Then she moved to the window and reached for the shades.
No- He hated having all that bright sunshine pouring in over his shoulder when he was concentrating. Dont open-
Too late.
She yanked the string, throwing light into the room. There. Thats so much better, isnt it? She tossed her hair out of her eyes-hair that he couldnt help but notice was a million different colors, like a does coat, and smelled even better than the flowers shed just settled.
She smiled at him. This is really a bad color for your office walls. Drab gray. Its not at all conducive to happy work patterns.
Hed never even noticed what color the walls were, and didnt care to now. Nor was he thrilled about noticing her hair color.
He had work to do.
You know, I always had the secret fantasy of going through the police academy, she said wistfully, looking around. I had this dream of rounding up all the bad guys and putting them behind bars.
The thought of this far too cheerful, happy, bouncy, flowers-carrying woman going through the academy brought a fine sweat to Sams brow. You wouldnt like it, he said quickly.
Oh, I think I would. Well, except for the shooting part. She shivered. Im not crazy about weapons. Her smile faded and a shadow flickered across her face. Give me a paint brush any day.
Sam knew she was remembering yesterday, having a flash back to when shed had the blade of a knife pressed against her slim neck. Damn it, he didnt want to know this. Didnt want to know how traumatized she was, or see how badly she was bruised. He searched her with his gaze, but couldnt see a thing with her halter-top sundress that covered her to the throat. Are you okay?
Oh, yes. Thanks to you.
She was as small as he remembered, barely coming up to his shoulder. But where had all her defenseless vulnerability of yesterday gone? She looked totally, utterly capable of anything, especially ruining his day.
You found a spare pair of glasses, he heard himself say inanely, gesturing to the frames she wore.
Theyre ancient-oops. She bit her lower lip to hold back a smile. Probably shouldnt tell that to a police officer. I could get a ticket for driving with an old prescription, right?
He was relieved to discover she hadnt just purchased the thick, blue-rimmed, almost horn-shaped glasses. He felt an odd pang at the knowledge she probably couldnt afford a brand-new pair. He wondered if the bank wouldnt cover the cost for her, and opened his mouth to suggest some thing to that effect when the curious whispers behind him registered.
He whirled to the doorway, and found Luke and two rookies leaning in his door, unabashedly eavesdrop ping.
Need some thing to do? he inquired. At his cold voice, the rookies instantly scattered.
Luke just grinned before slowly straightening and walking away.
Angie was staring at him with those huge brown eyes. Wow, she said, impressed. That was a pretty scary cop voice. Really fierce. Do you use that on criminals to make them confess?
Yeah, or on unwelcome guests to get them to leave. But he found he didnt have quite the heart to say it. A surprise, and it only worsened his mood.
He really had a ton of work to do. He wanted-needed-to crack his priority case, and soon, as the suspects were probably right this minute stealing mail or trash, racking up more uncollectible debt by the minute.
You know, Angie said, sizing up his office, the wheels visibly turning in her head. You could really use a paint job on these walls.
A paint job, he repeated slowly.
Maybe pink? It would most definitely help ease your tension.
Oh yeah, thats what he needed. Pink walls. Im not tense.
She raised her brow so high it disappeared into her bangs. Really? Then why is your jaw all tight and bunchy?
Its not.
I can see the muscle jumping.
It jumped some more. Im fine.
If this is normal for you, you must go home with a heck of a neck ache. Come here and sit down. Ill rub it for you.
He actually backed up. I said Im fine.
But she reached for him, pushed him into a chair with surprising strength.
Even worse, he went. Big, bad, tough Sam OBrien fell into a chair simply because shed urged him to.
Then her fingers touched the bare skin on his neck, and as if hed been poked by a hot stick, he surged to his feet.
At his quick movement, a sweet laugh escaped her and she clasped her hands in front of her. Im sorry, Im just so nervous about being here. I have to answer some more questions, and its She looked away. Swallowed hard. Its, um, giving me a bit of a bad time.
Ah, hell. No one is going to push you, he heard himself say. Theyll go slow and easy.
I know. She backed to the door. Anyway, Im sorry. Again. She was sorry because shed touched him and he nearly bolted right out of the chair as if hed been goosed.
Shed turned him on, this woman of the bright yellow sundress, silly blue glasses, sweet smile and expressive eyes. And the shocking jolt of arousal-arousal, for Gods sake-had nearly caused his heart to leap out of his chest.
