Part 3 (2/2)

She still couldnat believe he was back after all these years, after all this time and finally having reconciled herself to never seeing him again. She didnat know whether to be angry or curious or how to feel about the ache inside her chest that had settled there ever since shead seen him tonight.

Theread been too much to process at the crime scene.

Being in the alley again. Seeing the guys there. The body and how George was killed.

Dante.

And shead still had to do her job.

This was a nightmare.

She took the drink back to her desk and stared at her computer monitor, knowing she had a report to file, and knowing she wouldnat fill in the background information of what she knew had happened twelve years before.

But the past had just collided with the present, hadnat it?

She didnat like mysteries like this. And she definitely didnat like questions without answers.

She rubbed that spot on her chest that always hurt on rainy nights, then opened a new investigation file to make some notes.

She looked at her watch: 3:00 a.m. and d.a.m.n if she wasnat already antic.i.p.ating that breakfast.

Four.

Anna was an hour and a half late, figured Dante wouldnat hang around and wait for her, or maybe wouldnat show up at all.

She hoped he wouldnat be there. One less thing shead have to deal with. She was tired and she wanted to go home, take a shower and forget the night had happened.

She walked in and took a look around. He was easy to spot since it was past the breakfast rush hour. There were only two other tables occupied. Dante sat in a booth at the rear of the restaurant, his back to the wall.

Interesting.

She told the hostess she was meeting someone and headed toward where Dante sat nursing a cup of coffee, two menus sitting on the edge of the table.

aYou waited.a She slid into the booth.

He lifted his head, smiled at her. aYeah.a aSorry Iam late. Paperwork had to be done.a He shrugged. aIf you didnat show, Iad head out.a aSo you ate already?a aI got hungry after an hour or so, figured youad chickened out.a She bristled. aI donat chicken out.a He didnat reply, so she poured coffee from the carafe on the table. aYou sleep yet?a aNo. Iall sleep later.a aWhere are you staying?a He shrugged. aDonat know yet.a aSo maybe youare not staying?a He lifted the cup to his lips, then smiled. aTrying to run me out of town, Detective?a He was saved from her biting retort by the waitress, who took her breakfast ordera”actually her dinner order.

aYou look tired. Long night?a She nodded.

aWhy the night s.h.i.+ft?a She took a long swallow of coffee. aMore crime happens at night. Less time spent sitting at a desk. Weare out on the streets and thatas where I like it. Besides, I donat have a s.h.i.+ft. People donat die on s.h.i.+fts. I work when I work.a He leaned back in the booth and studied her with his unfathomable gaze. Years ago she couldnat get enough of his eyes, could stare into them for hours, getting lost in the blue depths until shead lost track of time. She used to think she was the luckiest girl in the world that Dante Renaldi had chosen her as his girlfriend.

Theyad sit together in secluded spots like this and make all kinds of plans about their future together.

Until that one night changed everything.

And then Dante had up and left without a word.

So much for their pledge to spend forever together, no matter what.

aYou thinking about work, or about me?a he asked, forcing her gaze from her cup of coffee and her thoughts away from the past.

aWork.a She wouldnat tell him her thoughts had been centered on him. He didnat need to know that him showing up had dredged up memories shead long ago buried.

aAny leads on George?a aI canat tell you that. Itas an ongoing investigation, one in which you might be a suspect.a He laughed, and the sound rippled through her nerve endings.

aYou arenat serious about that. It was George who was killed. My foster father.a She shrugged. aSo?a aAnd I just got here.a aI hear better excuses than that from people who pulled the trigger with witnesses standing right in front of them.a aAnd probably lousy excuses from those who didnat. Isnat it your job to weed out those who did from those who didnat?a Wasnat he a smart-a.s.s? aYes.a aThen I guess it wonat take you long to figure out I had nothing to do with Georgeas murder.a She drained the cup and refilled, not taking her eyes off Dante while she poured.

