by Jae
Ray came over to them. "Hey, what's going on?" He stared under Evan's hood. "Isn't that...?"
"Yes. That's our informant," Aiden said hastily, giving Ray a long glance. "We better take her with us for a briefing." And better make it quick before someone gets her ID and runs her through the system.
"All right," Ray quickly agreed. "Let's go. We'll fax over our report later."
Aiden herded Evan to Ray's car and pulled open the door with more force than strictly necessary. "Get in!"
Evan set her jaw and met her eyes with a defiant gaze, but with one final look at the narcotics detectives, she slipped into the backseat of the car.
* * *
"Hey." Del watched Kade with a frown, taking in the slender fingers that were gripping the cell phone. "You all right? Aiden didn't give you a hard time, did she?"
Kade jumped when Del gently touched one of the tense shoulders. "What? No. No, she didn't."
"What is it, then?" By now, Del knew Kade well enough to know she was upset about something even though the courtroom poker face was firmly in place.
"Well, it seems narcotics needed some help from my detectives again. They're on surveillance, and Aiden had to end the call rather abruptly," Kade explained.
Del watched her pace the length of the room. "You're concerned about her," she voiced the emotions she could sense behind Kade's matter-of-fact explanation.
Kade stopped her pacing for a moment to stare at Del. "I just don't like it when I'm left out of the loop about what's going on."
"Do you want me to call a few of my friends from narcotics?" Del offered. "If they got involved in a shooting or something like that, one of them will know."
"No, that's not necessary." Kade quickly shook her head. "I don't want my detectives to think I don't trust them to do a good job."
"You don't want them to think you care," Del corrected. "You don't want me to think you care about Aiden. Kade." Del stepped closer, directly into Kade's path of pacing. She forced down a wave of jealousy. "It's okay to care. You're allowed to have feelings, just like everyone else." She looked deeply into the stormy blue eyes.
For a few seconds, Kade just stared at her, then the tension in her slender frame finally lessened, and she sat down on the couch.
Del sat down next to her, silently waiting for Kade's decision.
"Make the call," Kade finally said.
Del gave Kade's hand a quick squeeze, then reached for her cell phone.
* * *
"Stop the car, Ray!" Aiden ordered when they were safely around the next corner.
Now what? Evan couldn't see Aiden's face, but her voice sounded sharp and angry. If she wants to give me a good beating where none of her colleagues can watch, she's in for a surprise. Evan had been in a lot of fights, and she was determined to hold her own.
Aiden got out as soon as the car stopped. She jerked open Evan's door. "Get out!"
The athletic cop loomed over Evan. Anger smoldered in her amber eyes. A spark of fear began to grow in Evan. It's not fear, she told herself. I'm just cautious. I know her cop partner will cover for her if push comes to shove. "No, thanks," she told Aiden as calmly as possible. "I like it in here just fine. Very comfy." She patted the backseat.
Pressing her lips together, Aiden grabbed Evan's arm and dragged her from the car.
"Ouch! Hey, that's police brutality!" Evan protested sharply. Aiden's grip didn't hurt, but she still didn't like being manhandled.
"Shut up. If I were acting as a police officer, you'd be in a holding cell by now." Aiden stared at her with a burning gaze. "What the hell were you thinking? Buying drugs!"
Evan just shrugged. "I don't have to explain myself to you. You're not my mother," she answered coolly.
"I'm your sister!"
"So?" The louder Aiden got, the calmer and more indifferent Evan acted. She had learned that it would drive Aiden up a wall and make her lose her self-control. If she weren't in trouble, it would have been a lot of fun to watch.
Aiden stared at her through narrowed eyes. She looked as if she wanted to hit something. "I care about... what happens you!"
Oh, yeah. You care about your stupid supercop reputation! Can't have a cop's sister busted buying drugs, right? Evan didn't acknowledge Aiden's statement with an answer.
"Don't you know what would have happened if I hadn't been there to stop them from arresting you?" Aiden asked, shaking her head.
"I'd have gotten away. I'm faster than you cops," Evan said, knowing fully well it was a lie. The cops had surprised her, and if Aiden had come just a second later, they would have cuffed her. Evan forced back feelings of gratefulness. She did it for herself and for her stupid rules.
"And then? Even if you had gotten away, which I doubt, you'd have taken the drugs, and later bought new ones, and so on. It's a vicious circle, and before you know it, you're in too deep to just stop even if you want." Aiden hit the roof of the car with her fist, making her partner in the car jump. "I lost my mother to alcohol. I don't want to lose you to another goddamn addiction! I can't just stand by and watch you self-destruct too!"
Evan wanted to yell back and tell her that a little recreational pot wasn't making her an addict. Her gaze fell on Aiden, and she stopped and just looked at her for a moment.
