Simon Says Die

brought up the subject of his fiancée. Part of her was actually happy for him that he’d found a woman he loved who loved him in return.
    The other part of her wanted to use his fiancée for target practice.
    â€œI put the word out I was looking for you,” he said. “A friend at Metro PD called when he saw your car parked in front of the cemetery. I put the word out hours ago.”
    His earlier question— Where have you been all day? —hung in the air between them.
    She wasn’t about to tell him she’d basically hidden from him all day. “Since you’re out of the hospital, I guess you were right about the ribs not being broken.”
    â€œScratched and bruised. How’s the ankle?”
    She lifted her jean-clad leg, revealing the pink-colored bandage she’d chosen at the hospital, wrapped around her ankle. “A light sprain, barely hurts anymore, especially with the painkillers they gave me.” She lowered her leg as the image of Pierce being shot flashed through her mind again, as it had so many times today. “I never thanked you for risking your life for me this morning. You could have been killed.”
    â€œThank me by telling me who you were chasing, and why you were chasing him.”
    Her pulse started pounding in her ears. If he suspected what she suspected, he’d do one of two things. He’d either insist on telling Logan so her brother could help her, or he’d insist on helping her himself.
    The first option didn’t appeal to her at all.
    The second option appealed to her far too much.
    â€œWho was he?” he repeated.
    â€œI have no idea.” She shoved her hair back behind her ears. “Some vagrant, I suppose.” She’d tried to sound flippant, but the way his mouth tightened told her she’d failed.
    â€œDescribe him.”
    â€œYou saw him too,” she hedged. “ You describe him.”
    â€œI only caught a quick glimpse.”
    â€œYou’re a trained FBI agent.”
    He shrugged.
    She crossed her arms and sat back. “Apparently, neither of us got a good look at him.”
    His expression hardened. “You didn’t get a good look at the shooter, huh?”
    â€œNope.” She shoved her hair back behind her ear again.
    â€œAll right. I’ll play that game. The man you were chasing was a few inches shorter than me, about six feet tall. Thin, maybe a buck seventy. Caucasian, between thirty-five and forty. Faded jeans. New, white sneakers. Denim jacket, waist-length, unzipped halfway. The hood was pulled up, so I couldn’t see his face. He was wearing a black T-shirt under the jacket. How am I doing so far?”
    He’d gotten every detail right. She forced a nervous laugh. “You should have been the one the police interrogated if you saw him that well.”
    â€œThey did interrogate me. After I left the hospital, I went to the station to give a statement, and to talk to you. But you were already gone.”
    â€œI had nothing else to say so I left.”
    â€œHamilton told me his men investigated each of your nine-one-one calls, and they never found any evidence to support your claims about a stalker. Is that why you took the law into your own hands today?”
    She bristled and crossed her arms. “My claims ?”
    â€œYou should have called the police this morning. Vigilantes get themselves— or other people— killed.”
    She drew in a sharp breath. “That’s not fair. I never asked for your help. And the people I did ask for help—the police—threatened to arrest me. Did Hamilton tell you that part, that he threatened to arrest me for abusing the nine-one-one system and for filing false police reports if I called again?” She jabbed her finger against his thigh to make her point. “When the law lets you down, you have no one to depend on but yourself.”
    He grabbed her hand, flattening it against his leg. “I’m sure they were bluffing. They wouldn’t have arrested you. And if you felt the police had failed you,” he continued, “then why didn’t you tell Logan what was going on? Hamilton would listen to a police chief, regardless of his jurisdiction. Logan would have made sure someone helped you.”
    Madison couldn’t concentrate with his warm hand holding hers. It felt far too good, and seeing him again made her realize how much she’d missed him. She reluctantly