The blaze reached toward the night sky, leaping away
from firefighters and warring with the billowing smoke
trying to blot out the stars. It was mesmerizing, might
even have been beautiful, if the end result wasn't so
devastating.
Rick Dreyer had better things to look for. His boss
would ask if this fire was tied to the case he was working
and the woman under his surveillance or simply a lousy
coincidence.
It was a sucker bet and a Murphy's Law kind of moment,
but he was too jaded to assume coincidence.
Using the cover of displaced residents and gawking
bystanders, he skirted the crowd to keep his target in
sight. The target, a gorgeous brunette, was the only perk
of this assignment. Her hourglass figure and sleek, long
hair would tempt any breathing man. But there was something
in her eyes, a wariness he caught whenever he zoomed in
with the camera lens or binoculars. It made him wonder what
put it there.
He didn't care for the feeling. Wondering, experiencing
genuine concern about a target wasn't in his repertoire
anymore. He worked his cases straight forward and knew the
boss valued his ability to remain neutral.
As far as the current case went, Nicole Livingston
wasn't a threat to the client. Being displaced by a fire
just weeks before Thanksgiving didn't constitute immediate
danger. Pulling out his phone, he sent a cursory alert to
the office until he could file the full report.
Relieved he could leave Virginia as soon as he finished
the appointment slated for the morning, he knew it was time
to walk away.
He moved closer.