Guardian (The Protectors Series) Read Online Free Page A

there.”
    “That works. Come on, I’ll introduce you to the FBI agent working with us on this.”
    Footsteps came closer. Mel steeled herself. Deep breath. In. Out. In.
    “Stefan, this is Special Agent Wray. Mel, meet Dr. Stefan Harper, our medical consultant.”
    Mel squared her shoulders and turned to greet the man who had broken her heart.

Chapter 2
    S tefan’s chocolate-brown eyes widened in shock, then narrowed, then turned bland, all in the space of a heartbeat. His steady gaze held no trace of the heat she’d once inspired. Or the hurt she’d seen when they’d last met.
    Neither of which she wanted to see, so why the hell was her heart skipping like a kid playing hopscotch?
    He gave her a little nod. “Cami. Good to see you again.” He extended his hand. Touching him was the last thing she wanted to do, but she couldn’t refuse.
    She pasted her most businesslike smile on her face. “Likewise,” she lied, in a steady voice at odds with her irrational and obviously hormonal pulse. When their hands touched, she had to clench her jaw against the zing that went up her arm. The slight narrowing of his eyes said he’d felt it, too. But he could dream on if he thought she’d admit to feeling the sizzle. Not after all this time. No way.
    “I go by Mel now,” she said, pleased that her voice was steady and strong. The less girlish name served her better in the male-dominated world of law enforcement.
    “Oh, y’all know each other,” the sheriff said. “Great. Saves time.”
    The dispatcher, Angela, called Burton to the phone, leaving Mel and Stefan in awkward silence. Suddenly, she realized she was still grasping his hand. She released it and took a small step back without even meaning to. Damn it.
    Squaring her shoulders, she looked him straight in the eye. “Sheriff Burton said you were from this area. Where are you practicing?”
    A cool, ironic smile flickered over his mouth. “I’m the chief in-house physician at the Georgia Institute for Paranormal Research, near Brunswick.”
    She stopped the No, really just before it slipped out. Something in that smile of his dared her to say it.
    “Does that involve a lot of toxicology?” She managed to make her voice cool and professional instead of snide.
    “You’ll find a list of my papers on the Institute website. There are a few on toxicology.”
    He sounded casual, but she had the distinct impression of a gauntlet flung. More than anyone, he knew how intensely she hated this woo-woo crap, and why. He was the only person she’d told about how she’d been ostracized, even bullied, in her small, rural hometown because of her mother’s persistent public advocacy of far-out New Age ideas. But that wasn’t the point. Mel couldn’t trust the resolution of Cinda’s case to such nonsense. He’d been brilliant once, but that wasn’t good enough. Paranormal research, my ass .
    “You know,” she said, “the Bureau has toxicologists on staff. Now that we’re involved, Sheriff Burton could save what are probably scarce funds.” And he would opt for those savings just as soon as she had the chance to bend his ear.
    “The sheriff likes having someone who knows the ground,” Stefan replied, and her blood pressure spiked. Still smiling, he added, “Besides, I’m interested now.”
    Joining them, Dan Burton chuckled. “You don’t need to worry, Mel. Everybody in town knows Stefan. We’ll get value for our money.”
    She very much doubted that, considering he’d chosen to work in the Twilight Zone. Even though the Georgia Bureau of Investigation did recommend him. “Sheriff, I need to speak with you before we head out.”
    He glanced at the clock. “It’ll have to keep. We gotta get out there.”
    “But—”
    He strode past the counter and out into the corridor that bisected the courthouse.
    “Dan hates being late,” Stefan said softly as they fell in step behind him.
    His casual tone and use of the sheriff’s first name implied he and Burton