‘No, don’t do that,’ Nina said quickly.
Genieve swiped her phone back. ‘Why? Is it that bad?’
‘There are reporters there, but we got lucky. Josh caught the case.’ Her boss’s voice was sympathetic, but steady and in control. ‘He said he’ll meet you at the Apple Tree Grille and take you over himself.’
Genieve rubbed her forehead. She was tired of being hunted like a fugitive. Had reporters broken into her home now? This was not OK. ‘Who’s Josh?’
Nina let out a sigh. ‘Detective Morgan. He called me, because he needed to get in contact with you. He knew I’d know how.’
Genieve turned to Brody sharply. ‘Detective Morgan wants to meet me?’
He shook his head no and leaned in so he could talk, too. ‘No, Nina. That’s a no-go.’
‘He needs to know what was taken,’ Nina insisted. ‘You need to talk to him.’
‘But Nina…’ Genieve bit her lip. She remembered how persistent and intimidating Morgan had been at the hotel. ‘Your detective is scary.’
‘He’s not my—’ Nina broke off with a frustrated sound. ‘Genieve, this might be connected to the break-in at the Emissary. We need to find out who is doing this.’
And her experience at the Emissary with the detective was precisely why she didn’t want to go.
‘I know, but when he asks me questions, I have a hard time not answering them,’ she confessed. He undid her with those piercing onyx eyes and bulldog mentality. It didn’t help that he was hung up on Nina, either. She’d developed a skill at manipulating men, but he was oblivious to all the distractions she put out.
Brody bent his head next to hers. ‘Nina, I know you’ve been tangling with this guy while we’ve been holed up here. Is he pressuring you to do this? Is he trying to smoke Genieve out of her foxhole?’
‘Pressuring me?’ Nina snapped. ‘He’s offering to take her over there himself so the cameras don’t catch her showing up with you!’
A political operative known to have ties with Senator Gunderson…the man she’d just publicly broken up with…
Genieve heard the click of Nina’s nails against the phone, and she winced.
‘Would it help if I was there?’ the Luxxor CEO asked more calmly.
Genieve glanced at Brody, and he nodded. A buffer sounded like a good idea, especially when it was someone who’d gone up against the detective before and won. ‘Yes, should we meet you at the restaurant?’
‘Actually, you’ll have to pick me up,’ Nina said. ‘I’m staying with…a friend tonight. Let me give you the address.’
* * *
Genieve didn’t recognise the house where they found Nina, but it was an old Colonial in the Palisades. The neighbourhood was slow and tranquil, the closest DC got to traditional family living with houses with actual yards. Situated on the Potomac, it was highly sought-after real estate. That fitted Nina’s style, but Genieve knew she lived in a penthouse apartment downtown. Curiosity buzzed through her, but she refused to pry into her boss’s life. They all had more important things on their minds right now.
Brody opened the door for Nina, and she slid into the back seat. She was dressed to the nines with her high heels firmly in place. Battle armour, surely, for their meeting with the detective.
Genieve turned in the passenger seat and twisted the seatbelt in her hand. ‘Did Morgan tell you any more? Did he say if they trashed the place?’
She had nice things, but she was more concerned about the items of sentimental value. Those couldn’t be replaced. Neither could the feeling of privacy or safety.
Nina leaned forward and pressed a hand over hers. ‘He said there wasn’t a lot of damage.’
Genieve nodded. So destruction hadn’t been on their minds. Had it been theft? Or was somebody snooping around for information? The latter seemed the most plausible, but they would have been disappointed. She kept her job and her private life strictly separated.
Brody was quiet as he drove deeper into the heart of DC. Traffic was light, but DC wasn’t sleeping. It was just resting. The streets were lined with parked cars, while their drivers slept in apartments overhead. The night owls were easily identified; their lit windows looked like a checkerboard. The Apple Tree Grille’s lights were on, too. The restaurant was open for night workers and insomniacs and anyone who just wanted their famous apple pancakes.
