by Sara Davison
“That’s what I’m trying to find out.”
To save time, he gave up and submitted to the inevitable. “All right, fine. She was our server that day. I thought she was really attractive, but then I realized she was with someone else, Gage Kelly, to be exact, so I left. End of story. I haven’t thought about her since.”
“Sure you haven’t. That’s why you still can’t look me in the eye when you’re talking about her.”
Daniel forced himself to meet her gaze. “Shar ...”
His partner raised both hands. “Okay, I’ll drop it. As long as you promise me you can be professional when you meet with her.”
“I can. As far as I’m concerned, she’s someone of interest who might be able to give us information to help solve a criminal investigation.”
Sharleen pressed her tongue into her cheek, clearly trying to decide if he was telling the truth. Daniel held his breath.
After a moment she exhaled loudly. “Okay fine. I’ll keep working here while you go see her. But I want your word that you’ll tell me if you don’t think you can stay objective.”
“You have it.”
She started to leave his office then stopped. “Oh, and Grey?”
“Bring you tea.”
“Peppermint. Thanks.” She pointed a finger at him. “Professional.”
“Have you ever known me to be anything but?” He shook his head as she opened her mouth to speak. “Don’t answer that.”
Sharleen grinned and walked away.
Daniel shifted back around to his desk. Seeing Nicole again would be a good thing. It would show him that whatever had hit him over the head that day was a fluke, a moment of weakness brought on by lack of sleep, or maybe by his sister planting the thought in his head that he really needed a woman. When they met again he was sure he would feel nothing more for her than he would feel for any other person of interest. Of interest to the force, that is, not to him personally.
Jumping to his feet, he pulled on his jacket and headed for the parking lot. Only one way to find out.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The sun was warm for mid-May. Daniel flapped the sides of his suit jacket before leaning against the outside wall of a building, soaking up the coolness of the stone against his shoulders. The stench of warm garbage from farther down the alley drifted on the air and he grimaced as he peered cautiously around the corner. Nicole should be coming by soon. He’d used his two days off this week to follow her, and she seemed to keep a pretty regular schedule. She’d worked at the diner both days from seven in the morning until five at night. After work, she’d stopped at the market to pick up a few groceries. Then she had crossed the street and walked home through the park near her building.
If she stuck to her regular routine, she should be passing by him in the next few minutes. He was hoping to make contact with her today, try to feel her out a bit to see if she knew anything about the children that had gone missing.
He scanned the crowds of people making their way down the sidewalk in both directions and zeroed in on one woman in a pale pink jacket, blonde hair caught up in a ponytail. She was coming. Daniel edged closer to the corner of the building. After she’d passed by, he’d fall into step behind her and follow her to the market. Maybe he’d have an opportunity to engage her in casual conversation there, ask her if she knew where he could find something, anything to make that initial connection with her. He’d have to be discreet though, or she’d—
“Hey!”
His head whipped in her direction. A kid in a black sweatshirt, hood pulled over his head, had grabbed her purse. Nicole wrestled with him for a few seconds, until the guy wrenched it from her hands and sprinted away, heading toward Daniel.
So much for being discreet.
He waited until the little thief had almost reached him, then he jumped out and planted a hand on the kid’s chest, driving him up against the wall and holding him there with his forearm. “Give it back.”
The guy’s eyes were hard as flint. “I don’t think so.” He shoved against Daniel’s arm, but Daniel held him firmly in place.
With his free hand, he pushed back his jacket, far enough so the kid could see both his badge and the gun strapped across his chest, but no one else could. “Want to re-think that?”
If possible, the kid’s eyes grew harder. “Whatever.” He shoved the bag against Daniel’s stomach.
Daniel contemplated him as he took the bag. If the little criminal had seemed even the tiniest bit remorseful, he’d let him go without a qualm. Since he didn’t appear to be, Daniel would like nothing better than to arrest him and let him spend a night behind bars to cool off. Unfortunately, if he slapped cuffs on the guy in front of Nicole, the game would be up. It went against everything in him, but if he had to let a petty thief go in order to capture a much bigger prey, so be it.
