nothing to worry about.”
“You bastard!” I growled.
“No, Nicci, from now on I’m your bastard.” He released my arm and pushed me away. “Don’t ever forget it.”
I glared at him as he walked back to his side of the bed. “How could a man like David ever have been friends with the likes of you?” I lashed out, my voice filled with anger.
He stopped and the muscles in his back tensed. When he turned to face me, I could see pain in his eyes. Gone was the cold as stone countenance that had greeted me every second of every hour for the past two days. I immediately regretted my words. He was doing this for David. We both were.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” I shook my head. “I guess coming home and being with my family…” I took a breath, trying to quell my frustration. “I promise I will work harder at being a convincing couple.”
Dallas ran his hand over the back of his neck and sat down on the bed. “I’m pushing you too hard. You’ve only had two days to get ready whereas I…” He sighed. “All the hours David spent telling me about you makes me feel as if I know you better than I know myself.”
I sat down on the bed across from him and smiled. In that moment, I felt a connection with him. I wanted to break through the barriers between us and get to know the Dallas David had known.
But Dallas quickly turned away from me. He rolled over on his side and pulled the covers around his body. “Go to sleep, Nicci. We have a lot of work ahead of us.”
I glanced over at his back and felt the frost instantly return between us. I crawled into bed and turned out the light. For the first time in over two years, I did not wish to dream of David. I wanted my mind for once to go blank and forget about the past. For the first time since David’s death, I just wanted to disappear.
Chapter 9
The next morning Dallas was up before me , and by the time the sun had reached the windows to my room, he had already showered and dressed. I yawned lazily as I glanced up at the handsome stranger hovering over my bed.
“It’s after eight,” he said, tapping his watch. “Time to get up.”
I pulled the covers closer to me. “I’m on vacation.”
“This isn’t a vacation, Nicci.” He threw the covers off me. “Today you are going to show me the sights.”
I laughed at him. “The sights! What do you want to see first? The devastation in the Lower Ninth Ward, the obliteration in Lakeview, or the half-assed patch job on the Seventeenth Street Canal by the Corps of Idiots?”
“I want to see where David lived. Then I want to take a look at the homes of Eddie, Sammy Fallon, and Michael Fagles.”
I raised my eyebrows playfully. “Are we casing their joints?”
He lifted me out of the bed and plopped my feet down on the cold hardwood floor. “No. We are learning everything we can about our suspects. I want to see how and where they live. It will help me.”
“Help you to do what?” I asked as I walked to the bathroom.
“To push them and get them to crack.”
I stopped and watched from the bathroom door as he filled the pockets of his jeans with his wallet and some change.
“Simon called you a precision instrument. What exactly did he mean by that?”
He kept his eyes focused on the dresser before him as he spoke. “I’m extremely efficient at what I do. And I do whatever is necessary to get the job done.”
“No matter how many lives you might destroy in the process?”
He turned to me and shook his head. “Men like me don’t give a damn about anybody else. Haven’t you learned that by now?”
“And what about me?” I moved toward him, searching his eyes for some speck of emotion. “Am I as disposable as all the rest?”
He just scowled at me like a statue. Then he looked down at the expensive stainless steel watch on his wrist.
“Hurry up, I want to be on the road in thirty minutes,” he mumbled. He turned and walked out of the room, slamming the bedroom
“You bastard!” I growled.
“No, Nicci, from now on I’m your bastard.” He released my arm and pushed me away. “Don’t ever forget it.”
I glared at him as he walked back to his side of the bed. “How could a man like David ever have been friends with the likes of you?” I lashed out, my voice filled with anger.
He stopped and the muscles in his back tensed. When he turned to face me, I could see pain in his eyes. Gone was the cold as stone countenance that had greeted me every second of every hour for the past two days. I immediately regretted my words. He was doing this for David. We both were.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” I shook my head. “I guess coming home and being with my family…” I took a breath, trying to quell my frustration. “I promise I will work harder at being a convincing couple.”
Dallas ran his hand over the back of his neck and sat down on the bed. “I’m pushing you too hard. You’ve only had two days to get ready whereas I…” He sighed. “All the hours David spent telling me about you makes me feel as if I know you better than I know myself.”
I sat down on the bed across from him and smiled. In that moment, I felt a connection with him. I wanted to break through the barriers between us and get to know the Dallas David had known.
But Dallas quickly turned away from me. He rolled over on his side and pulled the covers around his body. “Go to sleep, Nicci. We have a lot of work ahead of us.”
I glanced over at his back and felt the frost instantly return between us. I crawled into bed and turned out the light. For the first time in over two years, I did not wish to dream of David. I wanted my mind for once to go blank and forget about the past. For the first time since David’s death, I just wanted to disappear.
Chapter 9
The next morning Dallas was up before me , and by the time the sun had reached the windows to my room, he had already showered and dressed. I yawned lazily as I glanced up at the handsome stranger hovering over my bed.
“It’s after eight,” he said, tapping his watch. “Time to get up.”
I pulled the covers closer to me. “I’m on vacation.”
“This isn’t a vacation, Nicci.” He threw the covers off me. “Today you are going to show me the sights.”
I laughed at him. “The sights! What do you want to see first? The devastation in the Lower Ninth Ward, the obliteration in Lakeview, or the half-assed patch job on the Seventeenth Street Canal by the Corps of Idiots?”
“I want to see where David lived. Then I want to take a look at the homes of Eddie, Sammy Fallon, and Michael Fagles.”
I raised my eyebrows playfully. “Are we casing their joints?”
He lifted me out of the bed and plopped my feet down on the cold hardwood floor. “No. We are learning everything we can about our suspects. I want to see how and where they live. It will help me.”
“Help you to do what?” I asked as I walked to the bathroom.
“To push them and get them to crack.”
I stopped and watched from the bathroom door as he filled the pockets of his jeans with his wallet and some change.
“Simon called you a precision instrument. What exactly did he mean by that?”
He kept his eyes focused on the dresser before him as he spoke. “I’m extremely efficient at what I do. And I do whatever is necessary to get the job done.”
“No matter how many lives you might destroy in the process?”
He turned to me and shook his head. “Men like me don’t give a damn about anybody else. Haven’t you learned that by now?”
“And what about me?” I moved toward him, searching his eyes for some speck of emotion. “Am I as disposable as all the rest?”
He just scowled at me like a statue. Then he looked down at the expensive stainless steel watch on his wrist.
“Hurry up, I want to be on the road in thirty minutes,” he mumbled. He turned and walked out of the room, slamming the bedroom
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