Genieve wasn’t feeling hungry when Brody held the door open for her. She wanted to know all the details of what had happened at her house, but at the same time she didn’t. Nina rubbed her back, and she sucked in a quick gulp of night air. She led the way and looked for the detective.
He was difficult to miss, sitting in a booth by the window. He looked big and imposing. Genieve felt his gaze run over her, but it kept on going and stuck on Nina. He sat up straighter in his seat, and lines creased his forehead. Genieve could have sworn the air sparked.
‘Take any seat you want,’ a waitress said as she walked by, carrying a plate of pancakes at shoulder level.
Genieve pointed in the detective’s direction. ‘We’re with him.’
But she really didn’t feel like sliding into a booth across from the man. He didn’t look happy. Beside her, Genieve saw Nina straighten to her full height in those already impossibly high shoes. With a lift of her chin, she headed in, her heels clipping on the flooring and drawing the attention of a crew of sanitation workers. She slid into the seat beside the detective, and he rubbed the back of his neck as if he didn’t know what to do with her.
‘Detective, I believe you’ve met Genieve Hart and Brody Haynes.’
‘I have.’
The cop didn’t extend his hand, but Genieve didn’t expect him to. She felt her knees wobble, and she slid into the seat across from him.
‘Thanks for offering to meet us,’ Brody said as he sat down beside her.
‘It seems like we’ve come full circle.’ The detective’s dark eyes narrowed. ‘Every time I catch a B&E, you two are involved.’
Genieve shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and Brody drummed his fingers along his thigh.
‘And Genieve has been the victim both times,’ Nina reminded him. She was sitting tall with her legs crossed, but her top foot was rolling. That was never a good sign. She sent Morgan a look of warning.
Genieve couldn’t stand the suspense. She appreciated the detective buffering her from the press, but that worried her even more about the scene going on at her rowhouse. She folded her hands on the table, her fingers going white. ‘How bad is it?’
He eased up a bit. ‘The damage isn’t that bad.’
Was he just saying that? She remembered again how nice he’d been to her at the hotel, how concerned he’d been for her safety.
‘Really,’ he said.
All right. She believed him, but she still braced herself. ‘What did they take?’
He shrugged. ‘It’s hard to tell. That’s why we need you to come look at it, but the focus seemed to be on your bedroom.’
Genieve went cold. Her bedroom? It wasn’t hard to read between the lines there. She was an escort – one who went above and beyond the limits of the law. Had Brody been right? Was it someone she’d turned down? An obsessed former client? She ran an unsteady hand through her hair.
‘It’s not so much what they might have stolen. It’s the idea of someone in my place, going through my things.’ A shudder ran through her. ‘It creeps me out.’
Brody rested his arm on the booth’s backrest, but he didn’t touch her. Was he reverting to the dispassionate observer? Hurt, Genieve sent him a sidelong look. She was surprised to see fire in his eyes.
‘Did you get any fingerprints? Did anyone see it happening? Did they get a licence-plate number?’
The detective took a drink of his coffee. ‘Slow down, Hoss. It’s not like on TV. It takes time.’
‘How long?’ Brody demanded.
The detective stared at him for a long moment, and then turned his gaze back on her. ‘Sorry to hear abo
ut your breakup with the senator, by the way.’
Genieve felt Brody’s hand curl into a fist at her shoulder, but she just rolled her eyes. Everybody at the table knew what was going on here. She might have stripped away any reason Morgan had for pressing charges, but he knew the truth. Or had strong suspicions. ‘Thanks,’ she said dryly. ‘It’s been a bad day.’
Nina sighed and shook her head.
‘What are you doing here?’ Morgan asked her quietly.
‘They were scared of you,’ she said. ‘I don’t know why.’
His tension eased, and he settled back in the booth. The two of them were sitting close. Their shoulders brushed, but neither pulled away. The guy looked tired, both physically and mentally. For her part, Nina seemed softer. More open. The two warriors had been butting heads for a while, but there was an intimacy about them now. Like a switch had been flipped.