“Stop taking things that don’t belong to you.” He pressed a little deeper into the guy’s chest, driving home his point. “Next time you might not be so lucky.” He dropped his arm and stepped back, clutching the bag in one hand.
The kid took off, weaving in and around the other pedestrians until he was gone from view.
“That was amazing.” Nicole sounded breathless as she jogged up behind him.
Daniel turned around. Exactly like he’d hoped it wouldn’t, the sight of her smile, the freckles sprinkled across her nose, hit him full force. For a moment, he struggled to draw in a breath.
An uncertain look crossed her face. “May I?”
Daniel glanced down. How long had she stood there, holding her hand out to him? His cheeks warmed. “Sorry.” He offered her the bag.
She clutched it to her. “I don’t know how to thank you. My whole life is in this bag.”
“It was nothing.” His voice had gone all Sam Elliot on him and he cleared his throat.
“It wasn’t nothing.” She held out her free hand, her gaze locked on his. “Thank you.”
Was that a glimmer of recognition in her eyes? Daniel sincerely hoped not. He hesitated before reaching for her hand. “You’re welcome.”
Nicole nodded and, after a few seconds, slowly extricated her fingers from his. “I need to …” she pointed down the street.
“Of course.” Daniel stepped away.
With a slight nod, she turned and continued down the sidewalk, heading in the direction of the market. Daniel watched her until she disappeared from view, lost in the crowd of people scurrying along the Toronto sidewalk.
Now what?
Nicole stepped into the market. Her heart still pounded, and she leaned against a freezer and took several deep breaths to slow it down. Did that just happen? She was always careful to hold onto her bag tightly when walking down a crowded sidewalk, but that kid had come out of nowhere. And so had her rescuer. What was he, some kind of superhero? I mean, who does that? Risk their life for a complete stranger. Not that he’d seemed in danger at any point. He’d appeared in complete control of the situation the entire time. And those eyes …
Nicole shook her head and pushed away from the freezer. All right, enough about him, whoever he was. She’d thanked him and that was that. She grabbed a basket and filled it with the dinner she planned to make for Gage that night. Remember him? She winced and attempted to force all thoughts of the heroic stranger from her mind.
After paying for her groceries, Nicole crossed the street and headed into the park. Now that the long, cold winter had finally ended, she welcomed the spring sun that warmed her neck and shoulders. It was almost hot today. The man who’d chased her would-be thief had to be uncomfortable in his suit jacket. Her forehead wrinkled. Had she met him before? At the diner, maybe? He’d looked familiar. Of course, that dark hair and blue eyes combination was difficult to forget. He mustn’t have come often, or she definitely would have remembered him.
I thought you weren’t thinking about him anymore. Nicole hiked the paper grocery bag up higher in her arms. She wasn’t, of course. She was thinking about dinner, a
nd what she could make for her boyfriend. A stir-fry, maybe. She’d picked up a bunch of vegetables at the market, and had chicken at home, so that would be an easy …
“Excuse me?”
Startled by a man’s voice close behind her, Nicole whirled around. The paper bag in her arms ripped, sending groceries scattering across the pathway. Heat rushed into her cheeks as she crouched down and grabbed for a tomato.
The man—or superhero, or whatever he was—crouched down beside her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I just … wanted to ask you something.”
She scrutinized him for a moment before setting what was left of the bag down on the ground and reaching for a head of lettuce. “It’s fine. I’m a little jumpy from before, I think.”
“Can I give you a hand?”
“That’s okay. You’ve done more than enough for me today. I’ve got it.”
“I don’t mind.” He picked up a bag of apples.
Nicole straightened up, her arms filled with the rest of the items from the bag. Two red peppers and a yellow one slipped from her grasp and fell to the sidewalk. “Okay, I guess I don’t have it.”
