Fever by Maya Banks Page A

strength
    gone. Her hands shook and she curled them into her thin shirt, trying to warm them faster. The cuts
    stung but they weren’t serious.
    Her gaze found Kate as she bustled around the kitchenette preparing the cocoa. She was on her cell
    phone and it was obvious that whatever she was talking about was urgent. After a moment, she
    shoved the phone back into her pocket and took a cup from the microwave. After stirring, she brought
    the steaming mug over to where Bethany sat, and gently placed it in her hands.
    “Here you are, dear. Sip it. It’s hot. Everything is going to be all right now. I don’t want you to
    worry.”
    It was the second time she’d offered the blind assurance to Bethany but Bethany was too tired to
    dig any deeper. If she weren’t so hungry and cold she’d just curl up in one of the cots and sleep for
    the next twenty-four hours. Or whenever they kicked her out again.

    • • •
Jace sat in his office staring broodingly at the pile of documents in front of him. It had been two
    fucking weeks since Bethany had slipped away and he was no closer to finding her now than he had
    been that first morning. It was not for lack of trying on his part.
    Work was suffering. Most of the employees avoided him. Even Gabe and Ash had been keeping
    their distance. Thankfully, Mia was so wrapped up in her wedding plans that she seemed oblivious to
    Jace’s preoccupation and surliness.
    Christmas was a mere week away and he couldn’t stand the thought of Bethany cold and alone, no
    bed, no food. Nothing.
    He curled his hand into a fist and was tempted to punch a hole in his desk.
    His door opened and he was about to snarl out a dismissal to whoever intruded on his privacy
    when he saw Ash walk in. Something in his friend’s expression stopped his retort.
    Ash was . . . well, he was typical Ash. Irreverent. Didn’t give a fuck. Was rarely serious. Today,
    though, he looked . . . serious. Like he had something on his mind.
    “Fuck, is your family harassing you about Christmas?” Jace growled.
    There was really only one thing that ever got under Ash’s skin. His family. Ash spent most of his
    time—and holidays—with Jace and Mia. They’d taken Mia to the Caribbean at Thanksgiving just a
    few weeks ago to help nurse her broken heart when Gabe had pushed her away—thank God that
    rejection had been short-lived—but it was true that Ash spent far more time with Gabe, Jace and Mia
    than he ever had with his own family.
    “There’s something you should see,” Ash said in a quiet, serious tone that wasn’t typical for him.
    Alarm skittered up Jace’s spine and circled his neck in a chokehold.
    “Is something up with Gabe and Mia?” he demanded. He’d kill the bastard if he broke Mia’s heart
    again.
    Ash flopped a folder down on Jace’s desk. “You’ll probably be pissed at me over this, but I’m
    your friend and this is what friends do. You’d do the same damn thing for me.”
    Jace’s eyes narrowed. “What the fuck are you talking about, Ash?”
    “While you’ve spent the last two weeks looking for Bethany Willis, I’ve been looking for
    information about her. You need to let this go, man. Walk away now. She’s bad news.”
    Heat washed through his veins as he stared back at Ash. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say
    that I should forget about a homeless woman we fucked. A woman we clearly took advantage of,
    whether we knew it at the time or not. A woman who has no shelter, no food, no damn coat to keep
    her warm.”
    Ash held up his hand. “Just read the goddamn report, Jace.”
    “Why don’t you just tell me why you think she’s bad news,” Jace said acidly.
    Ash sighed. “She has a prior for drug possession. She hasn’t held a steady job. Ever. She was in
    foster care most of her life. Graduated high school but never went on to college.”
    Jace’s jaw ticked and he stared down at the folder on his desk. Then he lifted his gaze back to Ash,
    who stood there