Midnight Pursuits Read Online Free Page A

rid the earth of them, but no matter how many evil fucks she eliminated, five more cropped up to take their place.
    But Henry wasn’t like her. In spite of their childhood, he believed everyone possessed some shred of good, making it his mission in life to help others. And even though she found his bleeding heart incredibly annoying and oftentimes inconvenient, Henry’s compassionate nature was her favorite quality of his. How ironic was that?
    â€œI don’t like it,” he mumbled. “You’re not a blonde.”
    She couldn’t argue. Thanks to her olive skin tone, she didn’t pull off blond hair as well as some of her colleagues, but since she was still wanted in Europe and couldn’t very well advertise her presence, she’d had to disguise herself in a hurry, which meant making do with what she’d found in the gift shop of her Vegas hotel. The wig, tortoiseshell glasses, and preppy outfit did a sufficient enough job, and the makeup she’d used had succeeded in giving her a fair, washed-out look.
    She shrugged out of her brown suede jacket and headed for the metal chair next to Henry’s bed, lowering her weary body onto it and arching her sore back in a long stretch. With her boss on assignment, the “company” jet had been available, but Juliet hadn’t been able to enjoy Noelle’s luxurious aircraft. Rather than curl up in one of the plush cabin chairs and sleep, she’d spent the long flight fretting about her brother and making use of her colleague Paige’s tech skills to figure out what happened to Henry.
    Paige had hacked into the Minsk police department and e-mailed Juliet the preliminary report she’d found on the lead detective’s computer. Unfortunately, all they knew so far was that Henry and his fiancée, Zoya, had been shot by an unknown intruder. According to the report, Henry had arrived home to find Zoya’s lifeless body crumpled on the floor. The gunman then opened fire on Henry, who’d miraculously survived the four shots and was able to call the police and even give a brief statement before losing consciousness.
    There had been no other details in the detective’s notes, which meant Juliet would need to rely on Henry’s recollection to piece everything together.
    Now she raked a tired hand through her shoulder-length blond wig and met his slightly glazed eyes.
    â€œWhat happened?” she asked quietly.
    Henry’s English and Scottish heritage had given him a lily-white complexion that burned crimson in the summer, but tonight his skin was so ashen, he looked like a character from a vampire movie. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he drew a labored breath, and then he gazed at her with such anguish that her heart constricted with pain.
    â€œHe killed her,” Henry whispered. “He killed Zoya.”
    Juliet forced herself to suppress all emotion. If she wanted to find the person who’d done this to Henry, she needed to keep a clear head and treat him not like a brother, but a man she needed answers from.
    â€œThe police report said you came home and found her body. Did you recognize the man who shot her?”
    Confusion filled his eyes. “Yes. I mean, no. I don’t know.” He started to wheeze again, his heart monitor speeding up. “I don’t . . . know . . . She was just lying there . . . and he . . . he looked annoyed with me. I left the hospital . . . I left early. And he . . .”
    Juliet held up her hand to silence him. “Stop. Take a breath, little brother. You need to relax.”
    He did as ordered, sucking in deep gulps of air.
    â€œOkay, let’s start again.” She leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. “You were working at the hospital. This hospital?”
    He shook his head. “A little town . . . two hours north. Only three doctors on staff, a couple of