Part 17 (2/2)

This was why she didnat have relations.h.i.+ps. She flat out didnat have time to sort through the emotional aspect of it all.

Especially not now when a killer was on their heels.

Dante would understand that. His primary motivation was finding the killer, too. Theyad concentrate on that and push their relations.h.i.+p to the background.

It was the best thing to do for everyone involved.

Coward.

She ignored that inner voice and headed back to the station. Dante and Roman were back.

aThere are several dealers working morphine in the area,a Roman said. aBut only a handful have the mix in injectible form.a aYou get names?a she asked.

He nodded. aDante and I followed up and went to talk to a couple of them. Obviously no one wanted to talk, so we didnat get much. Iall keep trying.a Anna nodded. aI got a call from Gabe. Heas got some information for us on the drug-dealing angle, so weare going to meet with him.a aWhen?a aAbout ten.a aIall catch up with you,a Roman said. aThere are a few of these dealers I can catch at night, so I want to see if I can talk to them. We need a d.a.m.n break in this case and if we can get one of these dealers to ID whoever bought the morphine weare looking for, weall have a solid lead.a aOkay,a Anna said.

aIam hungry,a Dante said after Roman left. aLetas grab a bite to eat before we head to the house.a aSure.a Dante grabbed his keys.

aDante?a He turned and smiled at her, and everything about him seemed different.

Was it because of what her father had told her about him?

aWhat is it?a he asked.

aUm, how about pizza?a aYou read my mind.a They ate dinner, talked, even had a beer, and all the while Anna couldnat help but see Dante differently.

Shead been so angry with him for so long, had thought head abandoned her and had only his own interests in mind when head left all those years ago.

Now she knew the truth, and it had changed everything.

Or almost everything. The past, at least.

But the present was the same, and the futurea That, she didnat know. And she wasnat about to guess.

She and Dante were going to meet Gabe at her place.

When she opened the door, her eyes widened.

aYou have a hot date later?a Gabe frowned. aNo. Why?a aBecause you look amazing.a Gabe wore a tight, black short-sleeved s.h.i.+rt, his dark hair free of his customary do-rag tonight. And with his full, muscular physique packed into his jeans, he was simply gorgeous.

And blus.h.i.+ng under her scrutiny, which was adorable.

aStop it,a he said and moved inside.

Dante was in the kitchen drinking a beer. He already had one out for Gabe.

aArenat you looking pretty,a Dante said. aGot a date?a aWhat the f.u.c.k is it with you two? You trying to set me up?a Gabe asked as he pulled out a chair and flopped into it, then popped the top on the can.

aHeas embarra.s.sed because I gushed over how hot he looked.a Dante arched a brow. aIam going to keep a close eye on both of you.a aYou want the info I brought with me or not?a Gabe said, clearly irritated, which Anna found oh so amusing.

aWeare all ears,a she said. aAnd eyes, handsome.a Gabe swore. aOnce more, Pallino, and Iam out of here.a aSorry. Iall be good.a She held up her hand. aPromise.a aI did a little scouting on our friend Tony Maclinas past and who the dealers were in his area at the time. I found three heavy ones who fit the profilea”Don Osher, Crey Robinson and Adam Marcovelli.a Anna wrote down the names, opened her laptop and started typing.

aOsher is currently doing twenty-five to life for murder, so heas out.a She typed in the other two names. aThe other two are clean. Both have local driveras licenses, so theyare a possibility.a aLet me have your laptop,a Dante said, then opened up a database that looked like nothing Anna had ever seen.

aWhat is that?a aCanat tell you. Itas cla.s.sified.a aDante.a He gave her a quick look. aNot kidding.a Gabe stood and came over, glanced down at the laptop. aHuh.a aWhat does that mean?a she asked.

aNothing. Youare like a superhero of information technology, arenat you?a aI can get around a few roadblocks.a aMore than someone in the FBI, I think,a Gabe said, grabbing his beer and sliding into his chair. aThatas no database Iave ever seen.a aMe neither,a Anna said.

Her gaze burned into Danteas back, but he didnat look up, just continued to jump from screen to screen so fast she got dizzy. Finally, she gave up and took her chair.

aYou sure heas FBI?a Gabe asked.

Anna just shrugged. aThatas what his credentials say.a She wouldnat blow Danteas cover. Not even to Gabe. If Dante wanted Gabe to know who he really was, he could tell him himself.

aCrey Robinson,a Dante finally said, pus.h.i.+ng back from the chair.

aHeas the one?a Anna asked. She looked at the laptop screen. There was the entire history of one Creighton Robinson and a picture of him in a white coat, looking arrogant like a lot of doctors did.

aHe was doing his undergrad work for medical school while Tony Maclin was in high school. Heas finis.h.i.+ng up his surgical residency at Was.h.i.+ngton University now.a Finally. Finally, they had a lead.