aYouare wondering about my motivation for showing up all of a sudden after twelve years, and ending up right in the middle of a murder.a aYou have no idea what Iam thinking.a aSome things come back pretty easily.a He shrugged. aI used to know a lot about your thoughts.a aI was sixteen at the time, Dante. I didnat have too many thoughts back then that didnat center on you. Pretty easy to figure me out.a He leaned forward, clasped his hands together. aAnd now youare all complex?a She frowned. aI didnat say that.a aYou didnat have to. Itas easy enough to tell.a He leaned back. aYouad have to be with the job you do. Solving crime requires a lot of thought.a She cracked a smile. aAny particular reason youare trying to flatter me?a aJust stating the obvious. No flattery intended. You canat be a fumbling dumba.s.s and make detective.a Settling in and talking to him was easy. She hated that head made it so easy.

Her food arrived and just in time, since her stomach grumbled. Vending-machine food for the past ten hours just hadnat cut it. She was starving. She dived in as if she hadnat eaten ina G.o.d, she couldnat remember when shead had her last decent meal. Ignoring Dante, she put all her concentration into shoveling food in her mouth, not coming up for air until shead scooped the last of her eggs onto her last bite of toast. She avoided licking her fingers because she had company at the table, instead used her napkin to wipe her hands.

When she looked up, Dante was studying her again.

aWhat?a aYou used to pick at your food. I was always afraid you were anorexic.a She snorted. aI wasnat. I was a picky eater. Clearly, Iam not one now.a aObviously. You crammed every bite of food from that plate into your mouth. I was waiting for you to lick the plate clean.a aI pondered it, then decided against it. You might have been appalled.a He laughed. aHey, if youare hungry, go for it. Or you could just order another meal.a She drained her orange juice and set the gla.s.s and plate to the side. aNot necessary. Iam sufficiently full now.a aItas nice to see you eating.a aIave gained an appet.i.te over the years.a He s.h.i.+fted and looked under the table.

aWhat are you doing?a He straightened, his gaze roaming from her face to the rest of her. aChecking to see if you have a hollow leg, because judging from your body thereas no way you can eat that much and not gain weight.a She laughed. aI burn it all off working. And itas not like I get three squares a day of food like this. Most of the time Iam lucky to grab a granola bar or c.r.a.p from the vending machine at the precinct. A full plate like this is a rarity.a aYou have someone at home to cook for you?a Clever. aYou mean like a housekeeper?a aNo, like a husband.a aNice fis.h.i.+ng expedition. No husband.a He leaned back. aJust figured by now youad be married with kids.a aI am married. To my job.a aYouare too beautiful to be married to your job.a aThatas a s.e.xist remark.a He didnat appear concerned, just took another sip of coffee, then said, aOkay, then. Youare too beautiful to be without a man.a aI didnat say I was without a man.a aSo you do have someone in your life.a aI didnat say that, either.a His lips curled. aCagey.a Despite her intent to keep her conversation with him cool, she couldnat help but enjoy this cat-and-mouse game of Twenty Questions. aWhat about you? You certainly look like too much man to be without a woman.a He leveled one seriously hot look on her that made her toes curl.

aHow do you know Iam without a woman?a She laughed, letting out some of the stress that had been tightening her shoulders. aI think if you had a woman somewhere you wouldnat be sitting here with me.a aYou are a good detective.a She lifted her cup to her lips and smiled. aThatas what my dad says.a aSee, this is what surprises me. You never wanted to be a cop like your dad.a Her smile died. aThings changed.a aYou mean what happened twelve years ago?a aI donat want to talk about twelve years ago.a aWhat if I do?a aIs that why youare back? To bring up the past?a aNo. I came to see you, to see everyone.a She hated asking it, didnat want him to think she craved the answer. But the question needed to be answered. aWhereave you been?a He shrugged. aHere and there.a aThatas a lousy answer to give a cop.a His lips lifted. aYeah. But, really, not much to tell. I drifted, wandered, picked up work in one spot, then moved to another. I didnat stay in one place too long.a aI could find out where youave been.a His grin widened. aYou could try.a aAre you challenging me?a Irritation made her breakfast coil up like an angry snake in her stomach.

