her go. His fingers slid across her palm before his hand dropped back to his side.
Even when he let go, she could have sworn that she still felt the heat from his touch.
“Hastings! Chloe Hastings!”
She recognized the voice that was bellowing her name. Business was calling. There would be explanations to make. Paperwork to sign. Checks to collect. The usual. All in a day’s work for her, really. Time to make her departure. “It was good to meet you, Dr. Landry.”
“Forget the doctor part. It’s just Landry.” His voice was a growl. “Or Joel.”
No, I don’t think you are ever “just” anything. The man was unusual. He’d committed a truly fatal sin while in the bank with her. He’d made her curious.
Few things could penetrate the veil that seemed to surround her. Chloe had always known she was different from other people. She didn’t respond to things the way others did. She didn’t laugh often. She didn’t feel the rush of emotions that others seemed to enjoy so easily.
Most days, she felt as if nothing at all touched her.
Today, Joel Landry had touched her.
“You’re quite an unforgettable man,” she told him with complete sincerity.
“Trust me, lady, you are—”
“Chloe! Dammit, I know you heard me calling your name!” The growling voice of Detective Cedric Coleman was coming from right behind her.
Joel had stiffened slightly when the other man approached. A small movement, but one she’d noticed. After all, she noticed everything. Part of her gift. Or curse. Or whatever the world wanted to call it. Personally, Chloe had never cared very much for labels.
Cedric’s hand curled around her shoulder. “Are you okay?” His voice dropped with concern.
“I’m perfectly fine.” But his concern was kind. Chloe waved toward Joel. “He’s the one who was grazed by a bullet.” Unnecessarily. Hero complex.
Cedric yanked out his ID and flashed it at Joel. “Police Detective Cedric Coleman.” Both men were of similar height. But while Joel appeared decidedly rugged with his rough, good looks and the muscles that she could see straining against the old t-shirt he wore—a bloody t-shirt, now, thanks to the shooter—Cedric was far more elegant. Even at crime scenes, he dressed to impress, though she had no idea why he felt the need to do that. Cedric was one of the best cops that she’d ever met. That was the reason she kept working with him instead of moving on to another city.
Before Cedric, she had been moving a lot. City to city. Tracking, always tracking her elusive prey. But Cedric had asked her to stay.
So she had.
But perhaps it was time to leave again. She couldn’t quite decide yet.
Cedric shoved his ID back into his pocket. His suit coat slid with the movement to reveal the holster on his hip. He quickly smoothed his coat back into position, crossed his arms over his chest, and glowered at Joel. The sun kept beating down on him, but not a drop of sweat marred Cedric’s skin. How did he do that?
While he looked perfect, she was melting. Summers in England were very, very different from the sweltering days in Louisiana.
“You were shot inside the bank?” Cedric asked Joel. Cedric paced a little away from Chloe as he seemed to size up Joel.
“Grazed,” Joel replied blandly. “Barely a graze.”
“You’re lucky. People who hang with Chloe usually get much worse.”
That was rude. And uncomfortably true. Cedric had actually taken a knife to the ribs when he’d been hunting with her a few months back. “And here I thought you were concerned about me.” His concern had obviously been fleeting.
“I am concerned.”
She lifted her brows. He no longer sounded concerned.
“Fine, I was concerned, but I can see now that you’re not hurt, and that’s great but…” A frustrated exhale. Poor Cedric. She knew that he tended to get frustrated quite a bit when they worked together. Most people had that reaction to her. “Chloe, why the hell were you even working this case?” Cedric blasted as his voice rose. Definitely annoyed now. “You know that you are supposed to be—”
“Hey, buddy!” Joel’s voice.
Chloe lifted a brow when Joel stepped between her and Cedric.
“How about not yelling at her?” Joel advised flatly. “She’s had one hell of a morning.”
The morning honestly hadn’t been that unusual for her. Chloe cocked her head. She should explain a few things to Joel. “Cedric isn’t your buddy. He’s someone who can arrest you if you piss him off.” Had he not paid attention to the ID and badge? “I wouldn’t