From then on, she’d tried to view Oliver Hale as just her boss. To be indifferent to his charisma. But often she’d feel his dark gaze on her, and her blood would heat. A syrupy heaviness would descend low in her belly and the pulse in her neck would signal that her body was interested, even if her mind tried desperately not to be.
Surely her body’s betrayal should have spelled danger. Told her that her boss was someone she should keep away from. And yet, like a moth to the flame, she’d let herself be drawn to him.
Until she’d crossed a line that she could not come back from.
Mostly now, she could distract herself from the memories. Working herself to the point of exhaustion, then going to the gym and running on the treadmill until her legs ached. Going home to her mom and dad’s in the evening, because she still hadn’t bothered to get her own place. It was as if she was only visiting…
But in her bed at night, that was when her body ached for his touch.
She prided herself on her refusal to give in to the longing. It didn’t matter how intense the dreams were, how hot and frustrated she was, she refused to pleasure herself. That would be tantamount to admitting he’d won. That he’d defeated her.
Instead, she took cold showers and worked on meaningless incident reports and interminable administration and just—didn’t let herselffeel.
Until today.
Damn it. And damn Saul for tempting her to go back to Motham.
Oliver won’t be there.
The memories will.
Arriving at the station, she yanked on the brake, then grabbed her bag and jumped out of the car. Writing up the poodle parlor report would take her the best part of the afternoon.
This case would keep her busy, there were a few witnesses to interview, she told herself as she strode inside the building.
She startled as someone stepped out of the shadows and grasped her arm.
Clare swung round to see a woman, older than she remembered her, wan and haggard, her pale blue eyes clouded with worry.
“Hello, Jo,” Clare said, masking her surprise. Jo was her estranged best friend Natalie’s mom, a blast from the past. “What are you doing here?”
“Can we speak?” Jo’s eyes pleaded with her.
“Sure, come into an interview room.” Clare led the way, closed the door and motioned for the older woman to sit. “How’s Natalie?”
Jo sank down at the table and immediately burst into tears.
Alarmed, Clare grabbed a tissue box off the shelf and handed it to the older woman, then sat down opposite her. “What’s happened?”
“Natalie’s gone missing.”
“From where?”
“Motham City.”
Clare’s eyes widened. “Motham?”
It didn’t make sense. Natalie wouldn’t go to Motham City, she’d always been terrified of monsters.
Jo nodded, grabbing a wad of tissues. “Natalie took a job in Motham, as a secretary, for a firm of accountant nagas eight months ago. She was working forsnakes, Clare, can you imagine? I tried to stop her, I really did. But…” Jo gulped and swiped at her eyes with the tissue. “After you went and worked in Motham, all she wanted was to get a job there too.”
“That’s crazy. She was horrified when I went to work for Motham PD.”
“She was envious of you.”
“Envious?” Clare shook her head, frowning. “I think you’ve got that wrong, Jo.”
“She kept saying she wished she had the courage to work in Motham. She became obsessed with the idea, to the point that it worried her dad and me. We got her to see a counsellor at one stage. But we didn’t ever think she’d do it, not for a moment.”
