by Paige Tyler
“Good to know, seeing as a DPD cop died,” Cooper said dryly.
Dennis didn’t bat an eye. “You know that’s not what I meant. Everybody’s freaking out these days worrying some fanatic wearing a suicide vest is going to walk into a shopping mall. They hear C-4 plastic explosive, and that’s the only thing they hear.”
Cooper spent two hours going through the hundreds of fragments with Dennis, helping identify pieces and putting them back together to make sense of them. It was like building a puzzle while looking at the backside. You had to know what you were looking at to do it right. Luckily, Cooper had lots of practice. It didn’t take long for him to pick up the trademark signatures of a bomb maker who really knew his business.
“Look how minimal and consistent his insulation stripping is on these pieces of wire.” Cooper pointed as he held them under a magnifying glass. “He wanted to make sure he didn’t have any exposed wires that might inadvertently touch and short out the system. Take a look at the triple crimp marks on the end of this blasting cap too.” He moved the magnifying glass to that portion of the wire. “Even though the cap looks like it was made recently, the bomber still took his time to seal it well so no moisture or humidity would get into it and keep it from going off properly. This isn’t some good ol’ boy just trying to blow something up. This guy is a pro.”
Cooper moved along the table, studying one of the circuit boards with its soldered wires. Shit. The more he dug, the more sophisticated the bomb appeared.
“This is some of the most complicated circuitry I’ve seen in an IED outside of Iraq and Afghanistan.” Cooper picked up one of the circuit boards on the light table to study it closely. “This part looks like a remote arming circuit, from a garage door opener or a key fob probably, while the firing circuit is motion-activated. That’s some serious technology.”
“Wait a minute.” Dennis frowned. “You said remote arming. Are you saying the bomber was someplace close to the garage when he armed the device? And if he was, how close?”
“Five hundred to a thousand yards maximum.”
“We have a ton of security and traffic cam footage from around the industrial complex,” Dennis said with a grin. “If we’re lucky, our bomber might just be on there.”
Cooper set down the circuit board. “If I’m right about this part of the firing circuit being motion-activated, it’s possible the bomber waited until he saw the target enter the garage before he armed the device.”
“You mean Swanson really was the target?” Dennis asked.
Cooper shook his head. “Not necessarily. It’s a large garage. The bomber could have armed the device without realizing an off-duty cop was doing a security sweep. Swanson was still an unintended target, but if you can figure out who else went into the garage around the time of the detonation, you might be able to figure out who it really was.”
Dennis clapped him on the shoulder. “I think I may owe you another dinner after this one, buddy.”
Cooper grinned and pulled off his gloves. “You say that now. But the last time I came over, you complained I was going to eat you out of house and home.”
Dennis laughed. “This time, I’ll remember to stock up.”
Chapter 4
Everly was still getting dressed when Landry knocked on the door. It wasn’t her fault. He was five minutes early. She ran to the door in her bare feet, still trying to get the zipper up on the back of her little black dress.
“Wait!” Mia whispered as she ran after her. “I’ll get the zipper while you put on your shoes. You don’t want a guy thinking you’re high maintenance on the first date. Spring that on him after the third one.”
Everly hopped in place on one foot, dragging on her high heels while Mia did up her zipper. “I thought the third date rule had something to do with sleeping with a guy?”
Landry rang the doorbell this time, but she and Mia ignored it. There was some rule about making a guy wait at the door a certain amount of time too, Everly was sure, but she couldn’t remember what it was.
“Wait to sleep with a guy until the third date?” Mia gave her an incredulous look. “When were you raised, the twentieth century?”
Everly laughed as she adjusted her dress and struck a pose for her friend. “How do I look?”
“Dazzling,” Mia said. “He’d better be worthy, girl, or I’m going to send him packing.”
Everly smiled at Mia over her shoulder as she reached for the door. “I don’t think you have to worry about that.”
She didn’t know about Mia, but when she opened the door and saw Landry, she sure as heck wasn’t going to send him packing. She’d expected him to dress up a little since they were going to a French restaurant, but Everly had been out with guys who thought dressed up meant putting on jeans and a clean T-shirt. It was clear Landry and she had the same definition of fancy. He looked sharp and edible in a wool-blend jacket perfectly tailored to show off his broad shoulders and muscular chest, a light blue dress shirt, and a snazzy tie. If she didn’t know better, she’d think she was looking at a GQ cover model.
The smile Landry gave her made her wonder if he knew what she she’d been thinking—or that he’d heard her and Mia talking through the door. While both were equally embarrassing, they were also equally unlikely.
His warm brown eyes slid down her body, lingering on her bare legs before moving back up again. He must have liked what he saw, because he got the same smolder in his eyes that he had last night. After a look like that, maybe they should skip dinner and head straight for dessert.
Behind Everly, Mia cleared her throat, reminding her that yes, her roommate was still standing there waiting to meet Landry. Everly stepped back with a smile.
“Come on in. There’s someone I want you to meet,” she said. “Landry, this is my roommate and best friend in the world, Mia Barlowe. Mia, meet Landry Cooper.”
