Marsh?”
    â€œBria and I are here on vacation,” I said in an even tone. “Her idea. We drove down from Ashland earlier today. Callie and Bria are old friends, and Bria wanted to stop and catch up withher. We were finishing our dinner when those two clowns showed up and started threatening Callie. Things were getting ugly, so I made sure the good girl won, just like I always do. End of story.”
    â€œYou should have seen her, Donovan,” Callie said, a bit of awe creeping into her voice. “It was amazing the way that she took those two guys down all by herself. Especially that giant.”
    â€œI just bet it was,” he muttered.
    â€œI told them about Stu’s murder and Randall Dekes and how the vampire’s been pressuring me to sell my restaurant to him.” Callie hesitated. “Right before you showed up, Gin was telling me that maybe she could figure out a way to get Dekes to stop harassing us. To get him to leave us alone—for good.”
    Donovan’s face hardened, and his golden eyes sparked with anger. “Absolutely not,” he growled. “I told you. I’ll handle Dekes. I’ll get him to back