Dead Don't Lie

by L. R. Nicolello

  Which was true. Well, okay, partially. Yes, he wanted to help the SPD capture the bastard. But he’d been commissioned to put together a task-force team to track and infiltrate terrorists that the rest of the alphabet agencies didn’t even know existed, and he wanted Evelyn on it. He’d hoped that working closely with her on this case would give him better insight into how to convince her to join his team.

  Ryan studied Marcus. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck before smiling, all steeliness in his eyes gone. “I don’t believe that pile of shit you’re trying to pass off as filet mignon for one second. I think you’re trying to poach my partner, but I can’t help admiring you.”

  Marcus sat back, stunned.

  “I know, I know. Here I am, busting your balls one minute, then saying I admire you the next. But I do. I’ve never see someone go toe-to-toe with Evelyn so calmly and diffuse her without crushing her spirit. It’s impressive. You’re a good man.”

  Marcus smiled. “Thanks.”

  “And, I appreciate the Bureau’s deep pockets.” Ryan smirked.

  * * *

  EVELYN HAD BEEN phoning neighbors for hours and had come up with nothing. Likewise for Marcus, who was calling local boat rental companies, and Ryan, who was digging through phone records.

  She tapped her pencil against the thin sheet of paper and stared at the words until they blurred together. She didn’t need to see them to know what they said. Before sharing her thoughts with Ryan and Marcus, she’d worked and reworked her loose profile until her eyes crossed. Their unknown subject, or unsub, was most likely a white male in his late thirties, early forties. He’d be very well-educated and, at first glance, easygoing and approachable.

  But Evelyn knew differently.

  He most likely had extensive combat training and was volatile and dangerous—extremely dangerous. Given the rage he’d vented at the last scene, she surmised it would only take one wrong look to set him off on a rampage. She shuddered. God help the person in his line of site when he exploded next.

  Because he would. It was just a matter of time.

  Evelyn nursed her cold cup of Starbucks coffee, trying to prolong the goodness while simultaneously studying the profile and the man sitting across the room. His five o’clock shadow graced a strong, olive-toned jawline. Thick, dark eyebrows pinched together as he examined the crime scene photos. Tossing the photos down, Marcus pinched his Roman nose and closed his eyes. He tilted his head back, letting out a long breath as he ran his hands through his curly brown hair.

  She hated to admit it—and it actually surprised the hell out of her—but he mesmerized her. Had from the moment she’d laid eyes on him, when he casually stood next to Kessler as if he belonged there, with them. He opened his eyes, looked up and caught her in his steady gaze. Her stomach clenched in response. She got lost in the richness of his chocolate-colored eyes. Yep, totally mesmerizing.

  The shrill ringing of Ryan’s cell phone ripped her back to reality. He answered the call. She could feel her cheeks burning, so she grabbed her mug and headed for the break room.

  Now that her beloved Starbucks coffee was gone, Evelyn cradled the steaming mug of second-rate coffee and walked to her desk, careful to keep her eyes off Marcus. She threw herself into her chair, then took a sip of the steaming liquid and grimaced.

  Ryan hung up and smirked. Evelyn eyeballed him—she knew that smirk. No way. Not in a million years. She was way too tired.

  “Kate says to come to dinner tonight. She won’t take no for an answer.”

  “Ryan, I—”

  “She’s already told the kids.”

  Evelyn groaned and threw a pencil at him. Ryan dodged the flying object and laughed. “You’re playing the kid card now? Of all times? Really?”

  She shook her head, unable to keep her grin from spreading. She loved those kids and, cliché or not, would take a bullet for them. Kate knew that and didn’t think twice about using them to get her best friend over anytime she wanted, nor did she apologize for her blatant manipulation.

  Ryan grinned. Deep dimples creased his cheeks and his blue eyes playfully twinkled. “What can I say? Kate wants to see you, Evelyn. Tonight. Seven o’clock.”

  “Fine. But tell that wife of yours she’s shockingly bold.”

  “Fair enough.” He turned in his chair and nodded to Marcus. “You, too, Moretti. Care to join us?”

