EdgeofEcstasy Read Online Free Page B

do it to her satisfaction.
    Kelly remained silent, the quiet lengthening between them.
Melissa calculated the repercussions in her head, grateful for a moment to do
so. She watched Kelly gazing at her. A lightning-quick glance at Matt saw him
standing up but not making any move. His obvious love and defensiveness for
Kelly softened Melissa’s heart and she decided to change the subject while her
brain continued to process this new turn.
    “You can come and hover over her if you like,” she drawled
laughingly to Matt, resting her amused gaze on his face for a moment. The
clipped British tone had come back into her voice as she struggled internally.
Still more emotional than she’d have liked, she swallowed hard and cleared her
throat, speaking a bit more naturally when she continued.
    “Kelly is one of my oldest friends, one of only two people
left in this world whom I trust without question. I’m not going to strangle her
because she did something she thought best, even if I do need a moment to mentally
adjust to it.”
    Matt grinned, his blue eyes twinkling at her.
    “I just thought there might be a girl fight,” he lied
smoothly. The quick movement of his gaze as he watched Melissa’s hands and face
with a knowing, well-trained eye gave away the falsehood as much as his
defensive posture. “You know the kind I mean—the kind men pay to watch. Torn
clothes. Naked flesh. Sweating female bodies rolling around everywhere. I
needed to stand to see it better. No man is going to give up such a golden
opportunity.”
    Melissa snorted with laughter and looked from her friend to
Matt and back again. “I’m glad you kept him—he’s funny,” she said.
    Kelly nodded, a smile on her face but her eyes serious.
    “I know I’ve thrown you for a loop,” Kelly explained as if
the byplay between Melissa and Matt had not occurred. “And I know you think
I’ve lost the plot a bit. But truly, if anyone will be able to help—or know who
to go to for assistance—it’s Will. You’ll speak to him with us? He’s in another
office, visiting others in the team. He knows you won’t necessarily fall into
line, and it’s off the books, but he’s eager to sink his teeth into a new
problem. Will’s been complaining vocally about being buried in nothing but
paperwork and testimonies ever since the drug case was closed.”
    Not many months ago Will had been made the leader of a covert
mingled Enforcer-police team. Human, ex-army, strongly built and with short,
spiky blond hair—Melissa had only met the man once in passing and found him to
be exactly as Kelly had described him. Powerful in his own right, smart and
with a take-no-bullshit-attitude, the man was the epitome of a fierce leader.
    Again, it didn’t mean that Melissa felt right in handing
over the case of her friend’s murder to the man. Will had been an excellent captain
and from all the reports she had heard, he had been integral in the breakup of
a new drug. Jolt had smashed the boundaries, infused with magical essence that
had resulted in the death of a number of human youths. Potently addictive and
causing mental illnesses in countless users, its elimination had been a massive
undertaking, with Will in charge of it all.
    When a partial antidote had been discovered, Will and his
team had risen to the challenge again. With the aid of Kelly and Liv they had
stolen the partial antidote, completed the steps necessary and removed the drug
from the market and jailed those responsible.
    So unprecedented had their success been that Will had been
retained as the leader of the group, not just for his prowess but also, Melissa
guessed, because the members of his crew were so fiercely loyal to him that they
had threatened, pleaded and bargained until there was no other option.
    Melissa licked her tongue out to dampen her lower lip. After
only a tiny pause to gather her courage, she took what—for her at least—was a
deep plunge.
    “Okay, I’ll talk to him,” she conceded.