by C. A. Szarek
Pete swallowed and shrugged, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
That I kissed her. Then I barely pushed her away when she kissed me. That it is a struggle to keep my hands to myself. “Nothing, partner. Just that I can’t leave her alone. She’s…stuck with me.”
“Uh-huh…” Andi nodded slowly, still appraising him. Her pointed stare was a change. He was usually the more perceptive of the two of them. But she knew him well—too damn well.
Pete forced himself to stand still. “Hey, I didn’t really get a good look at the little guy.” He gestured to the infant in her arms. Please buy the distraction.
A brilliant smile lit his partner’s beautiful face. “He’s perfect,” Andi whispered.
“Lemme hold him.” Pete strode forward and gently took the sleeping baby from his mother.
Micah didn’t stir as Pete nestled him closer to his chest. Andi grinned when he glanced at her. The baby was beautiful, like his parents. His hair curled at the ends, instead of all over like his older brother, and it was dark brown. Pete could see Andi in his little nose, but Cole’s stamp was all over the kid. His mouth moved in his sleep and the hint of dimples was visible in both cheeks. “Damn, he does look like Cole.”
Andi laughed. “Yup, he sure does. I hope his eyes settle into grey like Cole’s, too. But Cole wants him to keep the baby blues.” She pointed to her own eyes.
Pete’s gaze swept her form and he had to smile. His partner radiated happiness. She glowed, gorgeous despite the fatigue under her eyes and the outfit of cotton pyjama pants and matching pale blue tee with overlapping hearts on the front of it.
“Time will tell,” Pete whispered, unable to tear his eyes away from Andi.
They’d been through too much to name together, but he was so glad she was happy again. Remarried to a great guy and the mother of two adorable little boys. Andi was made for Cole, as much as she was made to be a damn good cop. How she balanced everything was something to admire.
His partner had always fought for what she wanted. For her it was love… Family.
Nikki’s smile flashed into his head and Pete frowned, making himself focus on the tiny bundle in his arms.
“Something wrong?” Andi asked, taking a step closer to them.
“Hmmm, no.” Pete met her eyes. “He’s beautiful and I’m so happy for you, partner.”
She smiled, but still studied him. Like Andi didn’t believe a word out of his mouth. “Thanks. I wouldn’t trade him for the world.”
Pete chuckled. “Not even for a full night’s sleep?”
“I’m not desperate quite yet. He’s only three days old. Catch me in a few weeks.” Andi winked.
Laughing again, he shook his head. “No thanks. You make Cole help you this time.” He didn’t want to say more. Didn’t want to wipe the teasing from her expression by mentioning Ethan’s infancy or how many nights Pete had helped her after she’d lost her first husband.
“As if he has a choice.” Andi raised her voice and giggled as Cole leaned in the kitchen doorway.
“Hey, I heard that,” Cole said. He grinned, flashing dimples.
“Did I lie?”
“No, but you didn’t admit you order me out of bed at gunpoint when it’s my turn.”
Pete chuckled. “I believe it.”
Andi mock-glared, hands on her hips.
“I have the video set up if you want to check it out,” Cole said. “Had an actual reason for coming in here. You know, didn’t want to invade partner time.” Amusement rippled across his expression.
Andi rolled her eyes as she gently retrieved their son.
Micah fussed as he awoke and she rocked him. “I’m gonna feed him in the bedroom before he starts wailing.”
Pete nodded and kissed her cheek.
Cole caressed his son’s little head and planted a kiss on his wife’s mouth as she walked past him. He made like he was going to swat her ass, but she glared over her shoulder. Pete held back a laugh and Cole chuckled.
Nikki sat on the couch, her arms crossed over her breasts, and threw a dirty look at him when he followed Cole into the living room. Lee leaned against the wall and offered a nod as Cole grabbed the remote.
Great. Still irritated at you, dude. Pete assumed she was jealous over the way he’d interacted with Lee. From the first thing that morning, all she’d had was a tight expression for him. When he spoke, she answered curtly, in the fewest number of words possible.
