BAD Beginnings Read Online Free Page A

feel?
    The light turned to a green glow shaped as a walking figure, his clue to move. It blinked and beeped as it counted down to zero, signaling him to hurry and cross. He pulled his hands to his sides, turned on his heels, and strode back to the building. Even if it was only for an hour or a day, he wanted to know. To hell with the consequences. Why couldn’t he get his chance?

C hapter Three
    G emma Travis watched Logan stroll away, stunned at the transformation. It had taken two years to get the bastard to let her accompany him to meetings, and she had tried everything. Still, he’d been reluctant to allow her to participate and often sent her away. Today, he let her in the house and had her run the meeting. What the hell?
    She smiled at the bold way she had forced herself into his home. She hadn’t given him much choice when she waltzed in as if she owned it. With him out of town, she needed information and she had been able to do a quick reconnaissance. It had helped little and she was pissed. Nothing again.
    It had taken the precinct less than ten days to set up the identity she had used the past couple of years—she had taken all this time to get what? One piece of DNA evidence that loosely matched an item found on a single victim? It wasn’t enough, not even close.
    He had been meticulous about her job, allowing her to work yet keep a distance. Not just her, if she was honest. Logan never let a soul near him. Oh, he partied all right, and at those times he got pretty physical with some of the girls. They never showed twice and she presumed he had mastered the art of one-night stands. Or at least the art of dumping people before they became a hassle.
    Distance was mandatory with Logan. So when he took off on a two-week vacation with less than a day’s notice, she had been more aggravated than surprised. The aggravation had transformed to shock today. Something wasn’t right. She had no idea what it was, but she could smell a rat a mile away. This tousled, rough guy he came back as was a world away from the tight-ass who kept his entire life under lock and key.
    She tapped in some numbers on her cell. “I need to know what happened in Cozumel. Something’s not right.”
    “So I gather he’s back.”
    She rolled her eyes. “Sort of.”
    “What’s wrong? He get even more paranoid? Don’t tell me he went back to making you drive separate and locking up his office?”
    She shook her head. A dumb thing to do since the woman on the other end couldn’t see her denial. “No, he’s—nice. Too nice.”
    The laugh on the other end annoyed her, so loud she had to pull the phone from her ear. She frowned. “Gemma, he had a vacation. If that was all it took to loosen him up, we should have figured out a way to force him on one a year ago. Maybe now, you’ll get this case moving. I heard the chief talking in our monthly meeting. You should know he wants to pull the plug.”
    “On me or the entire investigation?”
    “Both, I gathered. He thinks it’s a waste of time. Your case is cold—frozen and you’re wasting money and time. If you don’t come up with something soon, you’re toast.”
    “As in fired?” The warmth of the morning sun did nothing to heat the chill that encompassed her. She had to get this guy. Not just because it would be impossible to find another precinct willing to take her on after a two-year dead end, but she owed it to them.
    In a naïve burst of ego, she had visited every family with missing members who seemed a possible victim. Most of them she had ruled out after the visit, but a few still bugged her. So much so that she had let them know the cases might be linked. No names were shared and no details, but just showing up gave them hope. God knows they needed it.
    After two years of following him, bugging his office and car, and wheedling her way into his trust—she was the one that had lost hope. Had she made a mistake? Until today she hadn’t thought so.
    “Earth to Gemma.