by Lori Foster
Dash sat beside her. It was odd, sitting on the kitchen floor with a fat blind cat moving between them. Quietly, to help hide his sudden and uncomfortable jealousy, Dash asked, “Have you fucked him?”
She half choked. “God, no.”
Only a little appeased by her repulsed reaction, he pressed her. “Because you don’t want to mix work with pleasure?”
Watching the cat, she shrugged as if the reasons didn’t matter. “He’s friendly with my father, he’s autocratic and sexist, and he cheated on his wife.”
“That’s why they divorced?”
She shrugged. “All I know is that he inherited a nice vacation home and a lump sum of cash from his parents a few years back. Suddenly he started thinking he was Huge Hefner or something.” She tickled under Oliver’s chin. “Before that, he wasn’t such a bad guy.”
It was the cheating that ruled him out, Dash figured. “Definitely not your type.” The cat moved back into her lap, arching up to snuggle the top of his head to her chin. She kissed his bent ear, then hugged him.
Dash liked seeing her like this, comfortable, soft in her attentions to her pet, at ease with him.
Needing to touch her, he cupped her cheek and tipped her face up to his. “I guess we don’t need to go to the station now?”
Determination sparked in her eyes. “Oh, I’m still going.”
“You’ll ignore his orders?”
“You bet. Now forget the commander. I plan to.” Surprising him, she leaned in to give him a quick kiss. Before he could take advantage of that, she gave Oliver one more luxurious stroke from nape to tail, set him aside and pushed to her feet. “Let’s get going.”
Because he didn’t entirely understand the workings of the station, Dash didn’t debate it with her. He’d ask Logan later, and try to get an understanding of the pecking order. Obviously the commander had some clout, but enough to rein her in?
Apparently not.
Or, knowing how her mind worked, maybe Margo had a valid reason for ignoring the commander—and enough dirt on him to keep from getting in trouble for it.
* * *
GOING THROUGH THE STATION with Margo, Dash noted the attention she got from a dozen different officers and a few detectives. Some asked after her, others made a point of not staring too much. Seeing her injured must have been a real aberration for them.
Did they, like Logan and Reese, see her as Superman, impervious to hurt?
At that moment, his brother and Reese came around the corner, heading down the hallway together.
Their reactions were priceless.
“Damn.” Logan winced theatrically. “Either you bruise easy or you should be in the damned hospital still.”
Reese whistled. “You’re all psychedelic, Lieutenant.”
“Be quiet,” Margo said without heat, cutting off any real sympathy for her darkening bruises. “Where are you off to?”
Logan, holding a file, said, “I was just going to do some desk work.”
Reese checked his watch. “I was heading out, but I’ve got a few minutes.”
“We weren’t expecting you.” Still holding the file, Logan folded his arms over his chest. Suspicion sharpened his expression. “Should you be here?”
Giving him a dead-eyed stare, her tone clipped, she said, “In my office. Both of you.”
Dash couldn’t help but admire her. When necessary, the woman knew how to crack the whip.
“What the hell are you smiling about?” Logan demanded.
Dash quickly tried to wipe away his amusement.
Eyes narrowed, Margo glanced at him. “I won’t be long.”
“Take your time.” Since his brother worked here, Dash was familiar with the station. Finding his way around was a piece of cake.
All three of them watched Margo walk away, her step as strident as ever. Once she entered her office, Logan shot Dash a questioning look.
He held up the truck keys. “I drove.”
“Well, aren’t you handy to have around?” Reese elbowed Logan, but said to Dash, “She’s not supposed to be here.”
Dash rubbed the back of his neck. He didn’t want to betray a confidence, but he was pretty sure Reese and Logan were already aware of the situation. “The commander called her.”
“Dan Ford.” Logan stepped closer to keep their exchange private. “He said she was off the case until the doc releases her.”
“Yeah, she, ah—”
“Ignored him,” Reese filled in, his own words as quiet as Logan’s. Lifting both fists, he bumped them together and pretended they exploded. “That’s how well they get along.”
“Do you know why?”
“She’s stubborn, that’s why.” Reese smiled. “Stubbornly righteous.”
“And a damn good cop,” Logan added.
Meaning in a pinch, they would side with Margo?
“She’s also impatient,” Reese said, “so let’s go.”
Logan looked plenty displeased with Dash, but said only, “Find something to do. This might take a while.”
“I have a few calls to make, so I’ll park myself on the bench over there.” He started in that direction, but added over his shoulder, “If she needs me, let me know.”
Logan drew himself up. “Why the hell would she—”
Laughing, Reese hauled him away.
If things went as planned, his brother would just have to get used to the idea of him and Margo together. Pulling out his cell, Dash was about to put in a call to his foreman when he saw Cannon Colter walk in, accompanied by a young female officer. He stowed the phone back in his pocket and intercepted the pair.
“Cannon. What’s up?”
As if stalling, Cannon said, “Hey, Dash. Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I drove...” Dash caught himself before using her first name. “Lieutenant Peterson. You know she was in a wreck?”
