Covert Takedown by Kathleen Tailer

Author:Kathleen Tailer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-10-22T22:11:17+00:00

* * *

Gabe swallowed, then turned away from the prone body on the bed and the damaged face. His friend’s death brought to mind the murder of the man he had witnessed in Chicago that had brought the wave of change to his life, and his chest tightened with the memories. He spun on his heel and left the room, suddenly anxious to be away from the charred remains and the awful smell that was all but suffocating. He didn’t go back to the living room, but instead made his way into the guest bedroom that faced the street below. That room had the curtains pulled back from the window frame, and he was able to look down on the wintry scene. It was late afternoon, and the cold kept the Southerners who were more used to ninety-degree temperatures in heavy coats and hats. He had to laugh at them, and his observation was a welcome diversion from his morbid thoughts about Shawn. These people knew nothing about the cold up north. The chilling temperatures here were nothing like what he had experienced in Chicago, but he had been happy about the change and didn’t miss the blistering winds or shoveling the snow from his driveway. In fact, there was little he missed about living in Chicago beyond his relationship with Tessa and his small group of friends.

Gabe’s mind returned from his thoughts about Chicago to the here and now. This street was in a fairly affluent part of town, and the neighborhood had gone to great expense to decorate the street and buildings for the upcoming Christmas holiday. Banners with red and green adorned the streetlights, and several Christmas trees were visible through the nearby windows, as well as artistic renditions of snowmen, reindeer and silver bells. Streams of lights, soon to be illuminated once the sun set, were hung over the road. But even with all of the wonderful decorations, it was hard to focus on the holiday and joy that it usually brought when his best friend lay dead in the next room. He was supposed to be thinking about the birth of Jesus, not death. Yet his current situation made it hard to think about anything else.

He returned to the living room where Tessa had just finished another call. She stowed her phone, then pulled on a pair of rubber gloves. “I was going to start looking for clues to see if we could figure out who did this.”

“I can’t imagine Shawn had any enemies that would murder him, but I guess I’m just naive. I still can’t accept that he’s involved in something illegal. It’s inconceivable.” He rubbed his neck absently. “He was my friend. A good friend. How did I miss this?”

Tessa shrugged. “Why don’t you tell me about him?”

Gabe thought back to when he had first encountered Shawn. “A few days after I arrived in Atlanta we shared a table at a crowded neighborhood coffee shop, and we hit it off right from the start.

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