The guy tried to sound all tough. “Back off, man. He’s ours.”
“This is the kind of crap that gets worked out in the ring,” Dekker replied.
“Bullshit!” The guy yelled as he jabbed the knife at Dekker.
Blocking the knife with his left arm, Dekker yanked the blade out of the guy’s hand. Bringing it around to bear, Dekker pressed it to the braggart’s throat.
“Like I was saying,” Dekker said, pressing the knife hard enough to draw a thin line of blood. “In the ring. Understood?”
“Yeah. Sure,” the guy stammered.
Dekker kept the blade biting into the guy’s flesh so that the lesson would be remembered with a scar. Then, he lowered the knife and shoved the guy down the alley. Tossing the knife from hand to hand, Dekker looked at the other guy.
“You next?”
The guy’s eyes widened. Then he simply turned and ran. Smart move.
As he crossed over to Bull, Dekker chucked the knife into the Dumpster. Lexie already knelt next to Bull. Concerned, she looked at Dekker.
“We’ve got to get him to the hospital.”
Bull pointed to the cuts on his face. “Think they’ll scar?”
“Oh, yeah,” Dekker confirmed as he helped Bull to his feet.
“Yes!” his student exclaimed. “I’ve got to go show the guys!”
With that, Bull was off, limping and swaying slightly to the right, but he was on his way.
“You can’t just let him go like that!” Lexie argued.
Dekker watched Bull limp around the corner, feeling like a proud father. All the lessons and beat-downs finally paid off. “He’s a big boy. He can make his own decisions.”
She didn’t look quite so convinced. But hey, at least she didn’t puke or anything. That was many a woman’s reaction to what just went down—both in the ring and out here. He took her by the hand and strolled down the alley toward the car. Their hands swung gently forward and back, forward and back.
As they reached his Mustang, Lexie stopped. “May I ask you something?”
“Depends,” he answered, a little wary of where the conversation might lead.
“Why did you let them go?” she asked. “You could have left a swath of broken men back there. What is rule number three? Never let them get up?”
Dekker chuckled. “In the ring, my dear. In the ring.”
“Really?” she said as her eyebrow shot up. “You never took on five-to-one odds in a back alley?”
“There was a time when I would have,” Dekker shrugged, but then lowered his tone. “But right now, I can think of better ways to expel my energy. Can’t you?”
He pulled her close to him, their groins separated only by their clothes. Lexie’s cheeks flushed red as her breath came in starts. He loved it when he threw Lexie off guard. Yeah. There definitely was a wildcat under that shy exterior. And that beast was slowly clawing her way to the surface.
“Um … No. I mean, I think I should be getting home.”
“Getting home?” Dekker repeated. “Lame. Very lame.”
He opened the passenger-side door, but still Lexie hesitated. “I’ve got work tomorrow and my roommate is …”
“And here I thought you were a big girl and could make your own decisions.”
Lexie straightened her shoulders. “I do.”
That’s my girl, he thought. He knew that she wouldn’t turn down a challenge. She was too stubborn for that.
“Do you really think you can sleep after all this excitement?” he asked.
Lexie frowned. Clearly, she didn’t. As she sat down in the passenger seat, she asked, “What did you have in mind?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
* * *
“Bowling?”
As the crash of pins sounded around them, Alexis stood shocked. This was so not what she expected. Dekker didn’t seem like the bowling type. Football, rugby, fighting a bear with his bare hands, sure. But bowling?
Dekker offered Alexis a pair of bowling shoes. The only other people in the alley were two teenagers at the far lane. The sign above the pins advertised eighties night. The lights were dim, and a disco ball spun a rainbow of colors around the room.
“Yeah. Where did you think I was taking you?”
Um, someplace that involved several Class A felonies, but she didn’t want to voice it out loud.
“Back to your house so you could have your way with me?” she offered, trying to channel Callie.
Actually, wasn’t she a little disappointed that he hadn’t done just that? Trying to cover up her momentary lapse, Alexis rushed on. “Instead, you choose to throw a ball down a lane and hit pins?”
“Ah. It’s obvious that you haven’t explored the Zen of bowling.”
Dekker bent over and picked up a bright orange ball.
“Zen? Of bowling? You’re joking again, right?”
“Quite the contrary. Wait until the secrets of life are revealed tonight. Then, see if I was kidding.”
Dekker lined himself up, stepped forward, and released the ball. It crashed into the pins, sending them ricocheting off the walls.
“Impressive,” Alexis said as she grabbed her own ball. Was there anything that this guy couldn’t do?
Once the pins were reset, Alexis swung the ball down the lane and watched it head straight for the gutter. Now she remembered why she hated bowling. Because she sucked at it. Her high score ranged in the double digits.
“You aren’t picturing your target.”
Dekker retrieved her ball and placed it in her hand. He stepped behind her, guiding her arm. His voice lowered. “This is just like fighting. Paint a bull’s-eye in your mind, and then strike without thought.”
Without thought was easy. With his body this close, her mind was a blank void.
