There was nothing but pure honesty in his eyes, and she was persuaded not just by his words but also by his will.
A lot of people talked the talk, but she'd never met anyone who was really willing to walk the walk, to put everything he or she believed in on the line for their beliefs. To look all the naysayers in the eye and say you're wrong took a lot of strength. Devin was one of a kind, and she couldn't help but admire him.
"Kate? What's it going to be?" Devin questioned.
"I'm not walking away. I believe in your instincts. And to put it in baseball terms, I respect your willingness to leave everything on the field."
A small smile played across his lips. "I don't know any other way to play. But this isn't a game, and I know that, Kate. You don't have to worry that I don't understand what's at stake."
"Good, because if we do get close to discovering Sam's real killer, that could put us in danger, and I'd like to know that the man at my side is keeping his eye on that ball, too."
"You've got it. I think we should seal the deal with a hot dog. What do you say?"
She grinned. "A hot dog sounds perfect. Actually, I'm going to get mine with chili and onions."
He smiled back at her. "If you think onions are going to scare me away…"
"Scare you away?" she echoed. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes, you do."
"Let's just eat."
"I thought you were fearless."
"When it's warranted, I am. This isn't that time."
Twelve
Kate was right, Devin thought, as they made their way to the snack bar. This wasn't the time to be messing around, but he had enjoyed seeing the guilty sparkle in her eyes when he'd brought up the heat between them.
Too bad they were both smart enough not to act on it.
After they collected their hot dogs and french fries, they sat down at a table near the arcade.
"So tell me about your baseball career," Kate said as she wiped some chili off her lips.
"It wasn't a career. I played on competitive teams growing up, in high school and two years of college. I got some draft offers after my sophomore year, but they weren't offering much money, so I said no. Then I hurt my shoulder and ended up sitting out my junior year. The time off brought some clarity. I decided to hang up my cleats and go after a real career."
Having seen his intensity, she was a little surprised he'd given up on that dream, but it was nice to know that Devin could take a step back and look at a situation with a more critical eye. He didn't always let emotion influence his judgment.
"It worked out for the best," Devin added.
"No regrets?"
"Not about baseball. I'll always love the game, but it wasn't going to be my career." He paused. "Tell me about your baseball career. You didn't get that swing in two seconds tonight."
"I played softball until I was twelve, but it was never my thing. It was way too slow. Every game seemed to take forever. I dabbled a little in soccer and volleyball, and they had more action, but while I liked being on a team, I discovered that I liked controlling the outcome even more. That's why running appealed to me so much; it was just me against the trail. I was in charge of my own fate. In team sports, you're only as good as your weakest link. In running, I didn't have to rely on anyone else to win. I'm sure you can relate to that."
"I can relate, but I have to admit that having been on my own the last year and a half, I've missed having a partner, someone to bounce ideas off of."
"Well, I'm here now. So what are we going to do next? You said the second fire usually occurs within four to seven days after the first fire. It's Friday, and the fire was Monday. We're in the target zone. Which reminds me, I do want to go by Ashbury Studios and warn my cousin and his wife. They've worked really hard to build that studio up."
"I thought you didn't want to see your family."
"Well, I doubt Sean and Jessica will go running to my mother, but even if they did, this is more important."
"That's fine, but I don't think the studio is the next target. My money is on the Bayside Neighborhood Club. It's a teen center in an old house. The manager of the club lives on the third floor of the house, but other than her, the house is empty after ten o'clock at night." He paused. "I might drive by some of the targets later tonight, between the hours of midnight and three, see if anyone is around any of the sites."
"That seems a little random."
"It's better than nothing. I'll focus in on the three sites without alarm systems." He pulled out his phone as he got a text. "The boss is checking up on you," he said.
"What do you mean? I talked to Agent Roman earlier today."
"He just wants to know if you're able to help me."
"I hope you're going to tell him that I'm doing nothing but helping you," she said pointedly. "I even tried to teach you how to win at skee ball."
"I don't recall any teaching, only boasting."
"Because I finally found something I could beat you at."
He sent a text back to Roman, then said, "Are you ready to get out of here?"
"Hold on. What did you tell my boss?"
"That he couldn't have sent me anyone greener."
Disappointment ran through her. "Seriously? We're back to that?"
He opened his phone and showed her the text. "No, I said you've been more helpful than anyone else at the Bureau."
She skimmed the text. "Okay, good. But since the Bureau set the bar for helping you really low, I'm not sure that's much of a compliment."
"Just take it."
"Fine, I'll take it. Let's stop at Ashbury Studios on the way back to your place."
"Whatever you want."
"If you still need to burn off some energy, we could probably crash Jessica's ballroom dance class," she suggested. "I think she teaches it around this time on Friday nights."
"I don't think so. I have no ability to dance."
"I don't believe you. You're very light on your feet."
"Only when I'm hitting baseballs."
