by Cassie Wild
At the sound of my name, I turned away from the bullpen, a professional smile in place.
It was time to get to work.
Ten
Ravenna
Brooding over a bottle of water in the break room, I kept hearing Martin Henry’s voice as he gave me the name of the man who’d helped set me on the path I was on today.
Gabriel Marks.
A conscienceless bastard who’d stolen everything from a family and gotten away scot-free.
A con-artist of the highest order.
I had his name.
After all this time, I finally had a name.
“I’m going to get him for you, Mary Jo,” I said to myself.
Of course, it was to myself. Mary Jo Jensen and I hadn’t talked in years.
We’d pretended to keep up the farce our friendship became after they moved away, but not for long, Mary Jo was the one who finally told me she needed a clean break from that old life, including a break from all her old friends.
That meant me too.
Her best friend.
I was the one who’d been with her when she’d found her father dead in his office from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
I was the one who’d held her when she cried because her mother just…disconnected.
And I was the one who tried to understand why my best friend didn’t want anything to do with me only months after we’d gone through that together. I still tried to understand, but I knew the confusion and disappointment I felt were the echoes of the girl I’d been.
The woman I was now understood that Mary Jo had been devastated, her entire life turned upside down.
They’d been one of the ‘upwardly mobile’ families, right up until her father fell for some scheme a con artist had lured him into. Things seemed to go okay at first, and he’d talk about how everything was going to get so much better. He’d even talked about a graduation trip to Europe for Mary Jo. You, too, sweetheart, he’d told me. You know, you’re like family to us.
We had been close too, Mary Jo’s mom was the closest thing I had to a real mom since mine had died so young.
When things started to fall apart at the Jensen household, Mary Jo would sneak over to my house at night and sleep there, desperate to get away from the fights.
She’d never been good at confrontation, and the arguments between her parents were unchartered territory for her.
Then came the day of reckoning…when her father realized he’d been conned and came clean to Mary Jo and her mother.
I’d been in the house when that happened too. There for a sleepover, although Mike Jensen hadn’t realized it at the time. He’d seen me later and torn into me, telling me to get out, yelling at me with a fury I’d never seen from him.
But that wasn’t what bothered me.
It was the way I’d seen him crying as he told Mary Jo and her mother, Delilah, that they had lost everything. They might even lose the house, and he’d have to sell Mary Jo’s new convertible that she’d gotten for Christmas, maybe even the family car, trade it in for something cheaper. Things were bad, so bad…
My head ached, and I tried to push the flow of memories back as I checked the time. I rarely took a break at work, but things were slow, and Milo was prepping for his court cases tomorrow, leaving me with little else to do. I now wished I’d stayed out there in the bullpen where the chaos would keep me from remembering all of this.
At least for a little while.
Less than a month after realizing he’d been conned, Mike Jensen took his gun, put the muzzle in his mouth, and pulled the trigger.
Less than an hour after he did that, the two of us got off from school, and Mary Jo had talked me into coming by the house.
Part of me, even now, wished I’d said no.
The other part was glad I’d said yes. It kept her from being alone when she found him. We’d waited together while we called the police.
My father had been the first to arrive, and he’d hustled us out of the room, barking at anybody who came near the first few minutes.
Carl had showed up not long after.
Sometimes having family who wore the badge could be a blessing.
They’d shielded us as much as they could, but we’d seen the body of her dead father lying on the ground behind his desk, where he’d fallen from the chair. We’d seen the blood.
We’d seen the gun.
Nothing undid those images.
Nothing would bring him back.
Nothing would fix what some conscienceless bastard had destroyed.
But I could hunt him down and find a way to keep him from destroying another life. Tightening my hand around the water bottle, I made a promise. I’d made it before, so this was just a silent confirmation of that earlier one.
I’ll get him for you, Mary Jo. I promise.
My dark mood lingered with me as I left the break room and headed back to my desk.
I wasn’t quite there when I happened to glance up.
That was when I saw him.
A few inches taller than me, tanned skin, dark hair.
Although I wasn’t close enough to see them now, I knew that his eyes would be a mix of not quite blue and not quite gray. I also knew he had a nice voice, warm and mellow, even when he was telling a guy to back off.
It was my would-be savior from the night before.
The guy who’d been willing to throw down with Cutter Duncan.
Unwittingly, a smile curled my lips as I stared at him, and without thinking, I took a step in his direction just as his head swung in my direction and our eyes met for the briefest moment.
His eyes widened a fraction.
I took a step toward him.
But the cop with him, a lieutenant, touched his elbow and they both veered around a corner, disappearing from sight.
“Hey.”
Jerking my head around, I looked at Milo. He had a cranky look on his face and a half-empty cup of coffee in his hands.
“Where did you disappear to?” he asked, taking a sip from the coffee, then scowling. It had probably been sitting on his desk all afternoon.
“I needed a break away from the paperwork,” I said. “Went back to the breakroom and got some water, zoned out for a few minutes.”