Dante called the hospital. aHeas on duty tonight. Night s.h.i.+ft.a aWe need to go talk to Dr. Robinson.a She went to Gabe, bent down and kissed him on the cheek. aYou are awesome.a Gabe grinned. aI know.a aYou also need to be doubly careful.a He wrapped his fingers around her wrists. aSo do you. We donat know what his target is other than tracking us down and killing us.a She nodded. aI know. But weall get him, Gabe. I wonat let anyone else die. Iall catch him.a He stood and pulled Anna into his arms for a hug. aI know you will.a After Gabe left, Dante grabbed the car keys. aWe can head over to the hospital now.a Anna laid her hand on his arm. aWait. I need to tell you something.a He paused. aOkay.a aI talked to my dad. He told me he was the one who made you leave twelve years ago.a Dante laid his keys on the counter, then leaned against it. aHe didnat make me leave. Nothing would have made me leave if I hadnat wanted to.a He was being n.o.ble, giving her dad an out. aYou were a kid, underage. He was a cop. I know how it works. You didnat have a choice.a He brushed his knuckles across her cheek. aI always had a choice. I made the decision to leave. Iam no hero, Anna.a Yes, he was. aYou left to protect me.a aI left to protect myself.a She laughed. aWhy are you making this so difficult?a aBecause I donat want you blaming your father for this. We both decided me leaving was the best thing to do. For you. For me. For the situation. He isnat the bad guy here.a aI didnat say he was.a aBut youare mad at him, arenat you?a There he went again, reading her body language or moods or whatever the h.e.l.l he did that he was so adept at. She shrugged. aA little. He kept that information from me. He kept you from me. He took the choice away from both of us.a Dante smiled. aThatas the teenage Anna digging in her heels. What does the adult Anna think about it?a Oh, sure, he had to get all logical about it. d.a.m.n him. aThe teenage Anna refuses to allow adult Anna out of the closet long enough to render an opinion. Teen Anna is still pouting about it.a He laughed, pulled her into his arms and kissed her, long and hard until she melted against him. Her head spun and her body came alive. When he pulled away, he said. aThat was definitely adult Anna kissing back.a He kissed her again. aForgive your dad. Itas in the past and thatas one thing that should stay there. The army made me stronger and gave me skills and opportunities I might never have had. I have no regrets. Your fatheras a fine man and Iam grateful to him for what he did for me.a aHe said I needed to bring you over. Heas mad youave been back in town and havenat stopped by to say h.e.l.lo.a aLetas do that before we head over to the hospital. We have some time.a aOkay.a Maybe that would help. She still felt bad about her dad, about how they left things, even though theyad hugged and said their I-love-yous. Getting him and Dante together again would be a step in the right direction. She was proud of everything Dante had accomplished in his life. She wanted her father to be proud of him, too.

The house was dark when they pulled up in front. It was still early, at least for her dad, who never went to bed before midnight.

Anna frowned.

aYour dad have plans for tonight?a aNot that Iam aware of. Heas always home in the evenings. Maybe heas out walking Rusty.a Dante pulled out his phone. aItas eleven-thirty.a aHeas a night owl. Habit from years of working night s.h.i.+ft. He wouldnat go to bed before one or two.a She went to the door, rang the bell, didnat hear Rustyas bark. She turned to Dante. aThat must be it, since I donat hear Rusty barking. They must be out for a walk.a aHow far do they go?a aJust around the block usually. He wouldnat go as far as the park. Not this late at night.a aMaybe he went to bed early.a She laughed. aMy dad hasnat gone to bed early one night in his entire life.a aOkay. So letas check the block.a She started to walk down the path, then stopped. aHe would have left the porch light on. And the house lights.a She turned and headed to the front door, turned the k.n.o.b. The door opened. The hairs on the back of her neck rose. She lifted her gaze to Dante and lowered her voice. aSomethingas wrong. If he went to the bar or out somewhere head have left lights on, and Rusty would be here. Head bark. And Dad only leaves the door unlocked when heas home.a Dante pulled his gun and stepped in front of Anna. She pulled her gun, too, moving next to Dante. aI know the layout of the house better, and Rusty knows me. If heas in here and he comes running, I can calm him down.a He nodded. aStay close to me.a She pushed the door open, leaving the lights off. If someone was inside, she didnat want him to know they were there. Familiar with the layout of the house, she moved inside, stepping light and easy through the living room. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she noted nothing seemed out of place. That was good. Dante pressed his shoulder against hers. She nodded and they moved into the kitchen.

Thatas when she saw it, highlighted by the moonlight s.h.i.+ning in through the back door onto the floor.

Blood.

Her heart slammed into double time and she broke into a sweat.

Dante saw it too and turned to the side, his gun pointed up as they followed the blood trail from the dining area to the back door. She reached out for the handle and Dante grabbed her wrist. She jerked her gaze to his.

aPrints,a he whispered.

s.h.i.+t. She didnat want to think like a detective right now. Her dad might be out there. Dante grabbed a towel from the counter and handed it to her. She nudged the partially open slider and walked outside.

More blood on the patio. Panic rose and she swallowed past the dryness in her throat.

Not now. She refused to let it consume her. She forced her breathing, in and out, with normal breaths. Shaky breaths.

aAnna,a Dante whispered. aHold it together.a She waved him off and stepped off the patio and into the yard.

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