Page 21 of Chain Reaction

So he had. And as soon as they stepped foot on US soil and his job was over, they’d had a whirlwind romance.

The two of them hadn’t been able to resist their feelings for each other.

They’d spent five blissful days falling in love.

Then he’d had to go back. His assignment had been over, and they needed him back in Iraq.

They’d parted with promises of staying in touch.

But Jake hadn’t been able to fulfill his promise.

Would Raven ever understand why?

His throat tightened. Probably not—and he really couldn’t blame her.

He glanced down at the rubble beneath him and paused.

What was that?

He moved a metal box aside and saw a partially burned picture beneath it. After pulling on a glove, he picked it up.

A picture of the US Embassy in Syria.

The place where Raven’s dad had been stationed.

The place he’d met Raven all those years ago.

Why would this picture be here? Unless . . .

His breath caught.

He grabbed his phone to call Raven. She needed to be on guard.

But the phone didn’t ring.

It didn’t even go to voicemail.

What? The bad feeling in his gut continued to swell.

If she wasn’t answering, then Jake needed to go back to her place. He needed to see her with his own eyes. Talk face-to-face.

Wasting no more time, he jogged to his truck and took off.

Raven stared at the evidence in front of her.

If this bomb was made to look like an old bomb, then someone’s reasons for doing so would have to be criminal.

She needed to call Jake.

No, Raven corrected herself. She needed to callCassidy. Why would she call Jake over the police chief? Cassidy was in charge of this investigation.

She practically rolled her eyes at herself.

But just as she grabbed her phone, a sound caught her ear.

She glanced at the window, where the evening hung dark with an almost inky black.

The muscles in her back tightened.