He caught them left-handed and without taking his eyes off her.
McGraw reached the door first. Would you recognize Orlando Perine if you saw him?
Her brows went up. As a matter of fact, I would.
Did Tyler show you a picture?
No.
Then how?
At a subtle head motion from Tal, she relented. We had a board meeting last night to discuss the distribution of funds from a number of local businesses. The largest donation, over five hundred thousand dollars, came from Delgato Enterprises. If you dont know it, Delgato is the company presidents mothers name. As Im sure you do know, the company president is Orlando Perine.
ARE YOU LEAVING? JAMIE tried to respike her hair, which had wilted badly after six hours of nonstop action.
Maya triedand failedto focus her bleary eyes. Yeah, definitely leaving. All the major traumas have been dealt with. Well, sort of dealt with.
Slumped against the locker-room wall, Jamie frowned. Does the sort of refer to your husbands death?
Ex-husband, and only partly. Im still shell-shocked there. I think it has more to do with the police presence. Specifically, Tals, but no way would she admit that out loud.
While Maya had half expected him to show tonight, after four years of not seeing him, the emotional punch had surprised her. Truthfully, it had blindsided her. Like watching Adam die
So, who was the cop? Jamie gave her fingernails a casual inspection. Not tall, dark and gorgeoushes out of my league. I mean the big one who looked like a rumpled golden retriever.
Gene McGraw. They call him Quick Draw, like the cartoon horse. She slipped off her work shoes and stepped into a pair of red heels. This McGraws more of a horses ass, but Im told he gets the job done.
Is he married?
Are you serious?
Hey, twice divorced here, from bigger asses than your horse cop could ever be.
Youre a masochist, but I didnt see a wedding ring. Pulling on a light jacket over her jeans and tank, Maya closed her locker. I want fresh air, a soft bed and no more cop questions. I figure if Im lucky, I might get one of those things.
Wait. Jamie caught her sleeve. I want to tell you how sorry I am about Adam. I talked to him last spring, when he came in with a wounded suspect. I think he cared about you. A lot.
Because she knew her usually cynical friend meant well, Maya smiled. Thanks. Dont let Driscoll bully you into double shifting.
She made it through the door this time, snagged an apple from the lounge and made her way along the maze of hallways to the staff exit.
Adams face was in her mind. How could it not be? Then Tals appeared over it, and she whooshed out a breath.
Did visualizing Tal above the man shed married, divorced and watched die tonight make her a monster?
Did she want to answer that question?
Not until my brain defogs, she said to the air.
Physicians were supposed to be compassionate, caring people. She had that covered. But what about selfless and forgiving? What about honest?
To block thoughtand she desperately wanted to do thatshe slipped her earbuds in and scanned her iPod for David Bowie.
Night had begun to fracture as dawn approached. Slivers of orange and red floated over a shimmering horizon.
Theyd gotten married on the beach, she recalled. Shed let her mother arrange everything, from the rehearsal to the reception. Shed even let her set the larger-than-life guest list. She shouldnt have, but shed known her mother was dying, and shed wanted to indulge her in every possible way, right down to rushing into marriage with the wrong man.
At least her mother had wanted to see her married and happy, unlike her father, whod ditched them both before Mayas fourth birthday in favor ofWell, twenty-six years later, that was still an open question. No one really knew what hed wanted or where hed gone.
Her uncles blamed his leaving on a pretty young accountant hed met in Jamaica. Cousin Diego insisted he had a second family stashed away in Tennessee, but that was more likely Diegos own twisted fantasy. Her mother maintained hed simply needed space.
The apple turned to mush in her mouth. Maya dropped the uneaten half in a trash can, breathed in the still-humid air and told herself it didnt matter why her father had taken off. It was the act that counted, and his leaving had hurt her mother far more than it had her.
Rooting through her shoulder bag, she located her keys. Tal would want to talk to her at some point. The thought came out of nowhere and brought a fatalistic Damn to her lips. Her avoidance layer was wearing extremely thin.
High above, palm fronds rustled. The shadows that lingered lengthened and shifted. The scent of verbena swirled around her. Stars still twinkled overhead, but the quarter moon was waning.