‘Do you have any suspects in mind?’ the detective asked, returning to the subject at hand. ‘Either of you?’
‘No,’ Genieve said miserably. She’d tried using her superpower as she and Brody had driven over in the car. Too much panic had clouded her thoughts. She couldn’t think of anyone who might do this to her.
Brody shook his head tersely.
The detective looked at his watch. ‘Genieve, you and I need to get over there. I’ve got a patrolman holding the scene.’
A patrolman and how many reporters? Had her neighbours been woken? Were they standing out on the sidewalk along with everyone else, staring at her house and trying to see inside? Her skin prickled.
‘OK.’ She needed to just get this over with. It couldn’t be worse than what she was building up in her mind. She scooped up her purse as Brody stood up. When she slid over, she was surprised to see him offer his hand. Tears stung her eyes. He wasn’t stoic. He just approached problems with more strategy than emotion. She put her hand in his and felt his warm palm seal tight. His fingers closed around hers, and his hold was strong.
Nina stood too, and smoothed her skirt. The detective glowered at a guy across the way who was watching, and planted himself beside her.
‘Where are you heading?’ he asked her.
Her cheeks turned a little pink. ‘My penthouse.’
The detective’s handsome face fell back into a scowl – especially when he looked at Brody. ‘Can you take her?’
Genieve’s brow knitted. Now wait. How did he know Nina didn’t have a ride? Had he assumed that, because she’d shown up at the same time, she’d come with them? And why was it his problem? A different lightbulb went on in her head. Or had the detective known exactly where her beautiful blonde boss had been? At, say, a cute little Colonial on the Potomac?
Tension radiated from Brody. ‘You won’t leave Jenny’s side?’
He didn’t want to make her face the crime scene on her own, she knew. The two men faced off, and the protectiveness in the air was practically stifling.
The detective nodded. ‘I guarantee it.’
They left the restaurant and swapped partners as they headed to their cars. Genieve watched Brody walk down the street without her, and she rubbed her hands together, trying to hold onto the heat from his touch. She didn’t want to do this on her own, but she knew she had to. She glanced at the detective and found him watching Nina go with just as much hesitancy. He snapped out of it when he felt her stare. Their gazes connected as he opened the car door for her, and Genieve suddenly felt better. He was in a hard spot, too, but he was trying to help.
She wasn’t alone. If Nina trusted him, she could, too.
* * *
The drive to her rowhouse didn’t take long, but to Genieve it felt like for ever since she’d been there. Her own home seemed like a strange mutation of some place she used to know, with a patrol car sitting out front and yellow tape lining the edge of the property. A group of reporters hovered outside that yellow line like hungry vultures, and neighbours dressed in robes peered through the openings in the crowd, trying to get a better look.
So much for lying low…
The detective pulled up behind the patrol car and shifted into park. His car was unmarked and, for a moment, the gawkers ignored them. Genieve knew the reprieve wouldn’t last for long. She didn’t wait for the detective to get the door for her, but got out and headed up the sidewalk. With his long strides, Morgan quickly caught up with her.
‘Careful.’ He touched his hand to her back. ‘I should have warned you that reporters are still here.’
She wrapped both arms around her waist. ‘Don’t worry. I know what to do.’
Sometimes she had to role play for clients, but it wasn’t difficult to draw on the tears. She just stopped fighting them and let her fear take over. Her steps slowed as she approached the house. She truly did dread where this was going to lead. Someone in the crowd finally spotted her. She heard a reporter call her name and cameras started flashing. The explosion of light momentarily pushed the night away.
Morgan kept her moving. Out of habit, she reached for her keys but the police were already inside. A patrolman opened the front door and let them in.
‘Thanks,’ she said quietly. She recognised him as the young cop from the hotel. ‘Hi.’
What had his name been again? Simpson? Simmons? No, Simons.
He blinked in surprise, but ushered her into the entryway.
Genieve looked around the lower level of her home, and the weight on her shoulders lightened. ‘It really isn’t that bad.’
