Conflicting Interests Read Online Free Page A

driveway and started
pounding on her door.
    “I’m on my way. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Imogen
disconnected quickly.
    When she pulled the door open, two men in uniforms stood by
with their guns drawn as others swarmed around the back of her house. “Miss.
Miss. Are you alone?”
    She nodded. “He left out this door. He’s gone.”
    “Miss, your head’s bleeding. Do you need an ambulance?”
    “I don’t need to go to the hospital. I’m fine.”
    “Are you sure?” She nodded.
    The officer was young and he looked nearly as scared as she
felt but she wasn’t alone anymore. She couldn’t seem to stop shaking, trembling
as though her core was quaking. “Miss…”
    “I’m Katrina. Please…just call me Katrina.”
    “The officers outside are securing the area. The detectives
are on their way and we’ll get crime-scene techs here to process the scene.”
Her home had become a scene. What the fuck? “Can you tell me what the
perp might have touched?” She indicated the doorjamb and door they were
standing near and she shrugged beyond that.
    “I don’t think anything else really. I opened the door and
he shoved me inward. He very likely didn’t even touch the door. I think it was
still standing open when he left.” The officer nodded and pointed to the sofa
in her living room. She sank into the softness of her vintage moss-green velvet
couch, grabbing a throw pillow and clutching it to her chest.
    She stared at the edge of her coffee table. It was sitting
at an odd angle on the rug—it had no doubt been pushed aside during the attack.
“What the hell did he want?”
    She didn’t even realize she’d spoken the question out loud
until the officer responded to her. “I’m sorry?” She just shook her head. “Can
I get you anything?”
    “No. I’m fine.” The poor officer seemed to have no real idea
what to say to her.
    She could feel the spot above her eye, searing as though she
had rug burn on her forehead. Her head was throbbing, her eye socket was aching
fiercely and her throat felt as if she’d gargled with gasoline. She zoned out,
waiting. She wasn’t sure what she was waiting for, only that she didn’t want to
bother trying to talk to the officer who seemed to be more nervous than she
was.
    She could hear a man approaching, though she could hear
nothing of what he said, and the officer moved to meet him at her side door.
The officer pointed at the frame of the door, wordlessly telling the man to
avoid touching it. When the man stepped through, her jaw dropped before she
could stop it.
    “Detective Adler.” The officer nodded to him, but the man
who suddenly appeared was far too busy staring at her just as intently as she
was staring at him. The officer started giving him a rundown, but his eyes
continued to hold hers.
    His brow furrowed as he studied her and she swallowed over a
lump in her throat. “Yeah yeah yeah. Have them dust the door and get the extra officers
out of here. The scene’s secure so I don’t need the extra bodies trampling
around.” He dismissed the officer and the officer ducked out the door, leaving
them alone—still staring at each other.
    “Seth’s teacher.” He offered her a weak if not shocked
smile.
    “Seth’s father.” She pursed her lips as he walked toward
her. “I’m Katrina by the way.”
    “May I sit?” She nodded. “And it’s Dillon.”
    “Or…Detective, apparently. I didn’t know.” She laughed
nervously as he watched her calmly. She was not calm. She was freaking the
f-bomb out and now the handsome man she didn’t like had his handsome ass
sitting next to her on her couch.
    When his fingers brushed her long floppy bangs away from the
side of her face, she flinched and her eyes darted to him. “How did this happen?”
His voice was exceptionally soothing as he spoke to her and she forgot for half
a second that she didn’t actually like him.
    “Forehead, fireplace.” His brow flinched again as he
continued to hold her hair