His blue eyes danced when he laughed. Which was neither here nor there. Still, she watched him as he stooped down and grabbed the peppers. “Do you have far to go?”
“No, I live …” She started to wave a hand in the direction of her building, then stopped and wrinkled her nose. “I guess I shouldn’t be giving out that information to a perfect stranger, even if he is the Good Samaritan type.”
“Probably wise.” He nodded. “I could wait here until you take those things home and come back, if you’d prefer.”
Nicole hesitated, studying his face carefully. Could she trust him? Of course she couldn’t. He was a stranger in the city, and he had appeared out of nowhere. Twice. It was quite possible that he was the stalker her dad was always warning her about. Be smart, Nicole. Tell him you can manage on your own. “No, that’s silly. If you don’t mind walking there with me, I’d appreciate it.”
“Sure.” The man fell into step beside her. When they reached her building, a large limestone edifice a block from the park, Nicole stopped.
Her hero—or stalker—inclined his head toward the condo building. “Nice place.”
“Thanks.” She paused. “I don’t mean to be rude, but—”
“I’ll wait out here until you come back for the rest of your groceries,” he offered quickly.
Her shoulders relaxed. “Okay, thanks. I’ll be right back.”
Nicole hurried up to her condo and set the groceries down on the island in the kitchen. He did look hot. From the sun, that is. Should she offer him a drink? Absolutely not. Nicole tugged open the refrigerator door and took out two cans of lemonade. It really was the least she could do after he’d rescued her. Even Gage would see that, when she told him about everything that had happened to her today. Which she would.
When Nicole came out into the warm sunshine, the man was standing with his back to her, attempting to juggle the three peppers. She stopped at the top of the stairs and watched him for a moment, biting her lip to keep from laughing. Then one of the peppers slipped from his grasp and the other two quickly followed, the last one bouncing off the side of his head before dropping onto the cement. She did laugh then.
He turned toward her, his face red. “Sorry.” He bent down and picked up the peppers, brushing them off on his shirt before placing them carefully on the step beside the apples.
“It’s fine.” Nicole came over to join him, setting the cans of lemonade down so she could pick up the peppers. “I used to be good at this myself, although it’s been a while.” She tossed one up in the air, but it landed in her waiting hand before she could throw either of the others up after it. On her second attempt, she managed to get all three items up and keep them there for about three seconds before they hit the sidewalk hard enough to crack one open.
She looked over at the man, her grin sheepish. He chuckled. “Good form. A couple more … years of practice and you should have it.”
She sat down on the step behind her and picked up one of the cans. “I don’t want to hold you up, but I thought I could at least offer you a drink.” She held the can out to him.
For a moment, he seemed to hesitate. Would he do that if his intentions weren’t honorable? “Yeah, sure. Thanks.” He lowered himself onto the step beside her.
“So what did you want to ask me?”
“Excuse me?”
“Before, in the park, you said you wanted to ask me something.”
“Oh, yeah.” He pulled back the tab of the can and it popped open with a hiss. “I don’t know this side of the city very well, so I wondered if you could recommend a good place to eat.”
Really? That’s why he had stopped her in the park? It seemed a bit contrived. Maybe he really was a stalker. “Oh.” She bit the inside of her lip as she studied him.
He met her gaze steadily and she relaxed. Or maybe he was just hungry. “It depends what you’re looking for. You can find a restaurant featuring pretty much any kind of ethnic food around here and most of them are great. Otherwise, there’s a good diner, Joe’s, at the corner of Bathurst and Queen, a few blocks from here.”
“That sounds like what I’m looking for. I’ll check it out.”
Nicole rested her elbows on the step above and leaned back, lifting her face to the sun. “I love spring. Especially days like today, all this sunshine and warmth.”
The man leaned on the stair behind him too and tipped back his head to take a drink of the lemonade. “It is a gorgeous day,” he agreed, after setting the can on the step beside him. “I love spring as well. It’s like my third favorite season.”
