major decisions just yet."
Give me time to convince you to stay.
"What do I have left here? My fiancé is a criminal and I can't go back to my job. I have nothing left." She sounded so sad he wanted to pull the truck over right there on the side of the road and take her in his arms. He resisted simply because he couldn't find a safe place to pull over.
"You have your beautiful apartment with that amazing view of the ocean." You could have me too, if you wanted me.
"My apartment has been destroyed. I will never feel safe there again." She released a heavy sigh. Kaiden wished he knew the right thing to say but he had never been very good at the emotional stuff. For him, the last couple of days wouldn't have been the end of his world but a reason to change it. He looked at adversity as a challenge. Cara had never liked that about him and he couldn't understand why.
"I could help you find a new apartment. Maybe somewhere down here by the bay?" They were passing beautiful waterfront condos and homes that sat right on the Chesapeake Bay. The view would be as good if not better than what she had since they were out of the tourist area.
"Wonderful. But with no job, it wouldn't matter. I never should have moved here. It's time for me to go home."
Kaiden started to feel a little desperate. They had only just begun their relationship and now she talked about running away.
Relationship? You gotta be crazy, James. This is a case.
Okay, so maybe they were a long way from a relationship but he couldn't deny the chemistry between them. With all that electricity there had to be something more waiting to be discovered. He had loved Cara but she never made him burn with desire the way Katie seemed to simply by sitting in the same truck.
To be fair, Cara never showed him any real interest either. If he had to venture a guess she had been seeing that yahoo she was married to now long before their marriage had crumbled. Cara wanted to be an officer's wife and it didn't matter what branch of the service that officer worked in. He had long since suspected that she started her hunt for a new man the day after he'd left the Coast Guard.
"Why don't you hold off on making any rash decisions until we get this case wrapped up?"
"Yeah, sure. Okay," Katie replied unenthusiastically. "It's not like I have anything to rush home to either."
They rounded a curve and Kaiden headed to downtown Norfolk leaving the bay and its beauty behind them. He became more determined than ever to find Nathan Marks. Sure he wanted to wrap the case up but he wouldn't mind knocking the guy's lights out for hurting Katie the way he had.
"What is this place?" Katie asked as they pulled into one of the municipal parking lots.
"My office. The boss will want a rundown of what happened at the hospital."
"Do you have to tell him everything?" She glanced at him and he caught a quick glimpse of fear in her eyes.
He looked over and winked at her. "There are a few details I will likely leave out of my report."
"Good," she replied, obviously relieved. "After this morning at the hotel…"
"Nothing to worry about there. John Hunter might come across as a hard ass but he is as nice as they come. You will like him."
"It doesn't matter if I like him, as long as he doesn't throw me in prison."
Kaiden dissolved into a fit of laughter as he parked his truck and turned off the engine.
"What's so funny?" Katie demanded, her cheeks turning a deep crimson. He reached out and traced a line along the side of her face, ending at the place on her chin just below the center of her lips before opening his hand and resting his palm against her cheek.
"You are not going to prison," he managed between chuckles. "How can I make you understand that?"
She pulled away from him. "I don't know. Catch Nathan I guess."
"We will. It will just take a little time. If we don't do it right, his daddy and the fleet of Marks' attorneys will have him safely tucked away on some tropical island before the
Give me time to convince you to stay.
"What do I have left here? My fiancé is a criminal and I can't go back to my job. I have nothing left." She sounded so sad he wanted to pull the truck over right there on the side of the road and take her in his arms. He resisted simply because he couldn't find a safe place to pull over.
"You have your beautiful apartment with that amazing view of the ocean." You could have me too, if you wanted me.
"My apartment has been destroyed. I will never feel safe there again." She released a heavy sigh. Kaiden wished he knew the right thing to say but he had never been very good at the emotional stuff. For him, the last couple of days wouldn't have been the end of his world but a reason to change it. He looked at adversity as a challenge. Cara had never liked that about him and he couldn't understand why.
"I could help you find a new apartment. Maybe somewhere down here by the bay?" They were passing beautiful waterfront condos and homes that sat right on the Chesapeake Bay. The view would be as good if not better than what she had since they were out of the tourist area.
"Wonderful. But with no job, it wouldn't matter. I never should have moved here. It's time for me to go home."
Kaiden started to feel a little desperate. They had only just begun their relationship and now she talked about running away.
Relationship? You gotta be crazy, James. This is a case.
Okay, so maybe they were a long way from a relationship but he couldn't deny the chemistry between them. With all that electricity there had to be something more waiting to be discovered. He had loved Cara but she never made him burn with desire the way Katie seemed to simply by sitting in the same truck.
To be fair, Cara never showed him any real interest either. If he had to venture a guess she had been seeing that yahoo she was married to now long before their marriage had crumbled. Cara wanted to be an officer's wife and it didn't matter what branch of the service that officer worked in. He had long since suspected that she started her hunt for a new man the day after he'd left the Coast Guard.
"Why don't you hold off on making any rash decisions until we get this case wrapped up?"
"Yeah, sure. Okay," Katie replied unenthusiastically. "It's not like I have anything to rush home to either."
They rounded a curve and Kaiden headed to downtown Norfolk leaving the bay and its beauty behind them. He became more determined than ever to find Nathan Marks. Sure he wanted to wrap the case up but he wouldn't mind knocking the guy's lights out for hurting Katie the way he had.
"What is this place?" Katie asked as they pulled into one of the municipal parking lots.
"My office. The boss will want a rundown of what happened at the hospital."
"Do you have to tell him everything?" She glanced at him and he caught a quick glimpse of fear in her eyes.
He looked over and winked at her. "There are a few details I will likely leave out of my report."
"Good," she replied, obviously relieved. "After this morning at the hotel…"
"Nothing to worry about there. John Hunter might come across as a hard ass but he is as nice as they come. You will like him."
"It doesn't matter if I like him, as long as he doesn't throw me in prison."
Kaiden dissolved into a fit of laughter as he parked his truck and turned off the engine.
"What's so funny?" Katie demanded, her cheeks turning a deep crimson. He reached out and traced a line along the side of her face, ending at the place on her chin just below the center of her lips before opening his hand and resting his palm against her cheek.
"You are not going to prison," he managed between chuckles. "How can I make you understand that?"
She pulled away from him. "I don't know. Catch Nathan I guess."
"We will. It will just take a little time. If we don't do it right, his daddy and the fleet of Marks' attorneys will have him safely tucked away on some tropical island before the
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