He reached across the table and grasped her hand. aNo. I didnat come back here to p.i.s.s you off.a She pulled her hand away. aYouare working pretty d.a.m.n hard on it.a He inhaled, blew it out. aThereas nothing to tell you. I saw a lot of theacountry. I was restless. And I needed to get out of here.a Escape would have been nice for her, too. But that hadnat been an option. aYou picked a h.e.l.l of a time to just pick up and leave, Dante.a He stared down at his coffee cup, then back up at her. aYeah, sorry about that.a That was it? Shead been attacked, had gone through the worst trauma of her life, and the one person she thought she could count on had abandoned her when she needed him the most. And all he had for her in the way of explanation was asorry about thata?

She stared him down, refusing to let him run this time. aYou know, thatas just not good enough.a To his credit, he didnat flinch, instead held her gaze. aI know it isnat.a aPretty interesting coincidence that you show up and George is killed.a He drained the last of the coffee in his cup. aLousy coincidence. I wish Iad been back sooner.a aHow much sooner?a aSoon enough that I could have prevented it.a She leaned back in the booth. aHow could you have prevented it?a aI donat know. Someone lured him to that alley and beat him to death. If Iad been here maybe I could have stopped it.a aRoman was here. Gabe was here. Jeff was here. None of them stopped it.a His gaze s.h.i.+fted to the window where morning traffic crowded the street. aI know. I still think I might have been able to do something.a He turned his attention back to her. aSomeone else knows about that nighta”about what happened.a Shead been avoiding thinking that. aOr it could be coincidence.a aOh, come on, Anna. Youare smarter than that. Itas no coincidence he was killed in that alley. Thereas a connection.a aHe was found with drugs in his pocket. It could have been a drug deal gone bad.a aYeah, right. And then they beat him to death and carved a heart on his chest.a She shrugged. aIam just thinking of all angles.a aThereas only one angle. Someone saw what happened twelve years ago.a She looked around the restaurant. No one sat by them, but still she leaned forward. aBut why George? He had nothing to do with it.a aI donat know. He had no connection to that night. Thatas the part that doesnat make sense.a To her, either. She had a lot of thinking to do, and she was too d.a.m.n tired to do it clearly. She needed to recharge, then tackle it again once shead had some sleep.

She picked up the bill and slid money to the waitress as she stood. aI need to go.a As she headed out the door, awareness of Dante on her heels p.r.i.c.ked at her as she pushed through the front door and toward the parking lot.

aI invited you to breakfast. I would have paid.a She slid on her sungla.s.ses and pulled her keys from her pocket. aIam capable of paying for my meal. It was nice to catch up with you, but Iam tired and Iam going home.a aIall follow you.a aI donat think so.a He had the nerve to smile at her. aIam following you anyway. I want to make sure you get home okay.a aAre you serious? Iam armed. Iam a detective, for the love of G.o.d. And itas broad daylight. Iave been taking care of myself for a lot of d.a.m.n years now, Dante. Just because you swept back into town thinkinga”I donat know what the h.e.l.l youare thinkinga”doesnat mean you need to start protecting me. My days of needing you as my bodyguard are over.a She stopped just short of blurting out that head failed as a bodyguard the last time shead seen him, but the words stuck in her throat, refusing to come out.

Even she wasnat that cruel.

He moved in closer. aIam sure you donat need someone to watch over you. I know you can take care of yourself. But Iam here and this is what I used to do. So Iam following you home.a She hated that he was here, messing up her life, making her want things shead wanted for a long time, then pushed to the back of her mind, forcing herself to forget.

She inhaled the scent of him. Big mistake, because G.o.d help her, she wanted to put her hands on him, and in that moment she realized the feelings she had for him werenat dead.

More likely it was just that she hadnat been laid in a really long time. Dante was still a prime specimen of male beauty. Which was the only reason he had this effect on her. She needed a fast release of tension and he was a man.

But she already knew he wouldnat be a quick f.u.c.k and out the door. They had too much history.

And dammit, theyad never had s.e.x.

That night twelve years ago had gotten in the way.

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