Fatal Freeze. Michelle Karl

promise you, I’m not involved. Not the way you’re thinking, anyway. It’s complicated, so trust me when I say you need to stay out of this. Let me handle it.”

      She rolled her eyes, making no effort to hide her frustration. Her limbs were locked tight against her small body, as though he had a contagious disease. The hostility astounded him, especially considering he’d saved her from a potentially life-threatening situation. “It’s been a long time, Lexie. How’ve you been? What have you been up to?”

      “You ask a lot of questions, Carver,” she snapped. “You a cop? Got a badge to show me?”

      Shaun rubbed his jaw. He needed to stop her from using his name. “It’s Lane. Shaun Lane.”

      She arched a delicate eyebrow. “Is it now? I have a good memory for these kinds of things.”

      He swallowed hard. He’d faced down terrorists and real-life villains without so much as a flinch. Why did Lexie’s observations bring a lump to his throat? “We all make changes. I got your name wrong, didn’t I?”

      “A shorter version of a long first name is a little different than an entirely new last name.”

      He needed to move this along before she started asking questions he couldn’t answer. “Look, I work for...the government, and let’s leave it at that. What about you? I’m getting a PI vibe, but I suspect that’s not right, either.”

      A hint of a wry smile touched her lips. “No. I’m the vice president and a support counselor for a volunteer missing-persons organization.”

      Her shoulders dropped, and Shaun couldn’t help but notice the purple bruise forming across her throat. “Hey, are you actually okay? That looks painful.”

      Lexie lifted pale fingers to the bruise, wincing at the touch. A small silver name bracelet slid from her wrist to her forearm. Shaun could just make out the engraving as the setting sunlight glinted off the name plate. Nikki.

      “I’ll be fine. I’m alive, and that’s what matters.”

      Silence returned for a moment as Shaun churned over what to say next that wouldn’t shut her down further. Lexie seemed to come to a decision when he didn’t press her for more information. “The organization is named Lead Me Home National. We search for missing persons in Canada that law enforcement like the local police or even Interpol have given up on, or who aren’t considered ‘missing’ for whatever reason. Or the family might fear going to the police, maybe because they or the family member entered the country illegally, that kind of thing. I’m searching for a girl named Maria who disappeared a few months ago.”

      Shaun’s heart sank. “You aid and abet illegal immigrants?”

      Lexie lifted the folder and slammed it down on her lap, fire blazing in her eyes. “No. It’s a matter of human rights. Of everyone’s right to have someone looking out for them, even when everyone else has given up, even when...”

      Her voice trailed off, hitching on her words. The fierceness in her eyes had been replaced by a red-rimmed sadness, which she was trying unsuccessfully to blink away. Shaun laid his hand on her shoulder and mentally kicked himself. Everyone dealt with trauma differently, and clearly the events of the past hour had brought something painful to the forefront.

      “Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.” He scanned the room, desperate for a way to prevent her tears from flowing. He’d been the cause of too many tears in the distant and recent past, thanks to this job. Learning how to balance relationships and job requirements was a steeper learning curve than he’d ever expected. In a way, it had been easier before he’d realized how much he longed to share his life in a deep, committed relationship with someone who understood his drive to help and protect others.

      Shaun’s gaze landed on the coffee bar in the center of the room, where baristas handed out drinks and pastries to the waiting customers. He turned his attention back to Lexie, who was staring at his hand where it rested on her shoulder.

      “Uh, I...” Shaun pulled his hand away and stood. “Can I get you a coffee? You look like you could use the caffeine.”

      Pink rose in her cheeks. “One cream, please.”

      At the coffee bar, Shaun kept his attention split between his place in line and Lexie. His stomach churned with frustration, and he found he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. She’d be much safer if she stayed put and allowed him to do the searching for her attacker. It’d be foolish to encourage an unarmed woman to take on an opponent who’d just proven himself physically stronger than she.

      Besides, he had his own search to conduct, and the people he’d come to search for were far more dangerous than a random man in a ski mask. Still, the coincidence made him pause. Here was a woman also searching for a missing person, and she’d been the victim of an attack. Could there be a connection?

      Whether there was or not, a civilian nosing around for any reason might get herself hurt—she’d already gotten herself hurt. It could be worse, next time. Lexie’s interference might also compromise his plans and destroy three years of painstaking intel and recon, putting the lives of those in the ring’s clutches in further danger.

      And while he understood God would forgive him if he messed this one up, he knew he would never, ever, forgive himself.

       TWO

      Lexie stared at the photo of Maria, but her real focus was elsewhere. She could barely believe it—she hadn’t seen Shaun Carver for nearly a decade. She’d been sixteen years old when they’d first met, and he had been the hottest guy on the YouthBuilders’ mission trip to Botswana—and he’d known it, too. She’d disliked him the moment they met, but not because she hadn’t been attracted to him. It was because her sister had been, despite the point of the trip being to build a school for the local orphanage, not finding a future husband among the mission team. But when had Nikki ever done what she was supposed to?

      She’d recognized him instantly on the parking deck, despite the strange lumberjack getup. He looked just as handsome as the day he’d broken her sister’s heart. Shattered it to a million pieces is how Nikki had phrased it. What kind of guy would be so cruel as to lead a girl on, promising her the world and then dumping her the minute things got “complicated”? At least he’d recognized her, too, so he’d understand why she might be less than thrilled to see him. If she’d known he would be on this ferry, she’d have waited for the next boat.

      What she really didn’t understand was why he’d been acting so cheerful and laissez-faire about bumping into her after all this time. Could he really be so clueless? Did he honestly have no idea what he’d done? His cruelty had sent Nikki into the arms of a rebound boyfriend, a guy who’d clearly been a terrible influence and only encouraged her reckless personality...resulting in her disappearance. Or as Lexie believed, her kidnapping. It would have been easier to ignore Shaun and walk away when he’d asked about her work, but memories of Nikki had bubbled to the surface and she’d barely shut them down in time. Working on Maria’s case felt too close to home at times, but it was getting easier to shove her grief aside—after all, it had been eight years since Nikki’s disappearance. Lexie figured it was about time.

      Lexie needed focus, because without it, another girl might very well disappear forever. Maria had already been missing for three months, and the longer it took to find her, the less likely she’d be found at all. While Maria’s parents believed the girl had run away, Lexie had seen Maria’s dress for her prom next month. According to her parents, Maria had saved up her earnings for a year to afford the five-hundred-dollar dream dress for the event. What kind of teenager would willingly give that up after working so hard for it?

      It was tough enough to search for missing people when giving it her full focus, but having Shaun Carver—sorry, Lane—around provided an unwanted level of complication. A government lackey? Please. Guys like him were nothing but nosy, brawny wannabe heroes.