What gives? The previous evening they’d shared had been pleasant. He and Lee had taken her to see her grandmother then they’d had dinner together—takeout from Dixie’s—before Lee had headed back to The Covington.
Being alone with Nikki hadn’t been so bad, though he’d had to glue his hands to his sides and scream at himself not to reach for her. He’d sat on the opposite end of the living room of the big house on Montgomery Street as they’d watched the late news and they’d parted ways at about eleven to get some sleep.
Separate bedrooms.
Close so he could protect her, of course, but not close enough.
Pete had imagined her naked beneath him before chiding himself and finally falling asleep. He’d had vivid dreams where he’d done a hell of a lot more than kiss her. Morning wood had been annoying, but he’d not given in to the urge for a quick release because Nikki was down the hall. Unfortunately, the condition had only worsened when he’d heard the shower in the master bedroom running.
Calling himself every name in the book, he’d managed to ignore his erection through his own shower in the guest bathroom, banishing the image of a bare Nikki with water sluicing down her supple form.
Put the brakes on that thought train. Right now. A tight crotch was never good…especially with an audience. Think about the case, dammit.
That morning, they’d met Lee at Marty’s to get the surveillance DVD from the owner, so he hadn’t taken Nikki to the station yet, despite the fact that she was dressed for work, in a pretty pink flowy skirt that stopped at her knees.
Her top matched, though it had a few different shades of pink all over it. The neckline dipped low enough to make him want to look harder. He kept making himself stare at her shoes. Even her stilettos matched.
Gorgeous didn’t really cover it. The outfit gave her an air of innocence, though the way her brown eyes flashed irritation when their gazes met suggested otherwise.
Yesterday, Chief had had her spot-train one of the rookies to take her place until the case was over. Both Officer Tommy Nelson and Nikki had been less than pleased with the situation. But the PD day-to-day didn’t stop because she’d witnessed a crime.
With jerky movements and abrupt statements, she’d shown the kid how to use the complicated phone system and told him where she kept everything.
Mysteriously, Chief had stayed in his office the whole time, without a word to say on the matter. Pete had perched himself in a chair to watch the interchange. Poor Nelson was going to be afraid to come to their boss’s office when this was all over. Nikki’s attitude fairly shouted my territory even though she wasn’t actually rude to the young cop.
Pete would have preferred she remain at the station, safe inside when he had to be out working the case, but Chief really did want her with him.
Cole hit play and Lee came closer towards the sizable flat-screen hanging on the wall, her hands behind her back.
He took a seat beside Nikki, who stiffened and scooted away. He sighed. No use pushing her.
Looking at the screen, Pete shifted to the edge of the couch. The recording was clear, much more high-tech than he would have expected of a mom-and-pop grocery store that’d been in Antioch going on fifty years. It was even in colour. Had to be HD.
Wow. Hopefully we’ll get what we need.
Cole fast-forwarded the first images—the manager opening for the day, cashiers coming to work, the first customers of the day. He didn’t stop until the time stamp in the right-hand corner said
sixteen thirty. A half-hour before Nikki got off work.
People came and went, until Pete saw a familiar figure. “Stop. There’s my dead guy. Billy Madden.”
Cole rewound a few seconds then punched play with vigour.
They watched Pete’s now dead CI walk into the store.
He wasn’t alone.
Nikki gasped and inclined forward.
Less than two steps behind Billy Madden, two men entered Marty’s like they owned the place. Both were dressed in dark clothing. Both wore sunglasses. Both had dark hair, one short, the other scraggly.
“That’s them. It’s really them,” Nikki breathed.
Pete reached for her hand and squeezed. Instead of pulling away with a snide comment like she’d done all day, she let him stay close, entwining their fingers. He wanted to throw his arm around her shoulders and pull her to his side, but he didn’t. Her hand would have to be enough. At least he could comfort her.
“What the hell?” Cole muttered, his gaze intent on the three men frozen on the screen.
“Billy’s with Caselli’s guys?” Pete mused.
“Guess now we know what his big score was,” Lee said.
Cole got inventive with curse words, shaking his head.
