Free WHO KILLED EMMALINE? by Dani Matthews Page A

voice smooth as silk, as if he’s taunting me but yet seducing me at the same time. I get the feeling that he’s trying to scare me off without being a dick about it.
    Shit. This is not a conversation I want to be having with Cord Bodine of all people. I decide that for this type of situation, honesty is probably my best option. “Truthfully, yes, it does in a way,” I tell him.
    Something shifts in his gaze. “You should be scared, because if I didn’t kill Emmaline, someone else did. Someone you might have already met or passed on the street, or someone you’ve smiled at since you’ve arrived in town.”
    My mouth goes dry.
    He steps forward slightly, and I tense. His movement causes the light to flicker on, and his face is now clear for me to see, and his green eyes hold mine with a wealth of warning in their depths. “Don’t be too disconnected from it, Krista. Someone killed one girl already. What makes you think the killer won’t strike again?” He turns and walks away instead of waiting for me to reply, leaving me alone in the fitting room.
    I blow out a wary breath.
    Damn.
    My heart is pounding in my chest much faster than it should be. Someone else in my shoes might take what he’d said as a threat, but I know that it’s just a warning and nothing more. He’s warning me to stay alert and not brush off the murder. Does he know something that no one else does? Now that thought is a bit alarming.
    Since I still have a job to do, I exit the fitting room and calmly walk back out into the store. I decide to refold the discarded clothing behind the counter, and I grab a few extra hangers from the bin underneath it. Cord is nowhere to be seen, and I hadn’t expected him to stick around.
    A group of teenagers draw my attention, and my conversation with Cord fades as I help them find what they’re looking for. It’s about half an hour later that my mom finds me in the men’s section, arranging a rack of shirts by size.
    I stare at her with surprise. I’d never thought that she’d attempt to set foot in the store. “Mom. What are you doing here?”
    She looks completely out of place in her white jeans and colorful blouse. Her eyes dart around the store briefly before settling on my face with a hint of disapproval. “I thought I would come see this store that you’re so fascinated with.”
    “Well, now you’ve seen it,” I say with a smile as my surprise wears off.
    Her eyes drop to my shirt, and her lips press flat against one another before I see her visibly forcing herself to relax. “Show me around?” she asks lightly.
    “Mom, none of this stuff is going to interest you,” I warn.
    “Humor me. I’m trying to find a way to accept this job of yours, so show me around so I can see for myself what you’re doing in the evenings.”
    My lips twitch as I fight back a smile. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
    She gives me a warning look. “If this place sells sex toys, you’re walking out of here with me when I leave.”
    I begin to lead her around the store. “I can assure you, there are no sex toys,” I say with a laugh.
    She tries to keep a politely interested expression on her face, but once we reach the corsets, her lips flatten again. “Corsets, Krista?”
    Feeling in the mood to needle her a little, I pull out a sexy, black corset with buckles down the front. “I might buy this one to wear tomorrow. I could pair it with this black skirt I saw earlier that has safety pins going down the sides. Did you notice that skirt? I could buy some combat boots and it would complete the outfit. It’d be so badass that it might be worth even wearing to school,” I announce.
    My mom’s eyes narrow on me as I hold the corset up to my chest.
    I hear someone clear their throat, and both my mom and I look up.
    Dane has approached us, and his eyes are amused as he takes in the corset I am holding and the sight of my mom glaring at me. He walks over and holds out his hand to her. “Hello, I’m