Nightfall (6 page)

The corner of his mouth
curled up in a smile. “Are you?”

“
What’s that?” She walked
around the counter and tried to wipe the grin off her face. She
heard a noise behind her and knew her sister had come into the
showroom.

“
Are you busy?”

“
Well, it’s February
thirteenth, so… yes, we’re a little busy.”

“
I can finish up, if you
need to take off.”

Holly turned to see Heather
standing in the doorway with her arms folded over her chest.
Obviously, she recognized Colin—probably because Holly had
mentioned him a time or ten during the past several
months.

Heather disappeared into the
back room and emerged with Holly’s purse and coat.

“
Thanks.” Holly took her
things and there was an awkward moment as Colin helped her into her
coat. He held the door for her and they stepped out into the bitter
chill.

“
So.” Holly looked up and
down the street. It was only five, but already getting dark. She
shoved her hands in her pockets. “You were just… in
town?”

“
Not really.” He set a brisk
pace beside her as they headed for the corner. Did he want to go to
a bar? A restaurant? She didn’t care—she was just happy to see him.
He’d been in contact since the day of Sheriff Slater’s arrest, but
it had all been very businesslike.

This felt
different.

“
So, you weren’t really in
town, you just…?” She looked up at him expectantly.

“
I came to see you.” He
stopped walking, and warmth flooded her as he gazed down at her
with those dark brown eyes. “I wanted to give you
something.”

He took her hand and folded
something into it. She looked down at her palm.

“
A bullet?”

“
The shell casing from the
bullet that missed you. Well, one of them, anyway.”

She looked up at him,
puzzled.

“
The sheriff took a plea.
He’s going to testify against Lopez in exchange for a lighter
sentence. Slater isn’t going to trial, so you won’t be asked to
testify.” He stepped closer and the look in his eyes made her heart
thump faster. “You’re no longer an official part of my case. It’s
not even mine anymore. I’ve been re-assigned.”

“
So, you came here
to—”

He leaned down and kissed
her. She felt a jolt of heat as his fingers combed into her hair
and she tasted his mouth for the first time. He was hot and strong
and—amazingly— as hungry for the kiss as she was. He had been
waiting, too. She could tell by the way he pulled her against him
and didn’t hold back. Holly didn’t, either. She melted right
against him and held on tight. He smelled even better than she
remembered and an entire winter’s worth of longing crackled to life
inside her. He’d come all the way
here.
For
her.
And the idea of that was almost
as intoxicating as his kiss.

He pulled back and gazed
down at her. “I’ve wanted to do that for months.”

She smiled. “You
have?”

“
Ever since I watched you
stand in the middle of that road and take aim at that tire. It was
an amazing shot.”He took her hand. “You’re an amazing woman, you
know that?”

Her smile turned into a
grin.

“
So, if you’re not busy
tonight—”

“
I am.” She stood on tiptoes
and kissed him. “I’m busy with you.”

Keep reading for a sneak
peek of EXPOSED, Laura Griffin’s newest novel in
her 
New York Times
 bestselling Tracers series.

From EXPOSED

By Laura Griffin

Maddie Callahan’s newest
clients seemed to have everything—youth, looks, money—which was
precisely why she doubted their marriage would work. But she kept
her opinions to herself as she snapped what she hoped was the final
shot of the day.

“
That should do it for the
church backdrop. So, we’re all set?”

“
What about the footbridge?”
The bride-to-be smiled up at her fiancé. “I can post it on the blog
with our engagement story.”

“
Whatever you want,
babe.”

Maddie stifled an eye roll
and turned to check out the park. It wasn’t overly crowded—just a
few people walking dogs—but their light was fading.

“
I know it’s getting late.”
Hannah held her hands together like a prayer and looked at Maddie.
“But could we get something real quick?”

“
We can if we hurry,” Maddie
said, collapsing her tripod and looping her camera strap around her
neck. She waited for a break in traffic and led Hannah and Devon
across Main Street to the park, where she deposited her equipment
beside the lily pond. She glanced around, cataloging the details of
the composition. The wooden footbridge formed a low arc over the
water. Sunlight glistened off the pond’s surface, creating a
shimmery, storybook effect that Maddie had taken advantage of
before. As one of the few natural backdrops in this congested
college town, the park was a good place for wedding photos—or in
this case, engagement shots. Normally Maddie liked using it, but
this appointment had run way over schedule and she was anxious to
get back to the lab. She opted to skip the tripod and keep this
quick.

Maddie composed the shot as
Hannah arranged her future husband behind her. In matching white
dress shirts, faded jeans, and cowboy boots, the couple’s look
today was what she thought of as Texas preppy. Hannah settled their
clasped hands on the side of the bridge, putting her two-carat
diamond on prominent display.

“
How’s this?” she
asked.

“
Perfect.” Maddie snapped
the picture. “I think I got it. Just a few more and… that’s it.
You’re done.”

Both pairs of shoulders
relaxed. Devon looked at his watch, clearly relieved to be finished
with what he probably thought was a marathon photo shoot. He had no
idea what awaited him on his wedding day.

Hannah turned and smiled up
at him. “Do I have lipstick on my teeth, sweets?”

He grinned down at her. “No.
Do I?”

Maddie lifted her camera one
last time as he reached down to brush a lock of hair from his
fiancée’s face.

Click.

And
that
was the money shot. Maddie knew
it the instant she took it. The ring wasn’t in the picture, but she
hoped they’d order a print anyway. Maybe they’d put it in a frame
on their mantel, where they could glance at it occasionally and be
reminded of the genuine fondness they’d had for each other before
the years set in.

And, really, what more could
anyone ask of an engagement picture?

Her mission accomplished,
Maddie collected her equipment.