Pete smirked, glancing at his buddy, then back at the giant TV. He didn’t need to ask if Cole recognised the two thugs with his former CI.
“Luciano Marchetti. Goes by Luca. He’s a nobody to Caselli. Lower than Maldonado was.”
“Trying to make a name for himself?” Pete asked.
Cole dragged his hand down his face. “I guess. Maybe Caselli is giving him a shot to replace Bruno.”
“Makes sense,” Lee said. “With the guys we’ve taken out, plus new info, he hasn’t replaced Bruno Gallo. Not really. He’s tried a few guys out, but they haven’t done it for him.” She took a step closer, peering intently at Cole’s TV. “The other guy… Isn’t that Mickey Donati?”
Cole hit rewind. The three figures strolled forward again in slow-mo. He hit pause. “Yup. Caselli’s freakin’ nephew. Another shocker, as far as I’m concerned.”
“Yeah,” Pete said. “Sending his blood…”
“Oh, Caselli doesn’t give a shit that they’re related,” Cole said, meeting his gaze.
“Then why?”
“He’s a flippin’ idiot. Dumb as a box of rocks, for real. And young. Probably not even twenty-five.” Cole made a face.
Pete swallowed back a wince and forced his eyes on the TV, studiously not looking at Nikki. She wasn’t twenty-five yet either. Her birthday was a month away, in August. Guess information about her was a perk of taking her statement and having to write a report. But it made wanting her even worse. Letch.
“We brought him in for a chat a few months ago. He didn’t give us anything, but when we saw him about a week later, his arm was in a cast and he had a nice limp. Caselli didn’t have him killed, but someone beat the shit out him. Probably at his order,” Lee said.
“Guess the little blood tie kept him alive, though,” Pete said.
“I’m just shocked he would entrust such an important job to these two. I mean, he wanted Berto and his woman dead, right?” Cole gestured to the TV. “Mickey’s only in the organisation at all ’cause he’s Caselli’s sister’s kid. Now Luca, on the other hand, fancies himself as the world’s biggest badass. Not surprised he took out your dude.”
“He had to be the driver,” Nikki said.
Cole and Lee swung their heads around.
Nikki squirmed next to him and he squeezed her hand again. She inched closer but he still didn’t allow himself to put his arm around her.
“Good thinking,” Pete said, giving her a smile. He almost teased her about being his junior detective after all, but with the mood she’d been in all day, he didn’t bother. Probably wouldn’t coax the smile he was dying to see.
“Makes sense. You said you saw these two leave Health Solutions?” Cole’s tone was gentle as he addressed her.
Nikki sucked in a breath and nodded. Her lovely breasts rose and fell and Pete made himself look away.
He met Cole’s steel eyes. “Is Marchetti smart?”
“He’s pretty ruthless, but Caselli’s never noticed him.”
“Hmmm.” Lee cocked her head to one side, her dark hair shifting around her shoulders. “His name doesn’t signify. But we’ve been working our way through his guys. Maybe all he has left is bottom of the barrel.”
“I didn’t interact much with him when I was under, but I hung out with the main players once Caselli considered me made. He was one of the ones that came after me and Maldonado when I was trying to bring him in.”
“So Luca here took out Billy Madden,” Pete said.
“I’d bet money on it,” Cole said. “More likely him than Caselli’s nephew.”
Lee sighed. “Makes sense. But how did he get mixed up with Luca and Mickey in the first place? And why?”
“I guess we’ll just hafta find out,” Pete said.
Chapter Twelve
Nikki scowled and slammed the dish in the sink. Then chided herself. What did she care if Pete needed to have a word with Lee? Alone.
Shaking her head, she sighed and ran the water until it was too hot. The bite and burn on her skin made her suck in a breath. But it was good—like a reality check.
“I don’t care anyway. Let him talk to her.”
She grabbed a sponge and started scrubbing the frying pan she’d used to make dinner for the three of them. “It’s not like I want to be alone with him anyway.” Yeah, like that gets you anywhere, stupid.
