Hostile Desires Read Online Free Page B

have found was what I could find in the news.”
    “And what is the other reason?” Graeme asked.
    “If the bastard who killed Jenny Kalani is still roaming the island, they don’t want him knowing that gun has been used in a killing. He might freak out. If he doesn’t know it is missing right now, we have an advantage.” He sighed. “And there is the family to consider.”
    “Don’t you think they want to know if there is a lead in the case?”
    “Yes. But we also don’t want to get their hopes up. This might not lead anywhere. He might have snatched it from a home, or found it in one of the many drug hangouts. Finding him and the gun is of the utmost importance. If we don’t, and we can’t figure out how it ended up in his hands, or where it came from before then, we just won’t be able to do much.”
    It sounded like a bitch of a case, and it also sounded as if this was all leading up to something very bad for him. “And you are telling me this because...”
    “You’re lead.”
    It took a second to seep into his brain. “I’m lead?”
    Del nodded.
    “ Bloody hell . Doesn’t Adam usually take these cases? He knows more people on the island than any of us. He’d have an easier time of working it than I would.”
    “Yes, but he’s got a bead on a human trafficking case. Cat and Marcus are working with the FBI and Secret Service on some kind of threat assessment for an upcoming conference.”
    “Bollocks. Marcus is working that one because that Tamilya is working the case for Dillon Securities for a few of the corporate bigwigs. Cat could handle it by herself easily.”
    The former DC cop had a thing for one of the security analysts, who worked at a private firm on the island. Marcus had been more than a little distracted by her.
    “Maybe, but he’s our best trained terrorist expert after working in DC for so many years. So that leaves you. Any of the team, including me, can help you, but I need someone to lead this up.”
    Bloody hell, he didn’t like this. He hated working kid cases, even if the kid had been killed before he had been born. He could take a straight adult homicide any day, but throw in a kid...Graeme hated them. It was mainly because he never knew how to handle the parents’ grief. He knew, even after all these years, the parents would be thrown back into their pain...reminded of their loss.
    But he didn’t really have a choice, so he nodded.
    “Another thing. You’ll need help from the doc on this. I know you two don’t get along well, but her insight will help you with the case.”
    “I can work with her, if she can keep herself from being a pain in the arse.”
    Del shook his head. “Cut her some slack. She’s not always that comfortable with policemen.”
    “She has no problem with you.”
    Del hesitated, as if weighing something mentally. Then he asked, “I guess you know she was married?”
    Graeme nodded.
    “He was a cop. Their breakup wasn’t pretty.”
    “Is there a breakup that is?”
    “True, but this one played out in the press. They worked together, and she pretty much got shut out after that. It almost ruined her career. She has a chip on her shoulder, and maybe you hit too close to home.”
    He wasn’t really sure what that meant, and he didn’t want to. He just wanted to stay away from the prickly Englishwoman. If she stayed mad at him, it would be easier to resist the temptation she presented.
    “Okay. You know me, boss. I’m going to go where you send me.”
    Del nodded. “Thanks. They wanted me to take lead, but with my mom and sisters coming in next week, Emma has been kind of...well, hyper.”
    Graeme chuckled as he thought of Del’s bride-to-be. “Emma and hyper sort of go hand in hand.”
    “Double it. No, triple it. She is so freaked out about the wedding that she’s made herself sick. I have to deal with her and Sean, who blames me.”
    Del’s fiancée, Emma Taylor, had a very protective half brother, so Graeme could just