  Evelyn’s mouth dropped open. She stared at Ryan.

  One of Marcus’s eyebrows shot up, but he shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”

  “Great. Kate will be thrilled.” Ryan turned back to Evelyn and sent her a mischievous glance.

  Her heart took off at a mad gallop. She sipped her coffee, desperate to keep cool in front of the two men. She hadn’t experienced this butterfly thing since high school. Peering over the mug’s edge, she sent her partner a scorching look. Don’t even think about it, Ryan O’Neil.

  “Evelyn, bring Marcus with you, will you?”

  “What?” She choked on her coffee. Jackass.

  She could smell the setup and was going to kill Kate tonight. Ryan returned her glare with a knowing wink. If she wasn’t so nervous at the idea, she might’ve laughed at the way her stomach reacted to the mere thought of being alone with Marcus. What was she, sixteen again?

  “I’m sure he can drive himself. He’s a grown man, for heaven’s sake.”

  “True, but he doesn’t know the city like you do,” Ryan countered.

  Marcus called from across the room, interrupting the showdown between partners. “You know, he is sitting right here and can hear you both.”

  They turned to him.

  “And Evelyn’s right.” Marcus chuckled, shaking his head before going back to the photos in his hand. “He can drive himself.”

  Ryan grinned. “Yes, I’m sure you can. I’m not calling your superior federal-agent driving ability into question here. Even on your worst day, we all know you could outmaneuver any of us with your eyes closed and one hand tied behind you back. No doubt.”

  Evelyn laughed at her partner’s spirited antics. Once again, Ryan managed to lighten a very, very dark day. She grew still. He was treating Marcus like one of them. Which meant—she glanced between the two men—Ryan had vetted Marcus and decided he was one of them. She stole another look at Marcus. Her stomach fluttered and her palms got clammy. Unbelievable. Why did that excite her?

  Ryan put his hand over his heart, threw Marcus an exaggerated smile, then grew serious. “Not kidding, parking’s hell on our street. The fewer cars, the better.”

  Ryan gave her puppy eyes that she swore he’d learned from Liam. “Evelyn...”

  “Fine.”

  Bending forward, she ripped a piece of paper from her notebook and scrawled her address. Completely thrown by her response to Marcus, she tried to keep her hand from shaking as she handed him the paper.

  “Be there by six-fifteen. That’ll give us plenty of time—”

  Ryan’s muffled laughter interrupted her. She gritted her teeth and willed the blush creeping up her neck to stay put. Ignoring her immature partner, she locked eyes with Marcus. “Plenty of time to navigate the traffic.”

  Marcus took the paper from her outstretched hand, a sensual glint in his eyes. “I don’t bite.”

  Evelyn’s blood hammered in her ears as her pulse took off. Oh, crap.

  “Somehow, I don’t think that’s what she’s worrying about,” Ryan quipped under his breath.

  Evelyn ripped her eyes from Marcus and glared at Ryan. She reached for her pen and threw it. Ryan laughed and easily dodged her latest missile.

  “You’re incorrigible,” she said playfully, refusing to meet Marcus’s stare. Ryan was right. Traffic was the last thing on her mind. Which, quite frankly, surprised the hell out of her.

  CHAPTER TEN

 
; MARCUS LEANED OVER the steering wheel and studied the house numbers as he crept along 7th Avenue West. Ah, there it is. House number 2141. He pulled over and sat in silence. The house was a quintessential Craftsman-style nestled on one of the many tree-lined streets in Seattle. Everything about it screamed home. Better yet, everything about it screamed Evelyn Davis—or at least what he thought it would, after only being in her presence a week.

  He slipped out of his vehicle and locked it. He turned, taking in the view in front of him. Even though the green siding was worn, the stark white of the trim around the large windows and door made it seem cheery. The wooden front porch was large, and a potbellied fire pit sat tucked into the far corner.

