Almost Midnight (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3.5)(28)

“Why isn’t important. It’s just the way it is. I’m not going there. I’m completely happy the way things are, happy with me … not being a couple.” It was such a huge mistruth she could hear her swollen heart doing all sorts of erratic thumps, each one hitting against her sternum and calling her a lying bitch.

“No,” he said, “I can’t accept that.”

“You’re going to have to accept it. Because that’s just the way it is, Steve. We went on a mission and we did great. We did what we were sent to do and thanks to both of us the world might be a little safer. But what happened between us needs to end. I’m not right for you.”

He studied her. “Who are you right for?” he asked, sounding jealous.

“I’m not right for anyone,” she said and her heart didn’t race or mark that as a lie. She had loved already. Loved and lost. “It’s over, Steve. Just accept it.”

She started running and right before she leapt over the fence she heard him.

“We’ll see about that.” His words rang in her ears. A promise or a threat, she didn’t know. But the idea of it being a promise chased away the biggest part of the pain she carried in her heart.

As she walked inside her cabin, she breathed in the scents of home—the smell of Miranda’s fruity shampoo, and her scented candles. Della could even pick up the scent of Kylie’s favorite lotion.

Standing in the living room, Della let herself feel the tiniest bit of pride that she’d completed the mission. The feeling reconfirmed that she wanted to pursue a career in catching bad guys.

Walking into her bedroom, she opened her bottom drawer and pulled out the pictures. Images of her and her family, and others of her and Lee. All captured moments with emotion. Memories that now hurt to think about.

She started to rip them all up, but then on second thought, she dropped the pictures of her family back into the drawer. Some things she couldn’t give up on. But others …

She tore the snapshots of her and Lee into little pieces and let the tiny specks of paper rain down into the garbage. Then she went to her bed and flopped down on her back and stared at the ceiling.

We’ll see about that. Steve’s words echoed in her head like the lyrics of a song—a good song, one that crawled into your head and replayed itself over and over.

She closed her eyes. Life might have thrown her some punches this last year, but Della Tsang didn’t go down easy. She was just going to punch back.





Unbreakable



SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 6 A.M.





BREAKING NEWS


Missing plane spotted in Jasper Mountain Range According to a statement from Sheriff Ted Carter, wreckage of a Cessna 210, believed to be the same one flown by Dr. Edward Tallman, was spotted in the Jasper Mountain Range. A SAR (Search and Rescue) team was called in when twenty minutes after takeoff the plane fell off radar yesterday at 4:20. Two helicopters from Mountain Rescue Association (MRA) searched the perimeter of the area yesterday but didn’t spot the downed plane until this morning. Due to low clouds and high winds, visibility of the crash site was poor and they were unable to spot any signs of survivors. Flying with Dr. Tallman were his wife, Amy, their two teenage children, Mindy and Chase, as well as a family friend, Tami Collins.

Emergency ground crews have been put on call, but are waiting for a break in the weather. A spokeswoman was quoted saying that they know it’s imperative to get to the site as soon as possible, but the safety of their crew must be considered.

It was speculated that Dr. Tallman and his family may have flown into Jasper to take part in a genetic study, however no local research facility reports any of the Tallmans’ participation. Meanwhile, friends of the Tallman family and the parents of Tami Collins are in Jasper praying the news will be good once Search and Rescue teams are on the ground.





Chapter One


ONE DAY EARLIER: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 10:30 A.M.

Chase Tallman watched as the bright-eyed, bloodthirsty lab tech tied a large elastic band around the middle of his arm hoping to expose a few of Chase’s veins.

“There’s a good one,” the woman said as she passed two fingers over the crook of his arm where a blue vein now bulged out. “You have great veins,” she said, sounding sincere.

Her hands were cold. Extra cold, making a chill run up his arm.

“Just a little stick and we’ll be done.” She smiled at him and reached over to pick up the needle with the large tube attached, taking the plastic tip off the syringe. Shit! How much blood did the woman need?

He freaking hated needles. But he didn’t flinch. Fourteen was too old to flinch. He hadn’t even cried when he broke his arm last summer during baseball practice. It had hurt like hell, but his coach had been the one to take him to the hospital and the last thing he’d wanted was to look weak in front of his coach.

Chase glanced around the small lab in the doctor’s office that was practically hidden in some remote part of the Rockies. He wasn’t exactly sure why his dad had insisted on them taking part in this research study, but it had to be pretty important for his dad to get his plane checked out and fly them up from Houston to participate.

Not that Chase liked it. Who gave up their blood for no reason? But the promise of a weekend in a cabin in the mountains, plus the plane ride, made it worth it. The fact that his sister’s best friend, Tami Collins, tagged along, made it more than worth it. Hell, he’d let them stick him with needles all day for the pleasure of seeing her in her bathing suit again. Holy cow, she’d looked hot last night when she’d joined him and his sister in the hot tub.