“Yeah, I heard.” He glanced at the female officer. “Actually, that’s who I came to see.”
Dash had a very bad feeling. “She’s in a meeting with Reese and Logan. Want to wait with me?”
He thanked the officer, and after the woman had walked away, he pulled off a stocking cap, ran a hand through his overlong hair, then over the back of his neck. “So...you’re with her?”
“Margo? Yes.” He wanted no misunderstandings about that.
Frustration palpable, Cannon nodded. “Then you may as well hear it, too.”
* * *
RATHER THAN SIT behind her desk, Margo shrugged off the coat she’d draped over one shoulder, tossed it to a chair and paced the room. Reese and Logan tracked her every step before sharing a male-inspired, conspiratorial glance.
She wouldn’t have it. “I know Dan put you two on the assault the other night.”
“Attempted murder,” Logan corrected. “Yeah, he did.”
Reese propped one shoulder against the wall. “I take it he was incorrect in saying you were off the case?”
“Very.”
“Figured as much,” Logan said. “Also figured you’d want your involvement kept quiet.”
“Which is why,” Reese added, “we put everything into a file.”
Logan lifted the folder he carried in a salute.
“Nice work.” Margo took it from him.
Before she could open it, Reese said, “We had planned on dropping by after work to share that and answer any questions you had.”
“But since one and all already saw you walk through the station, the cat’s out of the bag now.” Logan dropped into a chair, his long legs stretched out, his body relaxed as he scrutinized her. “Hadn’t figured on seeing you up and about already. Especially here.”
Margo was doubly glad she’d made the trip to the station. If they had
come by in the early evening, they would have interrupted things between her and Dash. And given how eaten up she was with wanting him, that just wouldn’t do.
Even now, in her office at the station with her two top detectives in close proximity, a low hum of need kept her entire body tingling.
Most saw her only as a professional, as a tried-and-true ballbuster. With reason. She’d earned that cred. But she was also, deep down, a complete hedonist. She wallowed in her sexuality, enjoying her own pleasures—pleasures that, as a lieutenant, she’d kept hidden from the rest of the world.
Except for Dash.
Already he knew more about her than any other living soul.
She eyed Logan. “Did you really expect me to skulk around?”
“One can hope,” Reese said for him.
“Wish for a unicorn if you want, but don’t expect me to shirk my duty.” She propped her hip on the edge of the desk. “I’ll study the file and if I have any questions, you’ll be hearing from me. And just so you know, Rowdy will also be checking into things using his less respectable connections.”
Logan surprised her by nodding. “I was going to suggest it.”
Given how Logan had fought Rowdy’s involvement in the past, Margo stared at him, astonished.
Reese shrugged. “He’s good. He has great instincts and he’s reliable. It makes sense.”
Their combined cockiness nettled her. “Then why do I need the two of you?”
Rather than be insulted, something close to amusement altered Logan’s posture. He glanced at Reese. “She sounds testy.”
“Must be the discomfort,” Reese agreed. “She’s usually so...collected.”
Eyes narrowing, Margo said, “You’re pushing your luck.”
Neither of them looked threatened, and she realized she was losing her edge with them. Damn it, were they becoming...friends?
“Seriously.” Logan sat forward, looking her over with concern. “How are you?”
“As you can see, I’m fine.”
“I’m not buying it.” He pushed to his feet to stand in front of her. “You look like a herd of elephants stomped on you.”
Great. Just the image she wanted in her head. How would she convince Dash she was up for full-go sex if she looked so mangled? Somehow she had to convince him, because no way could she wait another day.
“It’s all superficial,” she claimed, and wondered if that argument would work on Dash.
Tipping his head, Logan surveyed a bruise on her cheek, then the stitches on her head. “Sorry, Lieutenant, but I’ve had concussions so I know better.”
“Me, too,” Reese said. “Your head wants to explode.”
“And the headaches last for days, sometimes even weeks.” Logan gave her a sort of big-brother look that caught her off guard. “If you push too hard—”
“Enough!” Frustration brought Margo away from her desk in a rush. Finger in Logan’s chest, she snapped, “They tried to kill me.”
Full of sympathy, he clasped her hand and gently lowered it. “I know.”
Of course he did, because the attempt to kill her had also left his brother in the crosshairs. She jerked her hand away. “Damn it.”
Reese joined Logan. “At least you’re admitting it was attempted murder. And in admitting it, you know you’re too close.”
“Being emotionally involved,” Logan said quietly, “screws with your perspective.”
“The hell it does.” Her perspective was that they needed to be caught, arrested and prosecuted. Period.
“If you’re too closely involved you lose your edge,” Logan reasoned. “You know that.”
That bit of sage nonsense nearly made her hair stand on end. “Oh, my God, are you actually saying this to me?”
Logan scowled.
“She’s got you there,” Reese agreed. “Even when I tried to get you to pull back, you jumped in feetfirst with Pepper and that enormous cluster-fu—”
“And you!” She rounded on Reese. “You have no room to talk because you’re just as bad as he is.”
