Irene Hannon - Deadly Pursuit

Heavy breathing.

That was all she could hear.

No voice.

No background noise.

Just a palpable presence on the other end of the line.

Again.

Despite the warmth of the early May breeze wafting through her kitchen window, an icy shiver snaked down Alison Taylors spine.

She glanced at the number displayed on caller ID. Compared it to the one thumbtacked to the small corkboard beside her phone. The one shed jotted down after the second call.

It didnt match. But it looked vaguely familiar.

She grabbed a pen and wrote down the new number.

Who is this? She tried to sound poised. Unruffled. In control. But the tremor in her words betrayed her.

A sudden click as the line went dead was the only response.

I do not need this!

As she slammed the portable phone back into its holder, a startled yelp at her feet summed up Berts reaction to her frustratedand futilegesture.

Bending down to pick up the fourteen-pound mutt shed rescued from the animal shelter last summer, she winced as a twinge of pain radiated down her leg. Lately shed begun to forget about the steel rod inside. And that was a positive sign. It meant her recovery was progressing. But moments like this reminded her it wasnt yet complete.

And maybe never would be.

As Bert wriggled and stretched his neck to lick her face, his unrestrained affection helped chase away her sudden dejectionand uncoil the knot of tension in the pit of her stomach.

Missed me while I was at work, did you, big guy? How does a walk sound on this beautiful St. Louis afternoon?

The word walk set off another round of ecstatic slurping.

Chuckling, she set him on the floor again, moving more carefully this time. Okay, okay, I get the message. Let me grab your leash and well

The phone rang again, cutting her off midsentence.

Her heart stuttered, then tripped into double time as she edged toward the counter to check caller ID. She should have done that before answering the last call too. But Berts enthusiastic welcome-home greeting had distracted her.

One glance at the display, however, set her mind at ease. Her two brothers had a tendency to be annoyingly overprotective, but she could handle them better than she was handling the anonymous calls. Especially Cole.

Bert nudged her leg when she picked up the phone, and she gave him a pat. In a minute, big guy. Be patient. As if. A rueful grin tugged at her mouth. Bert had many virtues, but patience wasnt one of them.

Hi, Cole. She grabbed the leash draped over a coat hook by the back door. Whats up?

Not much. Just checking in. Hows my favorite sister?

Id take that as a compliment, except Im your only sister.

Are you evading my question? Concern sharpened his tone.

She let out an exasperated sigh. No. I was making a joke. The accident was a year ago, Cole. Im fine, as I keep telling you and Jake. Although I have to say, our big brother hovers less since he and Liz got engaged three weeks ago. Maybe I need to find you a good woman too.

Very funny.

Im serious. Youre thirty-five. You ought to have a wife and family by now.

Youre thirty-four, as of a couple of weeks ago.

She clicked the leash on Berts collar, fighting back a wave of melancholy. If all had gone as shed expected, she might have been married by nowas they both knew. Instead, her dreams of a husband and family had been shattered that fateful night a year ago.

Alison... Im sorry. Contrition and self-reproach etched Coles words. Sometimes I speak before I think.

No kidding. She took a deep breath and lightened her tone. However, my experience with David is ancient history. Besides, I have Bert now. Not a bad trade-off, if you ask me.

Hearing his name, the dog gave her a hopeful look and began vigorously wagging his stubby tail, his whole body quivering in anticipation.

Who wants to go for a walk, by the way. Alison leaned down to pat him again, favoring her bad leg. So if theres no specific reason for your call other than to harass your little sister... She let the words trail off, preparing to hang up.

Actually, I do have another reason.

At the trace of nervousness in his voice, Alisons antenna went up. Her brothers rarely displayed even a hint of uneasiness. As a deputy U.S. marshal, Jake was a take-charge kind of guyon and off the job. Cole wasnt far behind. Shed been the victim of his brother-to-sister interrogations on numerous occasions, and she pitied the suspects who faced his official, on-the-job grilling. Police detectives didnt come any sharperor more relentlessthan Cole Taylor.

When the silence lengthened, she prompted him. You mentioned another reason?

Right. Heres the thing. Remember me telling you at your birthday brunch that we were getting a new detective?

Yes.

Well, he started this week. Nice guy. My age. A former Navy SEAL. Hes spent the past four years with the NYPDtwo on the SWAT team, two as a detective. His names Mitch Morgan.

Silence fell again, and Alison frowned. Bert was tugging on the leg of her slacks now, his initial excitement over the prospect of a walk giving way to the necessity of a walk.

Look, Cole, spit it out. Berts sending me an urgent message here.

Could you let him out in the backyard?

Is this going to take that long?

It might.

Huffing out a breath, Alison unclipped the leash and reached for the doorknob. Fine. But I have one disappointed dog here. He was all geared up for a walk. Bert shot out the instant she opened the door and took off at a gallop for the nearest tree.

Okay. She swiveled back to the kitchen. You have my full attention. Continue.

First, promise you wont say no right away.

Uh-oh.

Alison knew where this was headed, and she had no intention of going down that road again. Youre not trying to fix me up with this guy, are you?

Not for a lifetime. Just an evening.

Yeah? Are you willing to take a lie detector test on that?

Hear me out, okay? Can you do that much at least?

Picking up on his frustration, she bit back the retort that sprang to her lips. Coles efforts to shore up her social life might be annoying, but they were well-intentioned.