“There’s a little problem—like the ball curving to the left.”
“Only because you didn’t force it to the right. Even after you let go of the ball, you can direct its course.”
Alexis turned her head, giving him the “Are you crazy?” look. “Okay. Now you really are scaring me.”
“See it. Then make it happen.”
Right. Wax on. Wax off. Humoring him, she took a deep breath, lined up the ball, took two steps forward, and then went to release the ball.
“Follow through,” Dekker reminded her.
Alexis continued moving her arm until it swung over her head. The ball began to swerve toward the gutter.
“Make it stay straight.”
Focusing her attention on the ball, she willed it to hit the front pin. Still the ball angled toward the gutter, then grazed the edge, sending it spinning back toward the pins. It knocked down five, which fell into the other pins. The only one left standing teetered until it finally fell over.
Alexis squealed, threw her arms up in the air, and spun around. Dekker picked her up, spinning her. As he lowered her, he let her body slowly slide down his. Her arms wrapped around his neck. His head dropped until their foreheads touched.
“I knew you had it in you.”
A small part of Alexis’ heart ached for Dekker to be innocent. He had been through so much. Was it wrong to wish that this tenderness was real? That he had left all that violence behind? He could have seriously messed up Bull’s attackers, but instead, he had simply scattered them to the wind. And look at where he brought her. All-American family fun.
Alexis let her hands slide down Dekker’s chest. His muscles were hard and warm under her palms, his breathing was slow. The laughter washed from his eyes, replaced by a burning desire. Her gaze dropped to his lips. She wondered what they would feel like on hers. Would his kiss be passionate or tender?
As if reading her mind, Dekker leaned in until his lips softly brushed hers. He leaned back, judging her reaction. Alexis gripped his shirt, her lips parted. She didn’t want Dekker to stop. The flutter in her belly demanded more. Tugging him closer, she captured his lips. When his tongue touched hers, she moaned into his mout
h. Dekker’s solid arms kept her from falling to the floor. An ache spread from her navel, traveling down between her thighs.
Alexis snapped to her senses. Grounded back in reality, she pushed away from Dekker. Her body cried out at the break in contact, but her mind reminded her that she was a cop, and Dekker was a hardened criminal.
She looked at Dekker, a blush staining her cheeks. Flustered, she couldn’t even begin to find the words to break the awkwardness of the moment.
Once again Dekker rescued her, the corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. Grabbing her hand, he led her back to the lane. “Now, let’s get you over a hundred.”
CHAPTER 10
Alexis kept her face calm. Of course, she was anything but calm as Beck read her write- up of last night’s events. However, she did try to keep her features as calm, cool, and collected as she could. Especially with Grace sitting next to her reading her own copy.
Grace was busy sneering her way through the text. Beck seemed relaxed, though. His glasses perched at the end of his nose, her lieutenant appeared to enjoy the early-morning reading.
Tossing the report down on Beck’s desk, Grace skewered Alexis with a stare. “Nothing more exciting than that? Really?”
Well, aside from the fact that we’re a date away from tearing off each other’s clothes? But Alexis did not think that would help her cause. Besides. A lot did happen. Just not the way everyone seemed to want it to go.
“Like I said, the street match was illegal, but Dekker didn’t even fight in it. He flat-out refused.”
“Lieutenant,” Grace pressed. “don’t you think we can haul him in for robbing the pawnbroker?”
“He paid for the ring, though …” Alexis retorted. Granted, it wasn’t the asking price, but it was still paid for.
She went to expound further, but Beck shook his head. “If I’m going to blow Alexis’ cover, I’m going to do it for something a bit more exciting than petty theft.”
The office door swung open as Nick burst in. “They’ve found Ratface.”
“Well, don’t keep us in suspense. Where is he?” asked the lieutenant.
Instead of looking at Beck, Nick directed his answer toward Alexis. “Dead. They found him floating in the river.”
Alexis kept her features still. No fear or loathing allowed. Her stomach, on the other hand? That fell all the way to the floor. Dekker’s smile flashed. The tender way he had shown her the proper way to pick up a bowling ball.
“That’s it,” Grace said as she bounded out of her chair. “We’re going to…”
“What’s the ME’s time of death?” Alexis cut in. Her fingers locked around the arm of the chair.
“Around 10:00 p.m. last night.”
Relief flooded through Alexis. Still she kept her face porcelain and her tone professional. “Lieutenant, it couldn’t have been Dekker. I was with him.”
Laughing and having the best night of my life.
“That’s just an estimate,” Nick said, stepping forward, as if his physical presence could make his words true. And how much he wanted his words to condemn Dekker. “The water makes it hard for the ME to call the time of death. There is a two-hour window on either side.”
Nice try, Nick.
“The fact is, though, that I was with Dekker from eight to at least one,” Alexis explained. “Even if you factor in a cushion, he still couldn’t have done it.”
Grace looked down at Alexis. “I say we let the courts decide.”
Anger flared. Alexis tried to keep it from her voice, but knew she failed. “I don’t think the DA’s going to appreciate it when they find out that Dekker’s alibi is the undercover detective sent to investigate him.”