“I was taking your side!”
She shoved past Reese to pace. “Just because I’m a woman you think I have less ability to push through an injury.”
“You’re not supposed to push through,” Logan chided her.
She tuned out his nonsense. “And, of course, being a woman means I can’t logically sort out the facts. Only men can be cold enough, levelheaded enough, to stay professional under duress. I guess you expect me to break down in tears, to look for some big macho guy to—”
Rolling his eyes, Logan interrupted and said, “Speaking of big macho guys...” He put himself in her path. “Is Dash staying with you?”
She almost plowed into him before taking a stance. “What are you talking about?”
He and Reese shared another look before Logan said, “I’m not prying.”
“We’re concerned,” Reese added, then held up a hand. “And before you shoot us for being so audacious, may I say that I understand completely.”
Tension crawled up her spine, turning her voice into a growl. “Understand what?”
“You’re a cop, Peterson, through and through. Tough as nails, no one doubts that.”
“All that other stuff you spouted,” Logan said, “is absurd. We know damn good and well you fire on all cylinders no matter the situation.”
Why she wanted to smack them both, Margo couldn’t say. But the temptation was there, making her palm itch. “Your point?”
Shouldering Logan aside, Reese faced off with her. “For a cop, especially a cop in your rank, it’s difficult to admit to any weakness.”
He was so big all over that he damn near left a shadow on her. Eyes narrowed, Margo squared her shoulders and tipped her head way back to glare up at him. “Do you have weaknesses, Reese?”
He ignored that. “I still remember how Logan was when he got himself shot in the arm. Pepper had to sit on him—although I think she actually enjoyed that. She has this hidden nurturing streak—very hidden, in fact—but it’s there and she coddled Logan back into health.”
“Fuck you, Reese.” No real heat accompanied Logan’s words.
Reese grinned. “Don’t mind a little pampering myself now and then.” And to Margo he said, “I’m just saying...you might want to give it a try.”
“It does have its advantages,” Logan admitted. “From one badass cop to another, lighten up and enjoy the opportunity.”
The two of them turned to walk out—without her dismissal, damn them. “Don’t. You. Dare.” Her whispered words were more lethal than a shout.
With a lot of exaggerated impatience, they turned. Logan asked, “Is there more?”
Yes, but at the moment, she didn’t know what.
A sharp rap at the door saved her. She barked, “Come in.”
And to her surprise and displeasure, Dash stuck his head in. He looked past his brother, past Reese, to meet her gaze. “Sorry to interrupt, but this is important.”
Grateful for the reprieve, but determined to maintain her status, Margo strode forward. “It damn well better be.”
CHAPTER NINE
RECOGNIZING HER VOLATILE MOOD, Dash kept his distance while ushering in Cannon. He had no idea what had set her off, and he regretted the intrusion knowing she wouldn’t like the familiarity of him inserting himself. But for this, it couldn’t be helped.
He glanced at his brother. “You and Reese should hear this, too.”
Expression sardonic, Logan crossed his arms. “Not a problem, since I wasn’t going anywhere anyway.”
He knew his brother wasn’t thrilled with the idea of him and Margo hooking up. Too late, big brother, Dash thought, then he gave his attention to the seriousness of the situation. “Cannon has som
e important info.”
“All right.” Margo’s gaze met his—and she held the door open. “Thank you, Dash.”
No fucking way. Did she actually think to dismiss him? Given the expectant way she watched him, Dash realized that was exactly what she wanted to do.
Defiant, he gave one small shake of his head and went to a chair to sit down. If she wanted him gone, she’d have to spell it out.
And then maybe drag him away.
Reese’s gaze ping-ponged between them and he grinned, the mammoth ass.
On an exasperated sigh, Logan eased the door from Margo’s hand and closed it with a click. “He’s staying with you, he’s in it up to his neck, so he may as well be informed.”
“That is not your decision to make!”
“He’s my brother,” Logan said, as if that gave him certain rights. He came to stand behind Dash.
Nice. He could always count on Logan for support when needed.
“What happened to you?” Margo asked Cannon. When Dash appeared confused, she nodded at his face. “Black eye, bruise on your cheek—”
“Oh, yeah.” Cannon touched his face. “I had a fight.”
“About what?”
His mouth lifted in a crooked smile. “Who was the better fighter.”
“Right. You compete in MMA.”
“He’s good, too,” Dash said. “Not that I’m a judge or anything. Just going by his record.”
“I’m making headway.”
Gesturing grandly to the remaining chair, Reese said, “Cannon, you may as well get comfortable.”
“Right. Comfortable.” Stocking hat twisted in his hand, Cannon dropped into the straight-back chair, relaxed his spine and glanced around Margo’s office.
“First time in a police station?” Margo asked.
“Yeah.” He rolled one shoulder. “No idea why, but it makes me a little nervous.”
Dash laughed. “Rowdy feels the same. I can almost see his skin crawl whenever he’s here.”