The anger was gone from Aiden's features. Now she just looked helpless and embarrassed. She was trembling with frustration. She obviously hadn't planned on saying that. It had slipped out in anger, and now Aiden looked as if she would love to take it back. She hadn't wanted to tell Evan about her mother. So her perfect life isn't so perfect after all, huh? Evan tried to hold on to her sarcasm but found it harder now that she had glimpsed Aiden's vulnerability. Dr. Kinsley had hinted at it, and after seeing Aiden with Dr. Kinsley's grandmother, Evan finally started to believe it.
She's putting me on the same level with her mother, naming us in the same breath. It made Evan angry to be compared to a drunk, but maybe Aiden hadn't meant it like that. She wouldn't look embarrassed over calling me an addict, would she? I'm sure she's secretly called me much worse. She looks embarrassed because she admitted... she cares for me like she cares for a family member!
For long moments, they just stood and stared at each other, both of them at a loss for what to say.
"What happens now?" Evan asked when she couldn't stand the silence any longer.
Aiden shrugged, looking as uncomfortable as Evan felt. "We wait and hope that the guys from narcotics don't question my story about you being my informant."
"What if they do?" Evan asked. The cop who had wanted to cuff her didn't look very convinced about the informant story.
"Then I'll deal with the consequences," Aiden said quietly.
She's putting her job on the line for me, Evan realized. Shit. Now I owe her. She had liked it better when she could yell at Aiden instead of talking to her. She sighed. "You're not going to tell my... Jill and Roger, are you?"
"No."
Good. Evan nodded in satisfaction. This was all the family sensitive chat I can take for one day.
"You will tell them," Aiden said.
Like hell I will! I'm not that stupid. Evan didn't answer, but Aiden could obviously read it in her expression.
"I'll deal with the consequences of my actions, and you have to deal with the consequences of yours," Aiden said, looking her right in the eyes. "That's what being an adult is all about."
Shit. Evan knew she couldn't back out when Aiden said it like that. "What if they throw me out?" It wasn't that she loved her foster parents or anything, but she had grown used to them, and compared to others they were tolerable. "Would you take me in?"
For a second, the look of panic that Evan had expected flashed across Aiden's face, but then she straightened her shoulders. "I would if it's the best option for you. But for now, I think your foster parents would be willing to forget about it if you admit to your mistakes and try not to repeat them. Provided you're willing and able to give up taking drugs?" Aiden fixe
d her with an intense stare.
"I'm not a junkie!" Evan bristled. Of course she was able to give up drugs. "I only smoke a little pot when..."
"When?" Aiden prompted when Evan trailed off.
Evan shrugged. "Every now and then." When I'm pissed off, frustrated, or bored. It had happened a lot more often lately, she noticed. Maybe giving the pot a break for a while wouldn't be such a bad idea after all. "But I can stop anytime."
"Then promise me you will." Aiden held out her hand but didn't look down. She gazed steadily into Evan's eyes.
Evan hesitated. She didn't want to limit her own options by accepting Aiden's rules. At the same time, she couldn't ignore Aiden's outstretched hand because it meant that Aiden was willing to accept her handshake and her word at face value and trust her to keep her promise. No one but Dr. Kinsley had ever done that before. She took Aiden's hand, gripping it firmly because she didn't want Aiden to think she was weak in any way. "I'll stop smoking pot for now," she promised.
Aiden gazed at her. For a moment, Evan thought she would start to argue about the "for now," but she nodded and shook Evan's hand one last time before letting go. "Great. Then let's go. You have foster parents to talk to, and I have a report to write."
CHAPTER 26
"...AND THEN HE asked the medical examiner how many autopsies she had performed on dead people – as if there was any other kind of autopsy," Kade finished her tale as she smoothly changed lanes.
Del leaned back in the comfortable passenger seat of the BMW and chuckled. "Ouch."
Kade smirked. "That's what the judge said."
Smiling contentedly, Del continued to watch Kade. She liked the way Kade's slender hands looked handling the wheel. She had enjoyed their trip so far. With each mile, the distance between them and the stalker was growing, and Kade was beginning to relax as they left the threat of the stalker and the stress of her job behind. For the last hour, she had regaled Del with hilarious little anecdotes from the courtroom.
"How about another coffee break?" Kade asked as a sign came up on the side of the road.
Del nodded. They'd had lunch in a little roadside restaurant a few hours ago, but coffee sounded good. She stepped out of the car as soon as Kade had found a parking spot, glad to stretch her long legs after hours in the car. "Join me in the ladies' room?" She nodded in the direction of the restrooms.
Kade looked at her with a glint in her eyes that made Del's heart jump. "Is that an immoral offer, Delicia Vasquez?"
"Only if you want it to be, Kadence Matheson," Del said, thoroughly enjoying Kade's playful mood. She didn't want to tell her that she was still reluctant to leave her out of her sight, even for a moment, afraid that the stalker had followed them. Better safe than sorry. They had gone to a lot of trouble to make the stalker, should he be watching, believe that Kade had only been driving to work this morning and was still there. Del had even insisted on them driving in the opposite direction for a while before turning back around when she was certain no one was following them.
