When Fall Fades (The Girl Next Door Series Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

rest of his day and he realized that he’d neglected his stomach, so he stopped for a burger and ate while he drove. Trying to clear his head, he turned on the radio to the sports network to catch some of the Cardinals game.
    At one time, baseball had been his greatest escape. He’d been scouted in high school and might’ve had a shot at the bigs. But in the end he knew that even if he’d invested years in the minors, he might never have made it to the show, and the last thing he wanted to do was chase some pipe dream and end up like his father—poisoned by disappointment.
    It was one of the main reasons Archer didn’t invest in a lot of relationships, romantic or otherwise. His dedication to be the best at his job made it impossible to have the time or energy to invest in anyone else. And after years of being treated like an afterthought, Archer knew he’d rather be alone than inflict those kinds of wounds on anyone else.
    He shook the pointless thoughts away and pulled into the shooting range just as Sal stepped out of his car. Archer removed his jacket, slung it over his shoulder and approached his opponent. “You ready to get schooled, Sally ?”
    Sal tipped down his matching aviators. “Dude, just cuz your name’s Archer doesn’t mean you’ve got good aim with a gun.”
    “I’m just surprised you keep showing up. All this losing week after week, gotta be tough on the ego, brother.”
    “Bring it, Hayes.”
    Archer laughed. “Oh, I brought it.”
    After Archer mopped the floor with Sal during their training exercises, they sat together putting away their extra ammo and equipment. Sal was always a good sport, but Archer threw him a bone anyway. “Well I do love winning, but I gotta say, you’re gaining on me.”
    Sal chuckled, shaking his head. “Thanks man, I’m learning from the best.” Raising his water bottle in a mock toast, he took a swig. “Hey, I’m meeting some friends at Hacienda for dinner. Best enchiladas in town. Wanna join?”
    “Sounds tempting,” Archer lied. “But I had a burger on the way over. Maybe next time.”
    “Absolutely. I can’t believe you’ve lived here this long and never been. It’s a cryin’ shame.”
    Archer shrugged, wishing Sal would take the hint and stop asking to hang out after hours.
    “Hey, whatever happened at the scene with that old conspiracy nut? You were gone all day. Natural causes shouldn’t have taken that long.”
    “Looks good for murder, if you can believe it.” Archer shoved a reloaded magazine into his Glock, felt tension weave back through the muscle fibers in his neck as he gave Sal the rundown.
    “… And then this witness left the scene and I had to track her down hours later. It was a long day.”
    “Did you get to question her?”
    “Yeah, at her place after she tore me a new one.” He scoffed, but not a moment later, the feisty blonde barged into his memory. The woman was a landmine, so tightly wound one wrong step could set her off. But strangely, she also possessed some element of grace that reminded Archer of Sunday morning as a kid.
    Sadie Carson. A conundrum or a basket case?
    Sure, she had the kind of curves that could drive a less disciplined man to his knees with one glance. Those curves hadn’t escaped notice, but the ones tracing like the work of a sketch artist in his mind were the curves of her face, a pert little nose, stubborn chin, generously proportioned lips—the girl was seriously attractive, but so what? He’d encountered plenty of attractive women over the years and yet none of them had ever lodged like a bullet fragment in his brain. Not like this. Archer cleared his throat to change the subject.
    “Did you just blush?” Sal grinned. “Hold the phone! Who is this dame?”
    “Nobody—”
      “Man, she’s got you all worked up! Is she fine?”
    “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    “Yeah, right.” Sal lifted his chin, an impish grin begging for a world of hurt. Reading Archer’s