Nicole rolled her head sideways to smile at him. “That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement. What’s number four on your list?”
“Fall, definitely. I hate watching all the leaves come down, and everything looking bare and stark and gray until winter when the snow comes.”
“Then it looks brown and dirty as the cars drive over it and turn it into a slushy mess so your feet get wet and cold every time you step out the door.”
“Hmm. That’s true. Okay, I’ll bump spring up to second place after summer. How’s that? Do you have anything against summer?”
“Not really. Other than the relentless heat, the mosquitoes, and the suffocating smog, of course.”
The man chuckled. “Fine. You made your case. Spring is now officially my favorite season.”
The corners of her mouth twitched. “Not a man to hold tightly to his convictions, are you?”
“Normally I am. Must be the blow to the head.”
Nicole feigned a contrite look as she tipped her can in his direction. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even ask if you were okay. Should I take you to emergency?”
“Uh no. I really don’t want to have to explain that one to a doctor. I’ll take my chances that it’s just a twenty-four-hour head injury thing and that my convictions will be back tomorrow, stronger than ever.”
She laughed again, not taking her eyes from his. They really were the most incredible shade of blue she’d ever seen. She could look into them all … Nicole straightened up so suddenly a few drops of her drink splashed onto the step in front of her. He needs to go. Now.
As though he’d read the thought in her eyes, the man’s smile disappeared. He lowered his gaze and the moment was gone.
A shutter dropped down over the emerald eyes that had been open and laughing seconds before. It was as though Nicole had forgotten herself in the sunshine, and in the warmth of what she assumed were his random acts of kindness—guilt prickled over his skin—suddenly realized she was being far too open with a total stranger. If Daniel hadn’t felt the disintegration of the fragile bridge their lighthearted conversation had built between them so keenly, he would have been fascinated, watching her maneuver her defences back into place.
Watching Nicole was like looking through a View-master—a blank screen w
hen she pulled the blinds over her eyes, followed by a sudden, breath-taking picture. Her voice, when she spoke again, had dropped several degrees. “I’m sure this is the last thing you are thinking of, but to be clear, I am seeing someone.”
Yeah, I got that. His grip on the can tightened, but he managed a small grin. “Hey, no worries. I happen to be familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan, and I’m pretty sure there isn’t anything about romance in it.”
“You’re right. There isn’t.” Nicole studied the drink in her hand. “Only help from a stranger. Which I’m sure the traveler was very grateful for, like I am.” She set down the can and stood up. “So thank you.” She rubbed her palm against her black dress pants to brush off the dirt from the step and held out her hand.
Daniel took her cue and rose. Reaching out, he grasped the hand she offered and held it in his. Her skin was soft and warm, and for a moment he couldn’t draw air into his lungs.
She bit her lip as she pulled her hand from his. “I should go. My boyfriend is coming for dinner, and I need to see what I can salvage from my collection of bruised vegetables.”
“Personally, I always chop up the ones I smash while juggling and make soup out of them. That way no one ever has to know.”
Her smile didn’t soften the gaze that had settled somewhere around his shoulders. “Good tip. I may do that.”
“I’ll see you around then.”
She nodded, the curt movement, and the rigid way she held herself, sending the clear message that it wasn’t likely.
Daniel bent down and picked up the vegetables and handed them to her. Resisting the urge to watch her until she had climbed the stairs and gone into her building, he headed through the park to the car he’d left on the other side. His mind sifted through the information he had been able to gather from the time he’d spent with Nicole that might be useful in their investigation.
It didn’t take long.
Daniel reached his car and yanked the remote from his jeans pocket. He went over the exchange on the steps of her building again in his mind as he pulled open the door and slid behind the wheel. Her abrupt withdrawal from the conversation was not a good sign. Whatever Nicole’s past, it had obviously made her wary of opening herself up too much, especially to someone she didn’t know. Too bad. He really could have used someone close to his persons of interest who had more than the usual level of trust in people, not less.