Free Captured Again by L.L. Akers

speeding like a demon, right in front of Dusty. Hello... a cop!
    “I should have warned you. Jump is a bit, umm... jumpy,” Dusty said. “He kinda works for the PD on the side, helping us out on tips here and there. I wouldn’t be worried about the money for the battery if he wasn’t. That means he probably didn’t pay for it. But don’t let him fool you. He’s a great guy, crazy about his kids... has three of his own. He’s got a heart of gold, but a... kinda nervous soul, if you know what I mean.”
    Emma laughed. Now she understood. Big smile, fast-talking, and the jittery foot hopping. Jump was a narc—an informant. She’d seen the television shows. The narcs were usually users themselves, hoping to rack up enough points with the PD to keep themselves out of jail.
    Obviously, Jump had been caught unprepared when Dusty had called, but he came anyway—jacked up.

CHAPTER 11
    GABBY stumbled into the warehouse, balancing a few dozen donuts, her purse, and a workbag carrying flowers while trying not to get squeezed by the heavy door. She made it just inside the door and stopped to let her eyes adjust to the lack of sunlight.
    She set her purse and her bag down on the nearby table and held the two boxes of donuts up in the air with one hand.
    “Hey, guys! I brought you something,” she yelled out, expecting to be mauled. Anytime she’d ever brought in sweets, she rarely made it past the door with even one left for herself.
    The guys stopped working and stood gaping at her. The entire floor went still—everything just stopping while they continued to stare.
    Okay, so this is out of character for me lately... at least out of the character I’ve been in for the past six weeks, and they’re a little gun-shy, she thought.
    She felt their eyes taking in every detail of her. She’d taken extra care with her appearance today—although her normal work attire was still very casual—and brushed her long, dark hair until it had some shine again. She’d removed Jake’s wedding ring from her left hand and added a silver and turquoise ring to her right, trying to distract anyone who might notice the absence of the ring that had been such a part of her before. She’d replaced her typical T-shirt and old baggy jeans of the last few months with a clingy turquoise blouse tucked into newer hip-hugger jeans—some that fit her well—and added a cute pair of wedge sandals. With a touch of mascara and some lip-gloss, she looked like the old Gabby. Now she just had to convince everyone else—and herself—she was the old Gabby.
    Olivia’s come-to-Jesus meeting had helped, and Gabby did feel better. Ready to really try to live again, even if it was without Jake. Come on, guys, work with me here, she thought. You’re making me feel weird.
    “All right, guys. You don’t want a donut?” Gabby shrugged, exaggerating her movements for full effect. “I’ll just throw them all away, then.”
    She tossed the boxes up in the air, twirling them around and making a show of almost dropping them into the nearby trashcan. She caught them at the last minute, one box dropping to stack atop the other—she actually impressed herself with that move—acting goofy in front of everybody, much like the old Gabby used to do. Then she peeked over her shoulder, smiling.
    That got the guys moving. They headed toward Gabby and the donuts, some of them clapping for her silly performance, apparently glad to see her spirits up and looking like herself again.
    Gabby felt a sense of accomplishment that she had finally pulled herself out of her slump, along with a feeling of coming home. As the guys came up to snag a donut, some giving her arm a knowing squeeze or a pat on the back, she felt genuine affection from them. A few even muttered a “glad to have you back, Gabby!” even though she’d really been back—physically—for over a month. She knew what they meant though.
    She’d worked at this company for close to four years and was one of the