this woman was on a mission.
“Sorry.” Mia rolled her eyes. “Bottom line, yes, I’ll help you. I assume you brought me another sample? Something I can compare to this blood, see if I get a match?”
Alex pulled another plastic bag from her purse, this one containing the envelope Melanie had given her last October when she’d put a down payment on Alex’s services.
It was the only payment Alex had managed to collect from her.
“I watched Melanie lick this envelope.” Alex handed Mia the bag. “Will that work for you?”
She smiled. “Like a charm.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Troy turned onto Alex’s street, and she glanced out the passenger window for the hundredth time today. No tail. But still, she felt uneasy for some reason.
“What’s wrong?”
She shrugged. “Nothing, really. I just like to keep tabs.”
His brow furrowed. “You worried about something?”
“Force of habit.”
He pulled into the driveway behind her Saturn.
“Thanks for the ride.” Alex scooped the box of leftovers off the floorboard. They’d spent the afternoon walking around San Marcos and then stopped for drinks at a restaurant on the river. Drinks had become dinner. Now it was dangerously close to nighttime, and they still hadn’t dealt with the tension hovering between them.
Alex shoved open the door and got out. Troy walked her up the stairs, like she’d known he would, and stood patiently behind her as she fished her keys from her purse.
“You driving back tonight or tomorrow?” she asked, unlocking the door. She turned to face him and immediately knew the intention behind his warm, steady look.
“That’s up to you.”
Her stomach fluttered. He wanted to come inside and pick up right where they’d left off before New Year’s.
And she wanted to say yes.
“Thanks for your help today,” she said instead.
He gazed down at her.
“This case is important to me. And it means a lot that you gave up so much of your time to help me with it.”
“But you’re still mad,” he stated.
“I’m not mad.” And she wasn’t. Not anymore. The anger had lasted only a few hours. The hurt, though—that had stuck with her for months.
Troy rested his hand on her shoulder. He didn’t look upset. Just resigned.
“I know you’re going to think this is bullshit,” he said, “but I am sorry.”
She watched him, waiting for more. But he simply looked at her.
“Thank you,” she said finally. Where was the rest of it? The sweet talk? The seduction? This man was really good at the seduction part, and there was a strong chance he’d be able to sway her if he put some effort into it. Part of her wanted him to.
Another part of her was thinking of Nathan. She kept remembering him crouched in front of her the other night in his sweat-soaked T-shirt, cleaning up her knee and ignoring her while she cursed at him.
And then for some reason she felt guilty for standing here on the verge of inviting Troy inside. Where had that come from?
Troy dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Night, Alex. Lock up tight.” Then he went down the stairs and slid back into his car.
Alex stood on her doorstep and watched as he backed out of the driveway. She stayed there, thinking, until the sound of his engine faded completely into the night.
The Ferrari 360 Modena turned the corner, and Nathan watched Alex watch it go. When she finally stepped back inside, he sat in the Mustang for a few more minutes, collecting his thoughts.
Or, more accurately, grinding his teeth over the realization that Alex had spent the day with some rich hot-shot while he’d been busting his ass trying to find her.
He got out of his car and slammed the door. A dog barked nearby as he crossed the tree-lined street to the Hyde Park mini-mansion where Alex rented a garage apartment. Nathan had thoroughly scoped out the place earlier in the day, though why a woman who kept a brand-new Mercedes and a pristine-looking 1960 Ford Sunliner stashed in her garage should need to
“Sorry.” Mia rolled her eyes. “Bottom line, yes, I’ll help you. I assume you brought me another sample? Something I can compare to this blood, see if I get a match?”
Alex pulled another plastic bag from her purse, this one containing the envelope Melanie had given her last October when she’d put a down payment on Alex’s services.
It was the only payment Alex had managed to collect from her.
“I watched Melanie lick this envelope.” Alex handed Mia the bag. “Will that work for you?”
She smiled. “Like a charm.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Troy turned onto Alex’s street, and she glanced out the passenger window for the hundredth time today. No tail. But still, she felt uneasy for some reason.
“What’s wrong?”
She shrugged. “Nothing, really. I just like to keep tabs.”
His brow furrowed. “You worried about something?”
“Force of habit.”
He pulled into the driveway behind her Saturn.
“Thanks for the ride.” Alex scooped the box of leftovers off the floorboard. They’d spent the afternoon walking around San Marcos and then stopped for drinks at a restaurant on the river. Drinks had become dinner. Now it was dangerously close to nighttime, and they still hadn’t dealt with the tension hovering between them.
Alex shoved open the door and got out. Troy walked her up the stairs, like she’d known he would, and stood patiently behind her as she fished her keys from her purse.
“You driving back tonight or tomorrow?” she asked, unlocking the door. She turned to face him and immediately knew the intention behind his warm, steady look.
“That’s up to you.”
Her stomach fluttered. He wanted to come inside and pick up right where they’d left off before New Year’s.
And she wanted to say yes.
“Thanks for your help today,” she said instead.
He gazed down at her.
“This case is important to me. And it means a lot that you gave up so much of your time to help me with it.”
“But you’re still mad,” he stated.
“I’m not mad.” And she wasn’t. Not anymore. The anger had lasted only a few hours. The hurt, though—that had stuck with her for months.
Troy rested his hand on her shoulder. He didn’t look upset. Just resigned.
“I know you’re going to think this is bullshit,” he said, “but I am sorry.”
She watched him, waiting for more. But he simply looked at her.
“Thank you,” she said finally. Where was the rest of it? The sweet talk? The seduction? This man was really good at the seduction part, and there was a strong chance he’d be able to sway her if he put some effort into it. Part of her wanted him to.
Another part of her was thinking of Nathan. She kept remembering him crouched in front of her the other night in his sweat-soaked T-shirt, cleaning up her knee and ignoring her while she cursed at him.
And then for some reason she felt guilty for standing here on the verge of inviting Troy inside. Where had that come from?
Troy dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Night, Alex. Lock up tight.” Then he went down the stairs and slid back into his car.
Alex stood on her doorstep and watched as he backed out of the driveway. She stayed there, thinking, until the sound of his engine faded completely into the night.
The Ferrari 360 Modena turned the corner, and Nathan watched Alex watch it go. When she finally stepped back inside, he sat in the Mustang for a few more minutes, collecting his thoughts.
Or, more accurately, grinding his teeth over the realization that Alex had spent the day with some rich hot-shot while he’d been busting his ass trying to find her.
He got out of his car and slammed the door. A dog barked nearby as he crossed the tree-lined street to the Hyde Park mini-mansion where Alex rented a garage apartment. Nathan had thoroughly scoped out the place earlier in the day, though why a woman who kept a brand-new Mercedes and a pristine-looking 1960 Ford Sunliner stashed in her garage should need to
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