"No, no, I'm just saying...Look, maybe I'm off track here, I've been wrong before."
"He's a detective. One of the best."
"Not according to my files. Half his paperwork is misfiled and the other half is missing swaths of information. Are you sure he's doing everything he's telling you he is?"
Jade chewed on the inside of her cheek, biting back her next response, when suddenly it hit her. The plan was working. It was so obvious now.
Zac was trying to turn her against Derrick so that she'd be his. He was jealous.
Now the only question was whether or not to call him on it.
"If I didn't know better—" She started, but he cut her off, tapping the photo of Scaglietti on the board.
"How sure are we that this guy is actually the head of the operation?"
She reeled back, caught off guard by the question. "Um, about a thousand and one percent sure."
"No margin of error?"
"No. Not that I can—"
"I wouldn't be so sure. This paperwork has been garbage, so I'm thinking..." He trailed off. "Look, I'm sorry if I insulted your boyfriend. I just really want to crack this case and see the right g
uys go to jail. Sometimes I guess I get a little intense about it. Forgive me?" He looked up at her through thick, dark lashes that matched his mocha eyes and she shook her head.
"Yeah, totally, I know you didn't mean anything by it."
"Great. Great." He dropped his hand from the board, placing it on his chin instead. "Now, have you filed your reports about yesterday's interviews? What else can you tell me about those?"
"Oh, um, well, they didn't give us much of anything. They only really help to inculcate the perp behind the robbery, not Scaglietti. We just need him in order to get him to turn and give us some intel."
"Right, I figured as much." Zac nodded, his full lips drawn together as he thought over what she'd said. "You know, you're a good detective. Someone should make sure you hear that."
Heat rushed to her face, but that fluttering feeling she always used to get when he spoke to her was gone. Instead, it was like every butterfly had turned to stone and one by one they were sinking in her stomach, making it twist and turn while she considered him.
Sort of like...guilt.
Again, she glanced at Derrick, but he wasn't looking at her. And why would he be? He had a job to do.
So did she.
"Maybe I should head back to my desk," she said, backing toward the door.
"Oh jeez, I did it again, didn't I?" Zac shook his head. "Look, I'm sorry. I was just hoping we could find some time to catch up. If Derrick isn't cool with that, it's fine. Maybe all three of us could hang out. Talk about the case a little and get to know each other, you know? Just...think it over."
She nodded, then left the room as silently as she entered it, careful not to glance at Derrick's desk again on her way to her seat.
Zac had hit on her. It was everything she should have wanted. Everything she'd hoped for.
And yet, Derrick's words were the ones ringing in her head.
Hitting on another man's woman? Isn't that the sort of thing a scumbag does?
Maybe she'd been wrong and he wasn't hitting on her at all. Maybe he really just did want to catch up. She should give him the benefit of the doubt, shouldn't she?
But what did that matter? She wanted him to hit on her. Wanted him.
Right?