Maya located her car, then caught a sound much closer to the ground than the palm fronds.
She snapped her head to the right. For a woman whod lived in Miami most of her life, it was an automatic response. Big-city girl, big-time guard.
For a moment there was nothing; then she caught a crunch of pebbles to her left. The black blur sprang at her before she could turn. It hit her hard and tackled her to the side of a large truck.
The impact knocked the air from her lungs. Her head slammed against the window; her shoulder against the metal frame.
Her assailant was bigger than her, Maya noted. Bigger, heavier and with momentum on his side.
But shed lived with a cop; she knew how to evade the hand that tried to wrap around her throat.
Using her heel, she spiked his instep. Then she shoved her knee into his groin. She heard a rough hitch of breath and recognized the pain beneath it.
He slapped her back with his arm, and this time when her head hit, stars glittered.
She shook it off, had to. If she didnt, hed catch her with the next blow. Keys, she thought and, twisting sideways, freed her right hand.
She heard a snarl as he attempted to pin her. She hadnt spied a weapon yet, but it would be a moot point if he got his fingers around her throat.
In the back of her mind, Maya registered a beam of light. It made him hesitate. It got him looking.
It gave her a chance.
He stopped her from stabbing his throat with her keys at the last second but forgot about the larger threat. While they wrestled, she rammed her knee full force between his legs.
He released her, with a curse, muffled by the black balaclava over his face.
Another light pierced the darkness. Swearing, he clutched his crotch. Then he dropped back, darted a look in both directions and bolted.
Ignoring the pain in her head and shoulder, Maya shoved away from the truck and ran in the opposite direction.
She grabbed her cell phone from her bag. Should she call 911 or Tal? After a quick debate, she went with the preferred option.
Did it even ring before he answered?
Tal?
Stop running, Maya.
What? How do you know? With the phone pressed to her ear, and still heading for the hospital, she swung in a circle. Where are you?
The collision brought her up short. If his reflexes hadnt been a split second quicker than hers, shed have kneed him dead center.
Right behind you, Tal said from the depths of a long shadow. The hands that trapped her arms held her away from him just far enough to avoid injury. You have really good aim, Dr. Santino.
The collision brought her up short. If his reflexes hadnt been a split second quicker than hers, shed have kneed him dead center.
Right behind you, Tal said from the depths of a long shadow. The hands that trapped her arms held her away from him just far enough to avoid injury. You have really good aim, Dr. Santino.
She exhaled on a shaky curse. You have even better timing, Lieutenant Talbot. Then she whirled. Did you see him? The guy in the balaclava? He pushed me into the side of that truck.
Tal followed her gaze and shook his head. All I saw was you running across the lot.
Which I was doing because some thug dressed in black tried to have a football scrum with me. As her heart rate slowed, she picked out the booth near the entrance. And, of course, Eddies on a break.
Eddie being the parking attendant? Tal seemed more interested in scanning the lot than in finding the missing man.
Maya worked on uncoiling the tension knots in her throat, an easy feat in theory, not quite so simple in practice, with Tals fingers still curled around her arms.
Im okay. She gave a gentle pull. Nothing but a headache and a few bruises. My wannabe linebackers probably in more pain right now than I am.
Tals lips curved, though his eyes continued to probe the shadows. Adam teach you how to kick?
Sorry to say it was my cousin Diego.
The one with the speech impediment?
Thats my cousin Jesus. Diego opens beer bottles by breaking their little glass necks and drinking from the splintered end. Shows how tough he is. She managed a smile. You can stop searching. The guys long gone. He didnt get my purse or my medical bag. And dont look at me like that, because if you think he was trying to push me into the truck, I promise you, he wasnt.
I know.
I thought you might. Damn. She let her head fall back. All things considered, this has been a really pissy night. Youre going to tell me the attack was connected to Adam, arent you?
The gray eyes that returned to her face revealed nothingwhich was so typically Tal, she didnt even bother to be irritated. Thats the part I wasnt going to tell you.
He smelled really good. Maya had no idea why she noticed that, but there it was, together with his very dark, very long hair; a two-day growth of stubble; and the kind of lean, hollowed-out features that made females from nineteen to ninety hot, flustered and more than a little tingly inside.