“
How soon can we see
something?” Hannah asked as she joined her on the grass.

“
Oh, I’m guessing—” Maggie
checked the time. It was already 5:40. “I should have these posted
to the site tomorrow—plenty of time to pick one for Sunday’s
paper.”

The bride-to-be looked
crestfallen. “You mean not by tonight?”

Maddie took a deep breath.
She counted to three mentally. Yes, her day job paid the bills, but
freelance work was the icing on her cake. And that business relied
heavily on referrals.

“
I’ll do my best,” she said
brightly, even though it meant turning her whole evening
upside-down. And that assumed she wouldn’t get called out for some
emergency. “I can probably get you something by midnight. If I do,
I’ll email you the password for the gallery.”

“
Thank you! I
really
appreciate it.
Everyone’s dying to see how these turn out.”

Maddie wasn’t sure who
“everyone” was, but she managed to keep a cheerful expression on
her face as they exchanged good-byes. Then she hitched her tripod
onto her shoulder and trekked across the park.

Her stomach growled as she
headed for the garage where she’d parked. She cast a longing look
at the sandwich shop on the corner. Food would have to wait. She
needed to get back to the lab and send out half a dozen files
before she could possibly call it a day.

She ducked into the shade of
the parking garage, avoiding the stairwell in favor of the ramp.
The blustery February wind had died down, and the air was thick
with car exhaust. Maddie hugged the concrete wall so she wouldn’t
get clipped by a driver rounding the corner. She reached the third
level and spotted her little white Prius tucked beside a pickup.
She dug the phone from her purse and checked for messages. Her
boss, her sister, her boss, her boss.

Shoes scuffed behind her.
The skin at the back of her neck prickled. Maddie paused and
pretended to be reading something on her phone as she
listened.

Silence.

Her pulse picked up. She
resumed her pace.

More footsteps.

She whirled around. No one.
She clutched the phone in her hand and darted her gaze up and down
the rows of cars. She searched for anyone lurking, any ominous
shadows—but she was alone.

Almost.

Anxiety gnawed at her as she
surveyed her surroundings. It was light out. The streets below
hummed with traffic. Still, she tightened her grip on the tripod.
She tucked the phone in her purse and felt for her pepper
spray.

In the corner of her eye,
movement. She pivoted toward it and registered two things at
once:
man
and
ski mask.
Fear shot through her. Maddie swung the tripod around like a
baseball bat as the man barreled into her, slamming her against the
pickup. The tripod was jerked from her grip and clattered to the
ground. Hands clamped around her neck. Maddie punched and bucked as
fingers dug into her skin. She tried to scream. No air. Gray eyes
glared at her through the holes in the mask.

She smashed the heel of her
hand into his face and felt bone crunch. He staggered back. Maddie
jerked sideways. He lunged for her, grabbing the collar of her
jacket. She twisted out of it and bolted for the
stairwell.

“
Help!” she shrieked,
yanking open the door. She leaped down the stairs, rounded the
landing, leaped down more. Her butt hit concrete, but she groped
for the railing and hauled herself up. Hinges squeaked above her.
Her pulse skittered. Footsteps thundered over her head.

“
Someone
help!
”

But they were alone in the
sound-proof shaft. Another landing, a door. She shoved it open and
dashed through. She searched desperately for people, but saw only
rows and rows of cars. Another door. Light-headed with terror, she
pushed it open and stumbled into an alley. On her right, a
passageway lined with Dumpsters. On her left, a gray car parked at
the mouth of the alley. Someone was inside.

Maddie rushed for the car.
It lurched forward. She halted, stunned, as it charged toward her
like a rhino. Maddie sprinted away from the door and the car.
Behind her a door banged open. The engine roared closer as she
raced down the alley. The noise was at her heels, almost on top of
her. Panic zinged through her like an electric current as her arms
and legs pumped. The car bore down on her. At the last possible
second, she dove sideways behind a Dumpster and felt a great
whoosh
of air as the car
shot past. The squeal of brakes echoed through the
alley.

Maddie darted through the
space between the back bumper and the Dumpster. She raced for the
street. Despair clogged her throat as she realized the distance
she’d covered. Where was the ski mask guy? The people and traffic
noise seemed impossibly far away. She raced toward the mouth of the
alley as fast as her burning legs could carry her.

The man jumped from a
doorway. They crashed to the ground in a heap of arms and legs and
flying elbows. Her skin scraped against the pavement as she kicked
free of him and scrambled to her feet. He grabbed the strap of her
camera and her body jerked violently. She landed on her side as a
fist pummeled her and pain exploded behind her eyes. She managed to
roll to her knees as another blow hit her shoulder. She fell
forward, but caught herself on her palms and kicked backward,
desperate not to end up on the ground under him.

She struggled for her feet,
but her vision blurred and the strap was like a noose around her
neck. The vinegary taste of fear filled her mouth. He heaved his
weight into her, smashing her against the wall. The strap tightened
again. Maddie gripped it with her hands. She tried to buck him off,
but he was strong and wiry and determined to get her into a
headlock. His arm clamped around her throat. She turned her head to
the side and bit
hard
through the fabric of his T-shirt. The grip loosened for a
moment and she twisted free of the strap, the arms, the fingers
clawing at her. Adrenaline burst through her veins as she realized
this might be her only chance.

She rolled to her feet and
rocketed down the alley, toward the noise and cars and people that
meant safety.
Faster, faster,
faster!
Every cell in her body throbbed
with the knowledge that he was behind her. Her heart hammered. Her
muscles strained.
Faster!
For the first time, she thought of a gun and
imagined a bullet tearing through skin and bone. She surged
forward, shrieking hoarsely and racing for the mouth of the
alley.