Autumn Jordon
June 19th, 2010, 10:23 AM
Evil's Witness is rated spicy but here is a sweet excerpt. The novel is on sale now at The WIld Rose Press, Amazon.com and B&N.com I hope you enjoy. AJ
“Are you going to tell me what Ben Stover had to say?” She dreaded hearing the news he’d learned. It couldn’t be good. He would’ve told her good news immediately.<O:p</O:p
“They lifted the prints from the guy at the mall and ran them through the system. Ben had a hit. A small time thief named Doug Antonelli, a.k.a. Dog. So you were right about his name. But, we haven’t had any luck searching the data banks for a Victor, yet.”
<O:p</O:p
She held on to a glimmer of hope. “You think you will though?”
<O:p</O:p
He nodded. “This guy didn’t just fall to earth with a plan to rob the U.S. Treasury of millions. He has to have come from somewhere—have some kind of record. We’ll find him. It’s just going to take some time.”
<O:p</O:p
“I won’t be stupid and ask how much?”
<O:p</O:p
“I appreciate that.” He smiled. As if realizing for the first time that she was washing dishes, he said, “I told you I’d do those, Steph.”<O:p</O:p
She’d noted before he’d shortened her name. She kind of liked the nickname.
<O:p</O:p
“That’s okay. This is therapy.” Stephanie shrugged and smiled at him as she rinsed another plate. “After the last twenty-four hours, I really needed to do something normal.”
<O:p</O:p
“I understand. I do the same thing when I’m done with a case.”
<O:p</O:p
Her hands stilled under the warm water. “You do?”
<O:p</O:p
“You look surprised.” He set his mug down, snatched the tea towel from the counter and started to dry the dishes from the rack.
<O:p</O:p
Gene had never helped her with the dishes.
<O:p</O:p
She washed and John dried. It was kind of nice standing side by side, talking, even though some of their conversation dealt with their lives being at stake. But there was something about a man wearing a gun, drying dishes that struck her as funny. Especially a barefooted one.
<O:p</O:p
She chuckled and he looked confused. “What?"
<O:p</O:p
“I’m sorry. It’s just you’re FBI.” Her cheeks warmed, again, the moment the idiotic words spilled from her mouth.
<O:p</O:p
“We have lives too. We don’t wait in sterile closets for the next case.” He laughed with her.
<O:p</O:p
She liked his laugh and the way his eyes sparkled.
<O:p</O:p
“Well, actually, I sort of had this picture of you in a smoke filled room, playing cards, waiting for the call. Then going to the sterile room to be briefed on the high-tech gadgets you’ll use on your mission.”
<O:p</O:p
“You’ve got it all wrong. I haven’t played cards in years.”
<O:p</O:p
“Oh, I see. That’s the only part wrong?”
<O:p</O:p
“Well, yeah.”
<O:p</O:p
“Hmm.” Stephanie’s heart pounded so hard in her chest she thought for sure John would hear it over the steady stream of tap water.
<O:p</O:p
He wore no ring. She wanted to ask him if there was a Mrs. Dolton, but she didn’t have the nerve.
“Are you going to tell me what Ben Stover had to say?” She dreaded hearing the news he’d learned. It couldn’t be good. He would’ve told her good news immediately.<O:p</O:p
“They lifted the prints from the guy at the mall and ran them through the system. Ben had a hit. A small time thief named Doug Antonelli, a.k.a. Dog. So you were right about his name. But, we haven’t had any luck searching the data banks for a Victor, yet.”
<O:p</O:p
She held on to a glimmer of hope. “You think you will though?”
<O:p</O:p
He nodded. “This guy didn’t just fall to earth with a plan to rob the U.S. Treasury of millions. He has to have come from somewhere—have some kind of record. We’ll find him. It’s just going to take some time.”
<O:p</O:p
“I won’t be stupid and ask how much?”
<O:p</O:p
“I appreciate that.” He smiled. As if realizing for the first time that she was washing dishes, he said, “I told you I’d do those, Steph.”<O:p</O:p
She’d noted before he’d shortened her name. She kind of liked the nickname.
<O:p</O:p
“That’s okay. This is therapy.” Stephanie shrugged and smiled at him as she rinsed another plate. “After the last twenty-four hours, I really needed to do something normal.”
<O:p</O:p
“I understand. I do the same thing when I’m done with a case.”
<O:p</O:p
Her hands stilled under the warm water. “You do?”
<O:p</O:p
“You look surprised.” He set his mug down, snatched the tea towel from the counter and started to dry the dishes from the rack.
<O:p</O:p
Gene had never helped her with the dishes.
<O:p</O:p
She washed and John dried. It was kind of nice standing side by side, talking, even though some of their conversation dealt with their lives being at stake. But there was something about a man wearing a gun, drying dishes that struck her as funny. Especially a barefooted one.
<O:p</O:p
She chuckled and he looked confused. “What?"
<O:p</O:p
“I’m sorry. It’s just you’re FBI.” Her cheeks warmed, again, the moment the idiotic words spilled from her mouth.
<O:p</O:p
“We have lives too. We don’t wait in sterile closets for the next case.” He laughed with her.
<O:p</O:p
She liked his laugh and the way his eyes sparkled.
<O:p</O:p
“Well, actually, I sort of had this picture of you in a smoke filled room, playing cards, waiting for the call. Then going to the sterile room to be briefed on the high-tech gadgets you’ll use on your mission.”
<O:p</O:p
“You’ve got it all wrong. I haven’t played cards in years.”
<O:p</O:p
“Oh, I see. That’s the only part wrong?”
<O:p</O:p
“Well, yeah.”
<O:p</O:p
“Hmm.” Stephanie’s heart pounded so hard in her chest she thought for sure John would hear it over the steady stream of tap water.
<O:p</O:p
He wore no ring. She wanted to ask him if there was a Mrs. Dolton, but she didn’t have the nerve.