Free ChasingShadows by Erin Richards Page A

wasn’t.” Exhilaration lit up Juliana’s face. Her eyes
twinkled and a slight smile tugged at her lips.
    Alex scrawled a deli order on a scrap of paper and handed it
and the evidence bag to James. “Take this into forensics, and order up dinner.”
He took Juliana’s elbow and guided her into his office. A tremor surged up his
arm from contact with her silken skin. He hated removing his hand from her arm
to shut the door.
    As soon as Juliana entered his office, her gaze flitted to
the Scotland posters covering his walls. Their dream vacation in Scotland after
college had evaporated the day Juliana disappeared. The posters served to
remind him of the ruined fantasy. Dismally, he realized he should have removed
them ages ago.
    Juliana sank into the visitor chair near the door, silent
and stiff.
    “Spill it.” He eased behind the desk, folding his arms
across his chest. “What else did you see in your vision?”
    “I wasn’t sure how much to reveal to Andrea.”
    A spasm knotted his gut. Did he even want to hear?
    Juliana fiddled with her braid, twisting it around her
slender fingers. The action brought back painful memories of combing his
fingers through the glossy mane of gold. He quickly shook the memory off. She’d
always played with her hair when she was nervous. It didn’t look like that habit
had changed.
    Alex pulled the chair away from his desk and dropped into it,
relieved to take the load off his tired body.
    Juliana looked into his eyes, her emerald gaze transfixed. “At
first, he was gentle with Lisette, earning her trust. Now she fears him.” Juliana
set her purse on the desk and clasped her hands in her lap. “He’s impatient and
obviously not used to children and their emotions.”
    Alex expelled an anxious breath he wasn’t aware he held. He
expected worse. “What else?”
    “He received a phone call. He’s angry because Lisette won’t
eat. The caller’s apparently someone Lisette knows, because he told the person
to bring what she likes to eat.” She halted and looked down at her lap. “He’s
out for revenge.” Juliana lifted her head, her face pale.
    Alarm traced a thin line down Alex’s spine. “He hasn’t hurt
her?”
    “Not that I could tell. But he’s angry, vengeful.”
    Alex rose and turned to stare out the windows. Several
uniformed officers stood by a row of marked police cars, bantering and
laughing, preparing for a night patrolling the streets.
    Moments later, Juliana’s warm hand touched his arm, coaxing
him around.
    “I’m so sorry, Alex,” she said softly. “I know how this
hurts.”
    He turned around, fists clenching. “Do you really?” he
snapped.
    She flinched, and he instantly regretted the words. She’d
been through enough criminal cases to know how they affected the victims and
their families. Despite his harsh words, she stepped closer and wrapped her
arms around his waist.
    Instinctively, his arms encircled her, and he rested his
cheek on top of her head. Her light berry-scented shampoo smelled heavenly, and
he breathed in deeply. His initial embrace was unforgiving, and he didn’t
loosen his hold until Juliana made a small sound in her throat, and he realized
he was hugging her too tightly.
    She unfolded an arm from around his waist and ran her
fingers through his hair, smoothing the chaotic spikes. Her touch was almost
unbearably gentle, and her hug settled him more than he should allow.
    Regret flashed inside him. He hated that Lisette’s
kidnapping was the reason that had brought Juliana back into his life.
    Alex cupped her face, and he looked deep into her sultry
eyes and lost himself in their depths.
    Sighing, he drew her closer still until her breath grazed his
mouth. With growing insistency, his lips met hers, and he felt a matched hunger
in her. The kiss deepened as control melted, and they abandoned themselves to
the fever that had lain dormant for over a decade.
    She stroked his back, her hands searing his skin through his
shirt. Her