"It could be fun. I would even let you lead."
"As tempting as that offer is, I still say no."
"We'll see."
"Hey, you're not going to change my mind," he added, as he followed her out of the batting cages.
She gave him a mischievous smile. "I bet I could if I really tried."
"Then don't try," he said a little desperately.
She liked that she could rattle him, too. "Like I said, we'll see."
* * *
Kate hadn't been at Ashbury Studios since she'd joined the FBI. The entire first floor of the converted warehouse had been turned into small to medium-sized music and recording rooms, with one main studio for more important artists and bigger bands. Her cousin Sean, who was an excellent musician and singer, and apparently also a good businessman, had opened the studio with a partner a few years earlier.
The upper floor offered a variety of dance studios for fitness, ballet, yoga, hip-hop, salsa and ballroom dancing, all overseen by Sean's wife Jessica.
After entering through the side door, they headed down a hall lined with photographs. Kate paused in front of one. "This is Sean's band," she told Devin. "He's been performing since he was fifteen. He's really good. I hope he's here tonight. I'd love for you to meet him. He and Jessica have an interesting love story."
"How so?" Devin asked curiously, as they continued down the hall.
"It's a long and complicated tale, but these are the highlights. Jessica used to dance in Vegas. She met and married a single dad, whose son Kyle was about four or five years old. Then her husband died tragically, and she was left to raise her stepson Kyle."
"When does Sean come in?"
"Pretty soon. Jessica had her hands full raising Kyle on her own. Then things got worse. Kyle was kidnapped from a birthday party."
Devin arched an eyebrow. "Okay, getting more interesting. I'm guessing this is a happy story by your tone."
"It is, but i
t took awhile to get there. At the same time that Kyle was kidnapped in Angel's Bay—"
"Wait—your sister lives in Angel's Bay."
"Right, but Mia wasn't there then. This was before that. At the same time Kyle was kidnapped, my cousin Nicole's son Brandon was also kidnapped. Brandon is autistic, so it was even more terrifying, because he was torn away from everything and everyone he knew."
"There's a link between Kyle and Brandon, isn't there?" Devin asked, his quick mind putting together the pieces of her story.
"Yes. They turned out to be identical twins. It quickly became clear that they had been separated at birth and adopted individually. My cousin Nicole had no idea that her son was a twin. She and her husband Ryan went racing down to Angel's Bay, and Sean went there to help with the search. That's where he met Jessica. Eventually, the boys were found, and Nicole, Ryan and Jessica decided that they needed to stay together, so Jessica moved to San Francisco with Kyle, and she and Sean fell in love."
Devin smiled as they reached the main lobby. "That is quite a story. Do they all live together?"
"They live near each other but not together. The boys adore each other, and Kyle, who is not autistic, is so great with Brandon. He really brings him into the world. He instinctively knows what Brandon needs."
"The twin thing strikes again."
"It does," she said with a laugh. "Anyway, let's go upstairs."
They walked up to the second floor and into the main dance studio where Jessica was fiddling with her stereo system while two couples chatted before class.
Jessica was a leggy brunette with dark brown eyes and a warm smile. Wearing heels, a spaghetti-strapped top and flowing skirt, she looked like she was ready to dance.
"Kate," she said with surprise in her eyes. "How nice to see you. Did you come for the class?"
She knew Devin didn't want to dance, but she'd gone to the batting cages with him; maybe he could do something she wanted to do. She'd always wanted to take a dance class from Jessica, and they had a little time before the stakeout he wanted to do later. "Yes," she said.
"Hold on," Devin said. "I told you I don’t know how to dance."
"This is a beginner class," Jessica said. "And the start of a new session. No one knows how to dance. I'm Jessica Callaway." She extended her hand to Devin.
"Devin Scott. And we didn't come here to dance. Kate, tell her why we're here."
She sighed. "He's right I did have another more pressing reason."
"What's that?" Jessica asked.
She looked around. The other couples were talking to each other and not paying any attention to them. "There have been a series of arson fires in the city, and property owners in this area are being asked to be extra vigilant. Make sure all doors and windows are locked at night. When I saw the studios on the list, I wanted to come by personally and warn you."
"That sounds ominous. Should we be worried?" Jessica asked.
"Just careful."
"I didn’t realize you were working in San Francisco, Kate."
"I'm just helping out on this case before Mia's wedding. I also came by because I wanted to see you," she said, trying to lighten the concern in Jessica's eyes.
"Well, I'm happy to see you, too, and glad you're watching out for us. I'll let Sean know what you said." Jessica looked at Devin. "Are you also in the FBI?"
"I was. I'm an investigator now."
"And I think he could be a really good ballroom dancer," Kate put in. Now that she'd gotten work out of the way, she wanted to dance.
Jessica smiled. "There's definitely room in the class. I think you would have fun. I'll let you two decide." She left them alone while she walked over to the other students.