Kade seemed to sense even what Del didn't say. "It's fine, Del. I feel safe here. I'm sure he didn't follow us. Ashland is not that interesting."
Give her a little space. Don't scare her with your overprotectiveness. "Okay. Then you get the coffee while I go to the restroom."
Fifteen minutes later, they were on their way back to the car. "I can take over the driving for a while," Del offered.
Kade didn't hesitate to entrust her car to Del. She handed over the car keys without further comment.
Del hadn't thought it would be that easy. Usually, Kade was hesitant to let others take the wheel – literally and figuratively. Del grinned, taking it as a sign of Kade's growing trust in her. She adjusted the seat for her longer legs and started the car. "Hmm, nice," she hummed as it smoothly accelerated.
"That's what all the men I date say," Kade commented without thought.
Del looked away from the road for a moment to throw a quick glance at Kade's face. "About the car?" she asked with a smirk.
Kade punched her in the thigh. "They usually use more exciting adjectives to describe me," she threw back.
Del smiled. She loved Kade's confidence. Others might mistake it for arrogance, but for Del, it was just a woman who knew her worth. "So you comparing me to 'all the men' you dated, does that mean you consider us being... being more than friends?" she took the opportunity to ask.
"Not you too," Kade moaned. "I'm going to get enough matchmaking from my mother this week."
"Yeah, but I doubt she'll try to set you up with me, will she?" Del gave her voice a teasing tone, masking the fact that she had been quite serious about her first question.
Kade laughed, but sarcasm vibrated in the sound. "No. She has a very specific picture of the person she wants me to marry. Being male is one of the prerequisites."
"Is she really that meddling?" Del had left home before she had reached the age at which she would search for a life partner, and she knew Grace had never actively influenced her daughter's choice in partners, so matchmaking mothers were completely unfamiliar to her.
"She wasn't at the beginning. There were unvoiced expectations about what kind of boy I could bring home, but she didn't try to set me up with someone specific," Kade said. She closed her eyes as she leaned her head against the headrest. "But since my father died, the unmarried state of her daughter has turned into Sophie Thayer Matheson's personal crusade."
Del glanced back and forth between the traffic and Kade's face. "With all her efforts, there was never someone who met her expectations... or yours?" she asked carefully, hoping to learn more about Kade's past relationships and why they hadn't worked out. Kade was usually so tight-lipped about her private life that she didn't want to miss out on this opportunity.
Kade opened one eye, lazily blinking into the afternoon sun. "There aren't many men who want to be in a long-term relationship with someone who works twelve hours just to come home and continue working. No one is very understanding when I get called away from a romantic date or have to leave in the middle of the night because my detectives need a search warrant or want me to take a look at a crime scene," she answered matter-of-factly.
"Maybe you just haven't looked in the right places?" Del suggested.
Kade tilted her head. "Maybe. But it's not just the job. It's me." She opened both of her eyes now to watch for Del's reaction. When Del nodded her encouragement, she continued, "I never searched for happiness in my personal relationships. I always searched for fulfillment in my job. I had a handful of relationships I was mostly content with, and the sex was okay, but I was never head over heels in love." Kade shrugged. "I guess I'm just not a mad, passionate love kind of person."
"Who told you that?" Del asked. She didn't want to believe that Kade was unable to feel true love and be passionate about someone or something other than the law.
"Experience," Kade answered simply.
Del studied her. She could see it was something Kade had accepted as an unchangeable fact long ago. "Just because it has been your experience before doesn't mean it has to stay that way," she said.
"You mean I just haven't met the right person yet?" Kade asked with the teasing little smile that Del always found devastatingly cute.
"Oh, maybe you have already met her," she teased back.
Kade casually reached out and pinched her thigh.
"Hey! Keep your hands to yourself, woman! I'm driving here!" Despite her protests, Del was happy to see that Kade felt relaxed and comfortable enough around her to touch her in playful, little ways. She smiled at Kade for a few more seconds, then looked back to the thankfully empty road in front of her. "It could be a matter of meeting the right person, but I think it's more about allowing yourself to love with your whole heart and soul, without holding anything back."
Kade searched for something in the glove compartment. She finally found her sunglasses and put them on, hiding her blue eyes from Del. "Have you ever loved like that?" she asked from behind
the safe barrier of her sunglasses.
"Once or twice," Del answered, allowing Kade to direct the attention away from herself.
"But it never worked out?" It was more Kade pointing it out than a real question.
Ever the relationship pessimist. Del chuckled to herself. "Not yet." She reached over and pulled Kade's sunglasses down just enough to be able to look into her eyes. "But I'm hopeful for the future."
"Ouch!" She jumped when Kade pinched her again. "By the time we reach Ashland, I'll be black and blue. Your mother will think you're beating me up."