“Alexis, maybe your judgment is a bit … shaded,” Nick warned.
“Shaded? Me?” Alexis pointed a finger at Nick, and then Grace. “You two are seeing red. Dekker is already tried and convicted. I am talking about facts. Facts that don’t fit your trial plan.”
Grace looked ready to throw a punch herself, and Nick wouldn’t look her in the eye. Alexis brought her case to Beck. “Does Dekker walk a fine line between what’s legal and illegal? Yes. But the man has an alibi, no matter how inconvenient. me.”
She shook her head. “You guys are busting my chops that I am in too deep when it is you who are willing to jump the gun and blow the case.” Since Nick wouldn’t look at her, Alexis turned her attention to Grace. “What good would it do to blow my cover, when his lawyer is going to have him on the street within the hour?”
Finally, she found something that got Grace to lower her hackles.
Quieter, she turned to Beck. “He’s just starting to trust me.”
And the thought of Dekker exiting her life? That was not an option. Not until she knew for sure if he was the man Nick suspected—or the man she was coming to know.
Beck leaned back in his chair. He folded his hands over his stomach and looked from Nick to Grace. “Once again, she has a point. Anyone care to argue with her logic?”
Now she knew why her father wanted her to work under Beck. The guy could keep his priorities straight. And all the other cops respected him for it. Otherwise, Grace would have been doing a jig on Alexis’ head, and Nick would have her swaddled in a protective blanket.
Tension crackled, but not a word was spoken against her case.
“Well, from that resounding silence I am going to assume that Alexis is still on the case unless you two dig up something firmer.” Beck picked up his phone and began dialing, clearly dismissing anything else Nick or Grace might say.
Alexis tried to slip from the room, but Nick was hot on her heels. Did the guy never get tired of chasing after her? He didn’t even stop when she went into the women’s restroom.
“Nick!”
He shrugged. “You can’t get out of this conversation that easily.”
“Which? The one where you tell me how out of control my behavior is?” she asked. “That I have lost perspective? That I am reacting emotionally and not rationally to the threat that Dekker may pose?”
Nick’s cheeks puffed in and out. “Don’t make light of this, Alexis.”
“I’m not.”
Nick reached out to her. At first, Alexis thought it was a comforting gesture, but then he shoved her sleeve up to reveal marks of every color. Black, blue, green, red, purple, and a sickly yellow.
“Look at yourself.”
She tried to pull away from him, but he squeezed her wrist. Alexis sucked in a breath.
“We’ve seen battered women less bruised than you.”
Alexis jerked her wrist away, hiding the wince.
“I am in training. It comes with the territory.”
“I don’t give a damn what this man did or did not do last night. I care that he hasn’t hesitated to hurt you.”
“Are you getting to a point?” she said as she tugged the sleeve back into place.
“For God’s sake!” Nick’s stormy eyes held hers. “An instructor doesn’t do that to a student. What kind of man are you defending?”
A female beat cop walked into the restroom. She looked at the two detectives, and then walked back out again. Wise woman.
When Alexis turned back to Nick, the anger had bled from his face. He simply looked sad.
“At the least, talk to your father about this.”
“Don’t you dare bring my father into this!” Alexis hissed. She could take a lot of things, but telling her to call “Daddy?” Nick had gone too far.
Blood pounding in her temples, Alexis asked, “Anything else?”
Knowing that this battle was lost, Nick stepped aside. “Nothing that you’d want to hear.”
Well, at least Nick was right about one thing today.
* * *
Dekker finished his afternoon class and walked by Agnes’ office just as she hung up the phone. He flashed her a smile. Dekker had been doing a lot of that today. His students in turn looked at him oddly. It appeared that they feared the new Dekker more than the old o
ne.
“Agnes, I just might give you a raise.”
His longtime assistant picked some papers off her desk. Following Dekker into his office, she tossed them down. “You better look at these before you make any promises that you can’t keep.”
Dekker sat behind his desk and pulled the papers toward him. He looked them over, before shooting Agnes a confused look. “Sorry. Enlighten me.”
“I can’t find a thing on a Lexie Thomas.”
“So?”
Agnes tapped the page in front of him. “I ran her license. It’s completely clean.”
“So, she’s a good driver. What about it?”
Agnes tended to be a little overprotective. He believed the kids called it “s-mothering.”
“How many people do you know who have never had a parking ticket?”
Dekker grabbed the newspaper on his desk and opened it to the obituaries. “I need more than that, Agnes.”
“What do you want me to do now?
He glanced up from the paper. “Isn’t that what I pay you to figure out?”
Agnes nodded, her lips in a firm line. She didn’t approve of his choices. But when did Agnes ever? Yep. S-mothering.
“Has she called yet?” Dekker asked.
Agnes turned in the doorway. “No. Do you want me to get her on the line?”
“No. Yes.” Damn. He could still feel how she felt against him. Her soft skin against his stubble as he taught her proper lane etiquette.
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