Milo made a face. “How you can zone out here, I don’t know. Too fucking noisy.”
I’d grown up around noise, so it didn’t bother me.
Nodding down the hall where the guy had gone, I asked, “Did you noticed the man with Lieutenant Steppes?”
Milo’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe. Why?”
“Just curious.”
“I thought you were looking at fraud, not organized crimes.” He took another sip of his coffee, made the same awful face.
“Curiosity illegal now?” I asked, keeping my tone light.
“Nah. See? I was just being curious myself.” He winked at me. “The guy’s a forensic accountant. I also noticed he was the guy checking you out at the café the other day. You got a stalker, kid?”
I gave him a deadpan stare.
He just smirked. “He’s probably here on a consult. He’s done that for some cases around here. Think his name is Nick Alexander – no, that’s not right. It’s Nicco Alexander.” He gave a definitive nod. “Nicco.”
He dropped his voice and leaned in closer. “Rumor has it some of the guys are going to be working with the feds and county boys on an organized crime task force – money laundering shit. That’s probably why he’s talking to Steppes. Steppes usually handles the bigger cases like that.” He cut around me and said, “I’m going to the breakroom. See if I can do this…zoning out thing you do.”
As his footsteps receded, I started back toward my own desk.
Nicco Alexander.
I liked the sound of the name, the feel of it even.
And it suited him.
Whether it suits him doesn’t concern you, a determined voice said from the back of my head. He doesn’t concern you. You only n
eed to worry about dealing with Gabriel Marks now. Find him. Everything else comes second.
Eleven
Nicco
“Thank you, Mr. Alexander. We’ll be in touch.”
I nodded at the man who’d just spoken, a Mr. Greer. He wore a gray suit and everything about him shouted federal. I wasn’t concerned about that. It was a joint task force, after all.
Although I’d kept on task the entire meeting, in the back of my mind, I kept thinking about her – the woman I’d seen earlier. Ravenna. Tall, slim, those bright green eyes and her short red hair.
Was she still there?
Anxious to find out, I cast a quick look around the room and nodded at the people at large before leaving.
I tucked the business card I’d been given earlier into my pocket.
They may or may not be in touch.
If I was brought on as a consultant, they’d run a background check on me, and anytime somebody did that, my father’s name always popped. It wasn’t a big issue a lot of the time, but for something like this, if they did more than a basic search, it could be problematic, and I knew it.
But that wasn’t what was weighing heavy on my mind just then.
Was she still there?
I had my answer only moments later.
She was there, in the main hall. No longer in her uniform, she wore a pair of jeans and a t-shirt as she stood talking to another officer. A bag was slung over one shoulder, and she kept a hand on the strap at all times as she stood there.
Walk away, I told myself. Just walk away.
But as if I was being taunted, tempted even, the officer she was talking to chose that moment to turn away, and she headed for the door.
I was on her heels a second later.
“Ravenna, right?”
She turned, head cocked and met my eyes.
She didn’t look surprised to see me.
“Well, if it isn’t the knight in shining armor,” she said, a smile tugging at her lips.
Already, I wanted to cover that mouth with mine and kiss her.
“Not much of a knight. The damsel handled him herself.” I paused before adding, “Perhaps I shouldn’t call you a damsel. My apologies.”
She shrugged, a small movement of her slim shoulders. “I think you heard me being called worse last night. And that was just the tip of the iceberg.” She winked at me. “Cops get called some pretty ugly things.”
She glanced at the door behind her, but I stepped forward, not wanting her to leave just yet. “I wanted to introduce myself. I’m Nicco Alexander.”
“I know.” She continued to study me with wide, unblinking eyes. “I saw you with one of the lieutenants earlier and asked. You seemed to keep showing up everywhere I do.”
She hitched up her bag on her shoulder and looked once more at the door.
“I’m keeping you,” I said. “Could I maybe walk you out?”
She looked like she might refuse, but to my surprise, she shrugged. “I’m on foot, but if you want to…sure.”
Not exactly the most eager of yeses, but I’d take it.
She strolled along beside me, squinting up at the sky as we headed down the long, paved sidewalks of the plaza in front of the police station. “It looks like we’re going to have a storm,” she said softly.
“I can give you a ride home if you’d like.” Say yes. Gesturing down the street, I continued in what was hopefully a casual voice, “My office is just a few buildings down. My car is parked there.”
She slanted a look up at me. “We’ll see.” She skimmed a hand back over the short cut of her hair, making me wish I could do the same. “I saw you at the café yesterday. Now you’re at the station where I work. It’s almost like you’re following me.”
“It’s just been…” I realized she was teasing me just as I tried to fumble out a way to say a lucky couple of days. Smiling at her, I shrugged. “What can I say? I took one look at you at the café and knew I had to get your number.”
She laughed, the sound bright and enticing. “Smooth. Who were the girls with you? Sisters?”
“Half,” I allowed cautiously. “Good eye.” I’d noticed the subtle resemblance between the three of us myself. That a cop had noticed it wasn’t too surprising, I supposed.