The detective scowled. ‘Just don’t look at your back door.’
She immediately took a step in that direction, but Simons held up his hands. Behind him she could see people wearing MPD windbreakers moving about her kitchen.
The detective touched her between her shoulder blades again. ‘We’ll make sure you have help getting it secure for the night. You’ll need to work with contractors and insurance from there. Your friend Brody can probably get all that moving for you.’
She pressed her lips together. At least it would give Brody something to do. He didn’t like stepping back and being useless.
‘Let’s go upstairs.’
She wiped her eyes and swallowed her tears. They’d been for the crowd, but they’d allowed her to get the fear out. Now that she was here, she could see that the boogeyman hadn’t done this. No, somebody had come into her home without permission. They’d damaged her property and were trying to intimidate her. Anger rose up in fear’s place. They had no right.
‘OK.’ She could do this. She wanted to help catch whoever had done this and make them pay.
The detective nodded in approval.
She led the way upstairs. More people wearing MPD shirts were working inside her bedroom. They were poking into her things, too, but they stopped when they saw her. The detective watched from the doorway. He wanted to know what was missing or out of place. Genieve recoiled. Her home felt dirty now. Overrun by the presence of strangers. She pushed her hands into her pockets, not wanting the grime touching her. She looked around slowly, trying to catalogue everything, but the missing spaces were what jumped out at her. There was one on the wall and more in her closet. The doors stood open, and her dresser drawers looked like a Dr Seuss staircase. She looked into the jewellery box a forensics tech had been dusting.
She moved back to the centre of the room. ‘Well, that’s easy enough. Everything that Samuel ever gave me is gone.’
‘Samuel?’ the detective said sharply. ‘As in Gunderson?’
She turned in a full circle. ‘The artwork, jewellery, clothes and fake fur? Gone. All of it.’
* * *
Brody waited at the Apple Tree Grille for the detective to drop off Genieve. He looked at his phone for the time and then again for messages. He hadn’t made a fair trade. He’d dropped off Nina at her penthouse over an hour ago.
He picked up the phone to text Jenny again. ‘Everything OK?’
Her responses had been too short and vague for him to pick up any clues. He didn’t know wh
at she was dealing with over there. How badly off was the place? How long had it been like that? Had she kept anything incriminating?
No. He took another drink of coffee to get caffeine to his brain. That house was her sanctuary. She hadn’t even liked inviting him inside the last time. There was nothing there that she’d need to hide.
Except her entire personal life. He knew how many cops had been on the scene at the Emissary. How many were in her home? How many reporters were waiting outside it?
He flipped back to the internet. There were already pictures of her posted, arriving on the scene. They’d talked briefly about how she should behave in front of the reporters, but he couldn’t ignore the fact that those were real tears on her cheeks. The camera flashes had probably made her skin seem paler. At least Morgan was at her side, keeping the scavengers at bay.
So why wasn’t the guy getting her out of there more quickly? How much information did he need?
The door to the Grille swished open, and he looked up quickly. It was late enough – make that early enough – that new customers drew attention. He shoved his phone in his pocket when he saw the gleam of red hair. Finally. ‘Hey,’ he said softly.
‘Hey,’ she said tiredly.
He turned on his stool, and she walked right into his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around her protectively.
The detective followed behind her. He took in the picture of them, but didn’t say anything. ‘I need your phone numbers so I can contact you directly.’
Brody reached for the phone without hesitation. He needed to be kept in the loop. This had just gone way beyond political games. He tapped his number into the detective’s address book and, after momentary consideration, added Jenny’s burner phone. He sent himself a quick text so he’d have the detective’s number, too.
Morgan nodded as he tucked the phone away. ‘You’re going to want to get a contractor over there in the morning. They got in by throwing a landscaping stone through the window of her back door.’
Brody nodded. He’d have it replaced with a steel one by lunchtime. At least she hadn’t been there when it happened, and that made every dime of that Luxxor contract worth it.
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