Mia stepped forward and extended her hand, tilting her head back to look up at him. “Everly’s told me so much about you, but she didn’t mention how tall you are. Wow!”
He chuckled and gave her a self-deprecating shrug as he shook her hand. “It’s the shoes. They add a couple inches. And call me Cooper. All my friends do.”
Everly remembered the other SWAT officers calling him by his last name the other night and had meant to ask him why. “Why does everyone call you by your last name?”
Landry flashed her that charming smile of his, dimples and all. Everly was pretty sure she heard Mia sigh. “I spent some time in the army, and since everyone in the military wears their last name sewed on their uniform, you get used to people calling you that. There were a couple of times that I went so long without hearing anyone use my first name, I almost forgot what it was.”
Mia must have thought that was funny—or she was getting punchy from standing too close to Landry—because she let out a girlish giggle.
Everly suddenly had a vision of rolling around in bed with Landry, passionately moaning his last name. Nope, that wasn’t going to work.
“Mia can call you Cooper if she wants, but I’m not,” she said. “There’s no way I’m calling the guy I’m dating by his last name. That would be totally freaky.”
Landry’s mouth twitched. “If it makes you comfortable, you can call me anything you want. Except for Pookie Bear or Snookums.”
Everly giggled along with Mia this time. “How about we just stick with Landry?”
“Works for me.” He flashed his dimples again and glanced at his watch. “You ready to go? I made the reservation for 7:30.”
“I’m ready. Let me grab my purse, and we can be on our way.”
Everly headed to her bedroom, still smiling at the thought of anyone calling the big SWAT officer Pookie Bear. That name was going to be stuck in her head all night now.
Mia followed her into the bedroom and leaned against the doorjamb. “Oh God, he’s hot as hell. Do you think he has any friends?”
She was about to mention the team of attractive SWAT cops she’d
met last night, but then a realization struck her. “Wait a minute, I thought you were seeing that guy. What’s his name—Felix?”
Mia waved her hand. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I can’t see someone else at the same time. Especially if that someone else looks anything like Cooper.”
Everly shook her head. “Cooper. You’re seriously going to call him by his last name? And does Felix know you have an open relationship?”
Mia smiled. “Cooper fits him. I see why all his friends call him that. And I definitely want to be his friend. As far as Felix seeing other women, he sure as hell better not be. Our relationship is a dictatorship, not a democracy.”
Everly grabbed her evening purse from the bed, checking it again for the essentials—lipstick, mascara, iPhone, and emergency cab fare. She seriously doubted she’d need that last thing, but her dad had drilled contingency planning into her like a FEMA exercise.
“Girl, you’re crazy,” she said as she snapped her purse closed. “But I’ll see what I can find out.”
Mia hugged her. “You’re the best! And don’t worry. I won’t be coming out to check on you when you get in tonight, so feel free to let your freak flag fly as soon as you get in the door.”
She laughed. “You’re not just crazy. You’re certifiable.”
Everly walked out of her bedroom to find Landry in the long hallway leading to her art studio, studying the pictures hanging on the wall.
He gestured to the nude figure studies done in graphite pencil. “These are really good. Do you know the artist?”
“I hope so. It’s me.” She smiled. “And I appreciate the compliment.”
His eyes widened. “You did these? They’re amazing! You didn’t tell me you’re an artist.”
“Really?” She gave him a teasing look. “I could have sworn I mentioned it somewhere in between all the shooting and you throwing that guy through the window.”
“You probably did, and I completely forgot,” Landry said without missing a beat. “You can tell me all over again at dinner.”
Once outside, Landry led her to an olive-drab Jeep Wrangler and opened the passenger door. Wow. How long had it been since a guy had opened a door for her?
Everly was about to get in when she saw three perfectly round holes in the side of the Jeep to the front of the passenger door. She stepped closer then looked at him. “Are those bullet holes?”
He lifted a brow. “You sure you want to know the answer to that question considering you already know I’m a cop?”
She thought about that as she climbed into the Jeep. As terrifying as it was to consider, maybe what happened at the bank yesterday hadn’t been that unusual for him. Not only was he a cop, he was in SWAT. She didn’t know much about them, but she got the feeling from all the tactical gear they wore and weapons they carried, he was probably involved in shootings often enough that he no longer reacted the way a civilian would.
“I guess I forgot what you do for a living,” she said when he got in beside her. “I suppose getting shot at sort of comes with the job.”
He didn’t say anything as he drove out of the parking lot and turned onto the main road headed toward the 635 loop.
Everly sat there in silence for a moment, debating how much she wanted to know about his job. “Were you in the Jeep at the time it was shot up?”
Landry gave her an appraising look before turning his attention back to the road. “No. But I was standing outside it on the driver’s side. If it helps any, it’s the first and only time my vehicle has ever been shot at, and the people who did it are some of my best friends now.”
She stared at him, waiting for the punch line. There wasn’t one. “Seriously? You’re friends with people you put in jail?”
He flashed her those dimples, almost making her forget what they were talking about. “They’re not in jail. They were just some people who got on the wrong side of a situation and made a few dumb decisions. Our team took them in and helped them out. Hell, Becker—the wiseass you met last night—is in love with one of them.”
