When the Smoke Clears (Deadly Reunions) by Lynette Eason

could talk to God about everything, spill it onto his shoulder and let him take care of it. She’d heard of people who did that. She’d even tried church a few times, but it just didn’t seem to work for her.
    Alexia simply couldn’t wrap her mind around the concept of a loving God. A father who loved her.
    But Serena was right. Alexia wanted to.
    With a sigh, she pulled into the hospital parking deck and started for the fourth floor, circling up. A car turned in behind her and headlights tracked her progress. Squinting against the brightness reflected in her rearview mirror, she finally reached the fourth floor.
    Pulling in to the nearest vacant space, she cut the engine and chewed on her bottom lip. Staring at the building, she took a fortifying breath and opened her door.
    As she headed for the exit door, her senses tuned to her surroundings. Although the deck itself was well-lit, the darkness pressed in from the outside, the emptiness surrounding her.
    Footsteps followed her.
    She stopped walking. Glancing over her shoulder, she let her eyes probe the shadows.
    Her stomach twisted. Was that someone hiding behind the post?
    An engine sputtered to life, startling her. She spun and gave a relieved half-laugh as a car pulled out from the space about three yards in front of her. The driver lifted a hand in greeting, and Alexia resumed her trek toward the elevator as silence echoed around her again.
    Footsteps sounded a steady rhythm on the concrete, and again she jumped, spun, and looked. They stopped. A car door opened. Shut.
    Chill, she told herself. Someone was here to visit a patient, just like she was. Or was getting in the car to leave.
    She picked up the pace.
    The steps behind her resumed too—at a faster clip, drawing closer.
    Her heartbeat thudded and she darted behind the nearest post, pressing her hands to her stomach. She shivered in spite of the heat. Fear clumped in her gut and she took a deep breath.
    The footsteps stopped.
    Alexia held her breath, waiting to hear a car door open.
    Nothing.
    No doubt about it. Someone was following her. Adrenaline rushed through her, her hands shook and her knees felt weak.
    Pushing the fear aside, she searched for an emergency button.
    She spotted one about twenty feet away.
    Alexia beelined for it, hand outstretched.
    Almost there.
    A wicked laugh echoed just behind her.
    She whirled.
    Blinding white pain streaked through her as something clipped her on the side of the head. Before she had a chance to scream, she found herself facedown on the floor of the parking garage. Terror pounded through her, shortening her breath, making her head spin. “Wh-what do you want?”
    No answer. Just breath against her cheek.
    Then she felt the cold barrel of a gun kiss her already-aching temple.

10
     
    Monday, 9:24 p.m.
     
    Hunter took a left instead of the right that would take him home. It was late, very late. And he’d taken a chance on catching Alexia. Katie had already taken herself off the clock to grab a few hours of sleep before they would be back at it in the morning. While Devin’s murder had moved to the top of the stack, he and Katie still had other cases they were working on. He should have followed Katie’s example and gone home.
    But he felt restless and couldn’t put Alexia Allen from his mind. So, he’d called her. On the pretext of asking her more questions about the murder. That was a new low for him.
    His conscience bothered him only slightly. He’d apologize later. Maybe.
    Approaching the parking garage, he glanced upward toward the higher levels. From their conversation, he’d gathered that he was only a minute or so behind her. As he swung into the fourth level, his headlights captured a person in a mask standing over something. The masked head snapped up, and for a moment, narrowed eyes locked with Hunter’s.
    Then the attacker raced to a nearby car, hopped in, and squealed from the garage. Hunter started to gun his own vehicle and go after the