Kate could see that Devin was going to be hard to win over, so she put her hand on his arm and gave him her best smile. "What do you say, we just try it out? If you're not having fun, we can leave." She squeezed her hand on his arm. "It's a little break before we spend half the night driving around the city."
"You're not playing fair," he said grumpily.
"What's not fair?"
He pointedly looked at where she was touching him. "I thought we had a hands-off policy."
"That's a no-kissing policy. Dancing is completely acceptable. And by the way, I can be just as determined as you when I want something."
He gazed into her eyes for a long moment. "Fine, I'll dance. But I will lead."
"I wouldn't expect anything else."
Jessica called them over, and they joined the other couples as a male dancer came into the studio. It was a clear he was also a professional. Jessica and her partner gave them a short demonstration, and then it was their turn to dance.
As Devin put one hand on her hip and grasped her other hand with his, pulling her close against his chest, she suddenly realized the danger of her impulsive decision to dance.
Jessica walked them through the first few stumbling steps. Kate felt even more awkward than Devin, who actually seemed to be picking up the moves more quickly than she was.
"You just have to relax and let me take you where you're supposed to go," Devin told her.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."
"What happened to I can be just as determined as you?"
"Nothing, but I can see I don't have a talent for this."
"Your problem is you don't want to give up control," he told her.
He was probably right about that. She was worrying so much about getting the steps perfect and not dancing too close to him and not looking stupid that she was messing the whole thing up. So she took a deep breath, and let herself hear the music, and feel his moves.
Once she stopped fighting him, she started to do better.
Jessica came over to them a few times and interrupted just long enough to show them how they could improve a step, then left them alone to continue on with the dance.
By the time the class was over, Kate felt both exhilarated and tired.
Devin twirled her around in one last move that was completely made up, but since he was giving her his sexy smile, she went along with it, ending up in his arms.
"That was more fun than I thought it would be," he said.
"I know. It surprised me, too."
They were so close together, their faces just inches apart, she could feel his breath on her face and she wanted very much to close the gap between them and feel his lips on her mouth. Devin's gaze darkened, and his arms tightened around her body.
"Just kiss me already," she breathed.
Desire flickered in his eyes. But before he could move, she heard a guy call her name.
"Kate?"
Startled, she pulled abruptly away from Devin to see her cousin Sean making his way across the dance floor.
"Hey, nice to see you," he added, giving her a hug.
"You, too. I didn't think you were here tonight."
"Just got back from dinner. We have a band recording later. They like the late night start."
"This is Devin Scott," she said, introducing the two men.
Sean shook Devin's hand. "Nice to meet you. Jessica told me you're following an arsonist and that we might be a target?"
"Yes. I just got on the case a few days ago," she said. "But Devin has been investigating a series of fires over the past several years. We've isolated some potential targets."
"And this studio is one of them?" he asked in surprise.
"Actually, it's very low on the list," Devin interjected. "But the arsonist has been known to target organizations that provide services to the community for at-risk kids and senior citizens."
"Why the hell would anyone want to go after those groups?" Sean asked, bewilderment in his blue eyes.
"Still trying to figure that out," Devin replied.
"We actually have extra security for the next three nights," Sean said. "The recording artist coming in later is well-known, and he brings along his own team."
"Who is it?" Kate asked.
Sean smiled. "I can't tell yo
u that. He values his privacy."
"So it's a he."
Sean shook his head in amazement. "You're just like Emma. So curious."
"I consider any resemblance to Emma to be a compliment."
"Speaking of Emma, why didn't my sister warn me about the possibility of arson?"
"She was just made aware of these potential new targets," Kate told him.
"Well, glad to hear she's not asleep on the job."
"You know that would never happen." Kate paused as Jessica came over. "Thanks for the class. That was fun."
"It looked fun," Jessica said with a twinkle in her eyes. "You two make good partners."
"When she lets me lead," Devin said with a grin.
"You stumbled a few times, too," she reminded him.
"That's when you stepped on my feet."
"Well, you'll both get better if you come back next week," Jessica put in.
Jessica's words reminded Kate that she wouldn't be coming back next week, because that was Mia's rehearsal dinner, and the following week she'd probably be back in DC getting assigned to another case.
"Sorry, I forgot next week is the wedding," Jessica said. "So maybe another time?"
"We'll see," she said. "Thanks again for letting us crash the class."
"There's always room for two more, especially family."
"Nice to meet you both," Devin added, as they said their goodbyes and headed back to the car.
As she got into the car and Devin started the engine, she glanced down at her watch. It was nine thirty, which meant they had a few hours to kill until they started to stake out the other targets, and she had a really terrible idea on how to fill that time.
She should go home, she told herself. She should ask Devin to drop her at Ian's place and then have him pick her up after midnight. She could take a quick nap. She could talk to Ian. She could do a lot of things besides get closer to Devin.
Tender Is The Night (Callaways Book 10) Page 13