Ravenna reached up and tapped the corner right next to her eye. “I’m trained to be an excellent observer,” she said soberly. but humor glinted in her gaze.
“We’re just now starting to connect,” I told her, not even sure why I said it. “They’re…estranged from their father.”
“And you?” She gave me a curious look.
“For more than half my life,” I replied without even thinking. Shut up, you dumb ass, I told myself. I’d suddenly developed a case of motor-mouth. I had friends who’d known me for years who knew jackshit about my father, and I doubted Suria or Joelle would appreciate me talking about their private lives to some woman I’d just met. That she was a cop would only aggravate the issue.
And why the hell had I mentioned Gabriel anyway?
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Ravenna said, sighing softly. “My father’s one of my best friends.” She slanted me a look from the corner of her eye. “My mom died when I was pretty young, so my brothers and my dad were pretty much my world for a long while. I can’t imagine not being close to him.”
“My mom’s my world. Different circumstances.” A fat raindrop chose that moment to land on my nose. “Uh oh,” I muttered, shooting a look upward.
The next drop caught me right in the eye, and Ravenna squeaked next to me. “Uh oh is right.”
“Come on,” I said, grabbing her hand without thinking. “My office is just right here.”
I tugged her under the protective overhang just as the skies opened up.
We didn’t entirely manage to avoid the drenching, but we were better off than the people caught in the middle of it as they were crossing the streets or rushing to get to their cars.
Keys already in hand, I unlocked the door to my office and stepped aside so she could enter. She did so after only a brief hesitation, shooting me another one of those measuring looks.
A smile danced on her lips as she turned to face me. “If you arranged the rainstorm just to get me to come inside, I have to admit, I’m impressed.”
The comment surprised a laugh out of me.
Her pretty green eyes sparkled as I moved a little closer. “If I said yes, I arranged it, just how impressed would you be?”
“Hmm…” She caught her lower lip between her teeth and gave me a contemplative stare. A few seconds passed before she said, “Impressed enough.”
My gaze dropped to her mouth.
I wanted to feel that mouth under mine.
And I didn’t want to wait any longer to do it.
“Really.” Easing closer, I dipped my head, moving in on her personal space.
She didn’t seem to mind.
She didn’t even seem to mind when I reached up and cupped her cheek in my hand. Her skin was surprisingly soft and smooth, almost delicate, and I swept my thumb across the line of her jaw as I tilted her head up.
“Impressed enough for this…?”
I brushed a featherlight kiss over her lips, then held it there to see how she’d react.
I hoped it wasn’t with a fist in my gut. Or worse.
Something thumped, and I looked down, saw that she’d let go of her bag and let it fall to the ground. She slid her hand up, curling it in the lapel of my suit coat and tugged me closer.
Much better than a fist in my gut.
And much better than I’d expected, even.
Then her mouth opened.
I caught the first whisper of her taste, and I groaned in satisfaction.
Her tongue licked across mine, and I slid the hand on her cheek up until I was cradling the back of her head. Angling her head farther back, I moved in, eliminating what little space remained between us and found that her long, lean, sexy form aligned perfectly with mine.
> The playful kiss took on a dangerous edge, and I nipped her lower lip, needing more of her.
She was the first to break away, staring up at me with eyes that had darkened from sea green to the color of moss, heavy with want. But that skeptical cop still watched me, and damn if that wasn’t just as much a turn-on for me as feeling her breasts shudder against my chest.
“Well…that got heavy fast,” she whispered.
“Might have something to do with the fact that I’ve been wondering how you’d taste from the second I laid eyes on you,” I told her, sliding my hand from the back of her neck until I could rub my thumb over her lower lip.
She closed her mouth over it, and I shuddered. “Keep that up and…”
She sucked on me, then let go so that my thumb escaped her mouth with a wet pop. “And what?” she asked, challenge in her voice.
“And this.” I crushed my mouth back to hers.
She met me hunger for hunger.
The way her tongue licked into my mouth was enough to send my brain into a fast, hard meltdown, and I caught her hip in my free hand, holding her against me as I started to grind against her.
She whimpered, and without thinking, I slid a hand between us.
She stiffened.
I jerked my head up, staring at her. “Fuck, I’m…”
She shuddered and tightened her thighs around my hand. “Stop, and I might hurt you,” she said on a throaty sigh.
“Is that a fact?” I rubbed the heel of my hand against the hot mound between her thighs, watching her face. “If it’s that dire, maybe you should let me make a few adjustments then.”
She touched her tongue to her lips.
That small act made me want to beg for mercy.
But I kept the easy smile on my face, struggling to keep the mood light. I’d done gone and lost my mind.
“What kind of adjustments?”
Easing away, I slid my hand up from her crotch to tug at the waistband of her jeans. “Undoing these maybe.”
“I’ll allow that,” she told me, her voice reed thin.
Still watching her, I popped the button of her jeans and dragged the zipper down.