He was at work, damn it, and if there was one thing he disliked, it was when some thing distracted him from his work. I have to get back to my job, he said, his voice more than a bit strained.
Oh! Of course. But her gaze caught at something on his desk and she went wide-eyed.
What is it?
Hands over her mouth, she stared at a composite drawing hed gotten just that morning, of someone he suspected to be deep in the thick of the identity-theft ring he was trying to crack.
She looked pale. Why had he let her in his office? Why hadnt he showed her the door two minutes ago? Whats the matter? he asked again, hoping she wasnt really going to tell him, hoping shed simply take her perky little self and go away. Far away. And take the flowers with her.
Is hewanted?
Yes. Why?
Well, because Ive seen him downtown.
This particular suspect had laid low all year, hiding out from the best of the best on the force, including himself. They didnt even know his name, had only his description from his latest victim, whom hed conned out of his ID with a door-to-door sales scam. Much as hed like to have her solve his problem by locating the suspect, hed followed too many dead ends to believe her.
Angie picked up the picture and studied it carefully, and he studied her just as care fully.
Her fingernails matched her toenails, he noted, but were chipped and nibbled at. Probably her line of work, he figured, then rolled his eyes at himself.
He was noticing her nails, for Gods sake.
Man, he needed a break. A vacation. Yeah, that was it. Maybe Hawaii, with a few bikini-clad babes.
Too bad he never took vacations.
I do know him, she said.
From?
I cant remember exactly.
He took the picture from her hands. If you think of it, call in.
Those expressive eyes stared at him. You dont believe me.
Maybe that was because she thought his walls should be pink. Or that she had dreamed of being a cop when she was afraid of weapons. But telling her so felt a little like kicking a puppy. Its nothing personal. We get hundreds of false leads.
She crossed her arms and held her ground, reminding him that while she could look so vulnerable, she was actually tough as hell. You think Im a silly little flake.
There was no mistaking her hurt now, and he swore at himself. No-
But you dont think Ive seen this guy.
Okay, fine. He leaned back against his desk, the desk now covered in flowers. He was going to smell like a garden. Where do you know him from? Whats his name? What does he do?
I dont know. She took a step back, making him feel like the school-yard bully. I just know that Ive seen him coming and going in the used book store next to the café where I work.
He studied her a long moment, considering. She seemed genuine enough. Youre certain.
Absolutely.
Those glasses dont look too reliable.
I can see perfectly.
He sighed. Fine. Ill check it out.
The look she shot him was purely female, purely annoyed. But you dont expect to find him, right?
Well
Truth fully.
How to tell her how many false leads hed followed? How many times people thought they saw one thing but in reality saw another? Look-
Oh, never mind. She sent him a smile, completely devoid of the brilliance from before, which for some reason made Sam hurt inside.
Angie-
No, really. She lifted a hand to ward him off. Youre busy. Dont give it another thought. She headed to the door. Im going to go answer those questions now.
Yeah. Angie-
Bye, Sam.
Then she was gone and he was staring at the door, torn between relief and a self-disgust because he knew hed been curt and rude.
Damn, he hated working with people.
Chapter 3
Angie got up at the crack of dawn, as always. She drove to work, as always. She figured shed enter the café fifteen minutes before her shift, then help Elisa prepare for the break fast shift. As always.
But nothing was as always at all, because with one twist of fate-and a very sharp knife-she could have died, and unexpectedly she was still dealing with the horror of that.
And then there was Detective Sam OBrien. Hed both saved her life and changed it forever, because shed taken a look into those deep, fathomless, brooding eyes and had seen her future. It sounded silly now, in the sharp, glaring light of a new day, and at the memory of how hed treated her in his office, she blushed. If that was her future, feeling like a ball of unimportant fluff, she didnt want it, thank you very much. Been there, bought the T-shirt.
Yes, hed been sweet and kind during her bank ordeal, and yes, darn it, maybe as a result shed looked at him with stars in her eyes, but now those stars were so long gone.
She was better off by herself.
But she was going to find his suspect. Oh yes, that would be satisfying, if nothing else, just to prove she wasnt the kind of person who made these things up to get attention.
She didnt need attention, not from him. What she needed was to stick to her guns and live her life. She liked the feeling that coursed through her at that thought. This new-lease-on-life-thing felt good. Empowering.
Yeah. And next time she got held up, she wouldnt need a hero, shed save herself.
As if her karma was in perfect sync, on the walk to work she caught a glimpse of a man striding away from her, down the alley between the café and the used book store.