  Nervous tension coiled in his stomach. He hadn’t felt this way since picking up his high school prom date, Christina Starklyn. His brothers would give him such grief if they could see him now. What the hell was his problem? He was successful, smart and strong. Why was this woman reducing him to a prepubescent idiot? He rubbed a hand over his face, hesitated on the concrete sidewalk in front of her house.

  Because Evelyn Davis is anything but ordinary. That’s why.

  “Get your shit together, Moretti,” he said into the twilight evening.

  He’d come to Seattle, already impressed by her reputation and jacket—and already knowing she was a stunner from the picture in her file. But the floor had caved under him when he’d met the real Evelyn Davis. She was brutally savvy and handled herself like a pro under pressure. And she was sexy as hell. He’d known he was in trouble from their first meeting. Every time she walked into the same room, his whole body came alive. He shook his head and pushed back any idea of why that might be.

  He climbed the steps, then pressed the doorbell. He waited, the tension coiling.

  Evelyn opened the door and smiled at him. His pulse jumped. Dark jeans hugged her mile-long legs, and a black V-neck shirt playfully peeked out from under the lightweight leather bomber jacket she wore.

  Even in her casual attire, she was beautiful.

  She stepped out onto the porch and pulled the door closed behind her. They stood face-to-face for a moment. He was tall and normally peered down at most women who stood this close to him, but she only had to angle her head slightly to look him in the eye. He smiled at her and stepped back. It took everything in him to keep his jaw from going slack.

  Evelyn gave him an odd look as she stepped around him and pulled out her keys. He uttered a short laugh, and her brows furrowed in a silent question.

  “I’ll drive.” He held up his keys.

  A small smile formed on her lips. “All-righty, then.”

  He motioned for her to go in front of him, then followed her down the sidewalk, his heart hammering. Keep your pants on. Sexy or not, she’s off-limits, at least for now.

  He opened the car door for her. She slid into the vehicle, glanced at him and smiled her thanks, then quickly looked away. What are you thinking? He circled to his side of the vehicle. The woman sitting in his car followed his movement and had gotten deep into his mind, whether she meant to or not.

  He paused before entering the car. Someone was watching. He could feel it. The cold sensation that’d saved him more than once crept up his neck, whispering a silent warning. He checked around. The street was quiet, empty. Strange. He sat and pulled the door closed, then eyed her and smiled. “Shall we?”

  * * *

  THE CURTAIN NEXT door fluttered softly back to its rightful place. He kicked the end table and sent it flying across the room. Who was that man with Evelyn? Where did he come from? And why the hell did she look at him like that? How dare she seem happy...be happy? She didn’t deserve it. Not when she had taken so much from him. Taken everything from him. He willed himself to breathe deeply, to calm the volcano that burned inside him incessantly. Isn’t that what he’d learned just south of the border? To control his rage, channel it into something greater, something deeper. He was intelligent enough to know that you only act after you’ve controlled the power. So he’d wait. Then act.

  And he would. He would take it all from her. Eventually. The image of her begging him to kill her flashed in his mind, pacifying him. Yes. He would take it all from her. But first, he’d enjoyed toying with her. He had more planned for her before this was all over. Watching her fret about the lack of movement in their case—his case—sent a thrill down his spine.

  He marched to the old kitchen table, sank into the wooden chair and cradled his head. The volcano within him spewed acidic thoughts through his mind, consuming him again with a barely controllable rage. How could she be paying attention to that man? How could she look so happy when she should be paying attention to him? She was his. He owned her.

  He took a swig of the stale, cheap beer and slammed the bottle down. He clenched his fists. The constant fury burned his throat. The old man huddled in the corner cried out, then shrank back.

  “Don’t make me hurt you, old man,” he said, glaring.

  He stood, walked to the kitchen window and peered out. He picked a knife from the knife block on the counter and ran his finger over the dull blade. He knew exactly how to draw her attention back to where it should be—on him.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  EVELYN AND KATE stood on the patio, enjoying the crisp autumn air. Both kids were down for the night. As the women sat by the roaring fireplace after dinner, Liam had fallen asleep in Evelyn’s arms. Kissing him on the forehead before placing him in his crib felt like kissing an angel. She smiled. The little man was an inferno. Her shirt was still slightly damp from holding his body against hers—funny how something so trivial could be so sweet. In silence, the two friends watched the illuminated Seattle skyline. A ferry crossed Puget Sound, its lights twinkling on the inky ocean water. Kate sipped her Riesling and nudged Evelyn with her hip.