Thankfully, experience had taught her how to offset desire. That plus an overdose of fear.
She gave Tals wrists a light tap. Let go, Lieutenant. Im not on the verge of collapse. Might sway a little after everything thats happened today, but weve all been there, right?
Are you babbling?
Not really. She resisted an urge to brush at his hair. Babblings an avoidance technique I never quite mastered. What Im doing is stalling. Glancing away, she sighed, What was Adam doing, Tal? What was he into that got him killed and me attacked? All I know is that it involves Orlando Perine.
A man whose company just donated five hundred K to your hospital fund.
Good PR for a straight corporate mogul, closer to blood money if McGraws take on him is right, she noted.
It is.
She blew out a long breath. Anything else I should know?
One thing. Tal kept his eyes steady on hers. Perine got married two weeks ago. Quietly and with only three people in attendancethe brides mother, her brother and her stepfather, who just happens to be our deputy chief of police.
Chapter Three
He took her to a diner out on a disused two-lane highway that wound inland from the coast. Maya was so preoccupied, she barely noticed the beautiful sunrise, let alone the fifties-style Airstream structure.
Orlando Perines stepfather-in-law was the deputy police chief. If the situation hadnt been so absurd, she would have laughed. She almost did, anyway, but that was either borderline hysteria or a brain so tired, it could no longer function. Since her eyes felt gritty and unfocused, she went with the latter.
A bell above the diner door jingled when Tal opened it. She smelled pancakes and, thank God, coffee as she preceded him inside.
Okay, Ill accept that Im not dreaming, though I was really hoping that would be the case here. Adams gone, Im in danger and Orlando Perines not entirely straight. I know that sounds clinical, Tal, but this really doesnt want to sink in for me.
Breathe deep enough, long enough, and it will, he replied.
So you, what, infuse your resistant right hemisphere with so much oxygen that the vaguely surreal mutates into harsh reality? And we wonder why some people turn to drugs.
Good thing youre not some people.
Always the flatterer. But I wouldnt say no to a hit of caffeine.
As she spoke, Maya finally noticed the retro booths, the long counter with its row of red swivel stools and the scattering of pink flamingo napkin holders.
Tal steered her toward a table in the back.
The counterman came over, filled two coffee cups without asking and winked at Tal. Better than your usual companion, Lieutenant. This ones a pinup. He took an appreciative sniff. Smells like tropical spice.
After a hectic night in the E.R., Maya embraced the compliment. With her chin propped on her fist, she arched a brow at Tal. Okay, whats the story, Lieutenant? You didnt bring me here so we could eat a healthy breakfast, and youve already dropped your bombshell. Whats left that falls within the parameters of cop facts a civilian can be told?
Not a bad question for someone whos been up more than twenty-four hours.
Adrenalinell do that. She scanned the diner, her eyes straying to the counterman, who was holding court by the stools. What did your friend over there mean by better than your usual companion?
A smile grazed Tals lips. Caught that, huh? He meant Nate Hammond. Youve met him. Grizzled, crusty, cantankerous. Short on words, long on experience. He worked vice and fraud in his day. Captain in both departments. He was offered a promotion but decided hed rather retire. Überstress versus a fishing pole. We do coffee stops and poker when we can.
A picture formed in Mayas head of a no-nonsense cop with a whiskey-and-cigarette voice and the occasional, if you looked really close, twinkle in his eyes.
He used to come to blackjack nights when Adam and I lived in North Miami. Carried a battered red thermos of whiskey masquerading as iced tea.
Only when he was off duty, and there was no masquerade. He just didnt want to spring for a flask.
Leaning forward on her arms, she said, Talk to me, Tal. Tell me whats going on, what happened and why. If that guy in the parking lot attacked me because of Adam, I deserve an answer, and screw your cop rules.
Under scrutiny from Tals gray eyes, she had to work to keep her features composed and her body language unrevealing. If she let her gaze stray to his mouth, even for a moment, shed want to grab him and kiss him. After all these years, shed have thought the urge would be gone, but surprisingly it wasnt. She wanted him as much now as she had back, well, back in another time.