Read Through the Night for Free Online Page B

man’s hotel room.”
    Chase’s gaze turned compassionate. “Where they found the woman,” he finished for her.
    “Yes.” She really did hate seeing the worst in people, literally, yet she also knew she’d most likely saved that woman’s life that night. “She was a prostitute that the man had picked up on the Strip, and he’d had her tied up in his room for three days, physically and sexually assaulting her while threatening to kill her if she didn’t do what he wanted.”
    Chase’s jaw clenched. “Son of a bitch,” he muttered beneath his breath.
    That made her smile and helped to alleviate the dark mood at the table. “Yeah, he was definitely that. A few days after the incident, Caleb called me up to his office and asked me to be a part of the Reliance Group, to use my gift to help solve cases, and I agreed. I figure if I’m going to have this psychic ability, I might as well use it for good causes.”
    Despite her decision to join TRG to help in the fight for greater good, accepting the cases Caleb assigned to her wasn’t always simple or easy. She was still thrust into dark, complex situations that completely inundated her, and she sometimes saw things she’d rather forget and that gave her nightmares for weeks.
    But it was knowing that she had the ability to help people, and possibly spare them the kind of pain and devastation that could destroy a person’s soul, that kept her on TRG’s payroll. And knowing that she was ultimately in control of her emotions during those cases made all the difference as well.
    This case with Chase was an amusing diversion, like a fun and entertaining scavenger hunt. There was nothing ominous or dangerous about trying to find the rest of Al Capone’s cane. And knowing there was nothing treacherous or detrimental about following information and clues to unearth a historical object was a huge relief.
    The only thing that posed any danger on a personal level was their blazing, unavoidable attraction, which came with a sizzle and burn that felt too damn good. Yet, beyond the draw of the sexual heat they generated together, she could tell there was something else about Chase that threatened to chip away at the walls she’d erected after her heartbreak and disillusionment.
    It had been years since she trusted a man on an emotional level, and though she wasn’t able to put her finger on exactly what that “something else” was when it came to Chase, her woman’s intuition— not her psychic abilities—was warning her that this man could easily charm his way into her heart if she let him.
    Which she wasn’t about to allow. There was no doubt in Valerie’s mind that Chase was all about fun and flings, and while she wasn’t opposed to indulging in a no-strings-attached affair with a hot guy, she and Chase had a job to do, and sex had a way of complicating things when two people had to work that closely together. Their combined psychic gifts notwithstanding.
    She finished eating her chicken, and having revealed enough about herself, she intentionally turned the conversation to him. “Where are you from?”
    “Chicago.” Done with his meal, he leaned back in his seat, reached for his tequila, and wrapped his long, well-manicured fingers around the snifter. “I have an apartment in the city, but I’m not there much, since most of my time is spent traveling. It’s more like a home base in between jobs.”
    Considering she was a girl who preferred stability in her life, she couldn’t imagine the upheaval and disconnect of always being on the road and away from those who mattered the most. And some of those people closest to her were the other members of the Reliance Group. “Is that where your family is? Chicago?”
    He hesitated a moment as he absently swirled the amber liquid in his glass. “Yes, but I’m not close to them, and it’s been four years since I’ve seen my parents, brother, and sister. They don’t exactly approve of what I do for a living.”
    She