Everly was pretty sure her mouth was hanging open. “You’re making this up, right?”
He held up two fingers. “Scout’s honor—every word is true. Trust me, the crap our team gets involved in could be in a book. It’d be a bestseller for sure.”
She still wasn’t sure if he was pulling her leg or not until he told her about Becker and his girlfriend Jayna, the four people they lived with, and how the bullet holes ended up in his Jeep. Everly got the feeling Landry was censoring the details to protect the people he and his SWAT team had helped. But still, it was an amazing story.
Everly was so focused on the conversation she didn’t even think about where Landry was taking her until he pulled up in front of a very familiar restaurant.
She turned to him excitedly. “You got us a table at Chambre Française with only a day’s notice? Mia and I have tried to get in here four times and couldn’t. They’re full year-round.”
Landry smiled, but didn’t say anything as the valet came over to take the keys. When a second valet hurried over to open her door, Everly stepped out, then stood gazing at the traditional French architecture reminiscent of Paris. She hadn’t been kidding. She’d been trying to get into this restaurant since she was old enough to have enough money to afford the place. She felt like Cinderella going to the ball. She was so excited she could have kissed Landry right there. Not that she needed much of an excuse to kiss him, but he couldn’t have picked a more perfect place if he’d read her mind.
“I wish I could take all the credit, but my boss did a favor for the chef a while back and the guy gave him a lifetime invitation to eat here any time he wanted, no reservations required,” Cooper said. “It wasn’t hard for him to help me get seating for two, though it might be in the kitchen for all I know.”
“I’ll take it,” she told him as he took her hand, and they strolled toward the crowd waiting to get inside. “Heck, I’ll wash dishes if they want me to. I don’t care as long as I can eat here.”
When they checked in at the front desk, Everly expected they’d have to wait forever, but two minutes later, the hostess led them to a small table in a secluded alcove near the back of the restaurant.
As soon as they sat down, a short, heavyset man wearing an apron came to their table, a welcoming smile on his face.
“You must be Landry and Everly. Gage said you’d be easy to recognize, and I see that he wasn’t wrong,” he said in a lightly accented voice. “I am Emile. I am so happy you chose my little restaurant for your date.”
Emile shook hands with Landry then gallantly kissed the back of hers. She looked around the dining room, taking in the brocade wallpaper, gold accents, and elegant crystal chandeliers.
“I’m not so sure I would describe this place as little, but I’m truly looking forward to eating here,” Everly said. “The aromas coming from the kitchen are heavenly.”
The man beamed, his cheeks blushing a little. “You are too kind, mademoiselle. I promise you a dinner neither of you will ever forget. You have my word on it.”
Taking their intricately folded napkins from the table, Emile smoothly opened them and draped the fine linens across their laps, then began to reposition their silverware.
“Thank you for finding us a table,” Landry said. “I know it must have been difficult on such short notice.”
Emile shook his head. “There is always room for my friends, and anyone who is a friend of Gage’s is a friend of mine. So, sit back and enjoy yourself. This table is yours as long as you would like to stay.”
Everly expected Emile to tell them that a server would be coming by to take their order, but instead he told them he would construct a menu perfectly suited for them and cook it himself.
“I will have your drinks brought out in a moment,” he added. “Bon appetit.”
Then he walked away, leaving them looking at each other.
“Did he just say he was going to cook our meal himself?” she
whispered.
Landry nodded. “Yeah, I guess he did. But how is he going to know what we like?”
She laughed. “Who cares? If Emile is cooking your dinner, it’s going to be good.”
A waiter brought a bottle of white wine, opened it, and poured two glasses without saying a word. Everly took a small sip. While she wasn’t a connoisseur, she did drink wine on occasion, but she’d never had anything this good. She hoped Landry knew what he was in for when it came to the bill. But he didn’t seem worried at the moment.
Landry held up his glass, the flicker of the candle on the table giving his eyes a sexy glow. “To the best date ever.”
She returned his smile, gently clinking her glass against his. This was already well on the way to being the best date she’d ever had, and they were just getting started.
As they sat there, their hands only a few inches apart while they sipped their wine, their knees practically touched under the table. Everly was struck by how quiet and private their little alcove table felt, like there was no one in the restaurant but the two of them. A romantic dinner with the stunningly attractive cop who had saved her life? It was something out of a fairy tale.
“Why a French restaurant?” Landry asked softly. “You always hear people say they like Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Fusion, or Thai. But I don’t think anyone has ever told me that French food is their favorite.”
She shrugged as she drank more of the wine and let it roll around on her tongue. “It’s because I was born in France. So opting for French is the equivalent of you eating at a barbecue place in Texas. I don’t even think of it as ethnic food.”
“Wow,” he said, clearly surprised. “I thought I had a pretty good ear for accents, but I would never have pegged you for anything other than a Texas girl. You don’t sound French at all.”
“Dad moved my four brothers and me to Texas when I was very young. I think I was only seven or eight at the time, so my accent was completely gone by the time I got to middle school.”
Landry looked crestfallen. “Too bad. Having a beautiful woman whisper sweet nothings in my ear with a French accent would have been intriguing.”
