Free Veiled Intentions by Delores Fossen

Garrett’s and her thought processes.
    â€œThere’s more,” Garrett continued. “It sucks, so brace yourself. I got a call from an editor friend at the Express News. There’ll be a story about the two shootings in the morning paper. They’re linking them.”
    â€œWe knew this was coming,” Katelyn offered.
    â€œAn article, yeah. But there’ll be photos. Some apparently taken at the icebreaker tonight. There’ll be one with Rico and you kissing.”
    Okay. So they hadn’t known about this.
    Judas.
    A photo.
    â€œSupposedly, it’s a grainy shot, and you’re in a lip lock, but still…” Garrett’s explanation trailed off, leaving them with the general idea that this was not a good thing.
    â€œHow’d they get the photo?” Joe asked.
    â€œAddison Merrick. He takes stills from the security feed. For some reason, he gave the press a couple of them when they came around sniffing for a story about two hours ago.”
    And because she and Joe had signed those consent forms, it was all perfectly legal.
    â€œHe’s suspicious,” Katelyn mumbled.
    â€œIt could be a ploy to get you to back off,” Garrett suggested. “Because something like this darn sure wouldn’t be good for business.”
    â€œOr maybe he’s going for another sloppy tactic sohe can cover his butt,” Joe contributed. “The real killer probably wouldn’t give up photos of potential victims, but a ruthless businessman trying to get some free publicity might.” He cursed. “Or a killer who wanted to appear to be an honest businessman might.”
    Neither Garrett nor she disagreed with him.
    â€œThis changes nothing,” Joe insisted a moment later. “We’ll stick with the plan and lay low here until Thursday afternoon when we’ll make a return visit to Perfect Match. If the photo’s clearer than expected, or if it causes any unwanted press, then I’ll deal with it.”
    â€œYou do that,” Garrett fired back.
    Katelyn huffed because she understood that tone. It was his brotherly warning for her to be careful.
    â€œI’m not stupid,” she responded. Katelyn reached over and hung up.
    Joe gave her another of those looks, except this time she was fairly sure he was puzzled. “He’s worried about us,” she interpreted.
    And apparently, with reason.
    The game had just escalated from dangerous to deadly. But then, Katelyn had known from day one that it was an inevitable escalation. Playing the killer’s deadly game was the only way to stop him.
    Â 
    A LOUD RINGING sound jarred Joe from the dream to beat all dreams. He snapped to a sitting position and groped for the phone, the alarm or whatever the hell was making the noise so he could stop it.
    Katelyn cursed, a couple of phrases worthy of the awful racket. However, her profanity clipped off unexpectedly about a split second after she latched on to her gun and fell off the bed.
    She landed right on him.
    His hands were suddenly filled with her. A warm, firm, armed woman who smelled like a strange mixture of sex and gunmetal. Her eyes were still ripe with sleep, and she blinked several times, staring at him as if trying to figure out how she’d gotten in his lap.
    Katelyn obviously wasn’t a morning person, either.
    Thankfully, the noise stopped so Joe could get his bearings. It didn’t take long, especially when he realized her fall had aligned their bodies in the best, and worst, possible ways. She was straddling him, her long athletic legs resting against the sides of his hips.
    And he had an erection.
    It was a product of the dream he’d been having. About her. She noticed it. But then, it would have been impossible not to notice.
    â€œOne of the advantages of being a woman,” she mumbled, her gaze drifting in the direction of where he was certainly testing the limits of his boxers. “We don’t wear