Last night, he’d stayed as far away as he could manage while still being in the same room. Like she was diseased. He’d barely said goodnight when they’d parted ways and had left her to deal with trying to sleep in a strange place. The house was nice. Sprawling. But it wasn’t her apartment. It wasn’t home.
Nikki got the message. Despite the kiss at Health Solutions and the way he looked at her with heat in that green gaze, Pete didn’t want her. He’d constantly moved away when she’d scooted closer. He’d pulled away from her kiss. And when the FBI agent had come into town, it’d got worse, more pronounced.
Maybe Pete was into Lee.
They’d been awfully friendly in the hallway at the PD. Every interaction, all day yesterday—not to mention today—was natural. Laughing, joking, even when talking about the case. Obviously they liked each other.
Her stomach clenched. No. But why did she care anyway? It was like she was…jealous…or something.
Nikki groaned. She did care. And that pissed her off.
She squirted dish soap onto the Teflon and scrubbed harder than necessary on the non-stick surface. Her fingertips smarted.
“Dammit,” she whispered.
“The dishwasher works, you don’t have to do that.”
Nikki yelped and dropped the pan. It clanged in the stainless steel sink, making her ears ring. She turned around, wet hand clutching the fabric of her tee over her heart. Her pulse raced.
Pete stepped forward, running a hair through his thick blond locks, and winced. “Sorry. I always seem to make you jump.”
She tried to convince her heartbeat to slow. Pete’s expression softened and her face warmed. Swallowing back a gulp, Nikki forced words out of her mouth. “It’s okay.”
Their gazes locked and she was swept into him. Intensity and fire were in his eyes. A zing of awareness sparked between them and Nikki moved closer. Felt the heat coming off his body. But then Pete stepped back and squared his shoulders. Looked down at his dark cowboy boots. Shifted on his feet like a teenager caught doing something wrong.
What the hell?
He cleared his throat and finally met her eyes again. “Thanks for making dinner.” His tone was natural. As if the moment they’d just shared didn’t signify.
“What’s wrong with you?” Nikki blurted.
Pete stared, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets. He bunched up his broad shoulders and opened
his mouth then closed it.
“Well?” She dried her hands with a dish towel then tossed it on the counter behind her. Propped her hands on her hips and stared right back. Dared him to be honest with her.
“What are you talking about?” His voice cracked.
Nikki narrowed her eyes, irritation flaring. “You’re hot and cold. Frankly, it’s driving me crazy.” There. She’d said it. Now what?
Her heart thundered in her ears as she waited for her detective to speak.
He didn’t.
Pete took a step forward. She didn’t move away.
Nikki looked up into his handsome face. His cheeks were ruddy and his eyes carried the same intensity he’d regarded her with only moments before.
A groan tore from his lips then she was against the hard wall of his chest. Her breath was forced out as her breasts flattened into his pecs and he wrapped his arms around her.
Her hip hit the edge of the sink as Pete’s mouth came down on hers, but Nikki didn’t care. He was kissing her again, and it was heaven. She snaked her arms around his neck and pushed closer, opening her mouth as he slanted his for a deeper kiss.
Proof that Pete wanted her—at least physically—pressed into her belly, so she rocked into him and kissed him harder.
In a tangle of lips and limbs, they stumbled into the living room without breaking the seal of their mouths. They landed on the couch.
Pete’s weight on top of her stole her breath all over again, but she didn’t care. She kept kissing him, winding her tongue around his as he cupped her breasts through her favourite printed T-shirt. Her nipples peaked and she arched into him, needing more. The warmth of his big hands seeped through the cotton material, but it wasn’t enough.
Nikki wanted his hands on her bare flesh. Wanted his lips on her. Needed him to suck her into his hot mouth. Everywhere.
She moaned his name when finally he yanked the front of her shirt up and brushed her belly. Wiggling to help him free the rest of it from her jeans, her thigh rubbed the erection straining against his own denim.
Pete groaned. “Darlin’…”
Nikki closed her eyes and sighed. The endearment was a caress that slid across her skin. Making her as hot as his hands.