  “Yes?” Evelyn lifted her glass and savored the Malbec as it rolled over her tongue and down her throat.

  Kate looked over her shoulder, pierced Evelyn with her eyes. “So, what’s going on with you two?”

  “What? With Marcus?” Horrified at her transparency, Evelyn glanced away from Kate. Her cheeks burned. “Nothing. Why?”

  “Nothing?” Kate snorted, then rolled her eyes. She tucked a strand of her fire-red hair behind her ear. “Oh, please. I see the way you look at each other.”

  “Stop. Nothing is going on. Besides, you and I both know there’s a professional line that can’t be crossed. If I even wanted to cross it. Which I’m not saying I do.” Good grief. She was rambling like a little kid caught with her hand in the candy jar. What was her problem? “I don’t.”

  “Why?”

  The familiar, deep ache rose, trying to smother Evelyn. She fingered the stem of her glass. She didn’t want to speak the words that bubbled up into her throat, didn’t want to validate them by giving them a voice.

  “Ev, wh—”

  “I’m stuck in this dark, shattered place. There’s no room for anyone else. I’m broken, Kate.” Tears stung her eyes as she whispered the bitter words that haunted her.

  “Oh, sweets. No, you aren’t.”

  Evelyn wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, then bit her lip to keep the tears at bay. “But I am. It’s made me a great detective, but—”

  “A kick-ass detective.”

  Even Kate’s joking couldn’t alleviate the sorrow seeping from Evelyn’s soul.

  “But I subconsciously sabotage any relationship before it even has the chance to work.”

  “I wouldn’t call what you had with Chad or Todd a relationship.”

  Despite the dull ache in her chest, Evelyn managed a feeble laugh. “True.”

  “Okay, so what’s this really about, then?”

  “I’m stuck. I can’t move past what happened to my family. It’s like an avalanche of heartache and scorching pain every second of ev
ery day. I can’t get away from it.”

  “Oh, Ev—”

  “I know they’d want me to move on. I want to. I want more than this life I live now.” She threw Kate a teary smile. “I want what you and Ry have, including the little munchkins.”

  Kate grinned, grabbed Evelyn’s hand and entwined their fingers together.

  Evelyn leaned her head against Kate’s and breathed in her soft, warm vanilla scent.

  “I can’t start a family with someone, no matter how amazing that person may be, until I know what happened to my own. Until I close that case—until it’s done—there will always be this ugly eclipse over my life, this constant ache in my heart.” She took a deep breath to steady her emotions. “I can’t get away from the pain. I do a great job of managing the emotions. I gather strength from them. But it’s always there.”

  Kate let go of Evelyn’s hand, threw an arm around her shoulder and pulled her best friend close.

  “And Marcus?” Kate asked.

  Evelyn’s laugh was sad. “Even if he were interested—”

  “You’d have to be blind and an idiot not to see that.”

  Evelyn shrugged. “Regardless of whether or not he is, I can’t ask Marcus, or anyone for that matter, to walk this road with me. It’s bumpy, messy and ridiculously emotional. I can’t give myself to someone when I know I wouldn’t be giving all of myself. I’m still a shadow of who I could be, and that’s not fair.”

  “But isn’t that his choice?” Kate asked softly.

  “Maybe...” Evelyn grew quiet again.

  They stood that way for a long time.

  Finally Kate broke the silence. “But he’s really, really sexy.”

  Evelyn rolled her eyes, balanced her empty glass on the smooth rail and refused to look at her friend. “He’s off-limits, Kate.”

  “Oh, whatever. He’s totally your type.”

  Evelyn chuckled. Her forehead muscles scrunched together. “My type?”