In Too Deep

Ronan sighed. “Maybe you should talk to Mr. O’Malley,” he said to Brendan. “You’re more his kind of people.”

“Nuh-uh. He’s old-school police. He’ll dislike me for being a Fed. But Jimmy’s cool.”

Thinking back to the block party last month, Ronan said, “Not sure about that, either.”

Chloe smiled and tapped his thigh. “Jimmy left Truth or Dare because you asked about the statute of limitations on a crime. If you admitted to something, he would have to arrest you, so he left. He’s good people.”

“You talk to the O’Malleys and I’ll run down people who might’ve worked the campaign,” Brendan said.

“What about me?” Chloe asked. “What can I do?”

“Nothing,” Ronan said at the same time Brendan answered, “Talk to the Byrnes.”

Ronan shot his brother a glare. “Didn’t we just talk about how that wasn’t a good idea? The point here is that she doesn’t get fired.”

Chloe scoffed. “He won’t fire me. I’m good at my job and I never bitch.”

Ronan stared into her eyes. “But if he says something to Cahill...”

“He won’t. I’ll talk to Mrs. Byrne. I’ll bring her one of my cross-stitch projects and talk over tea.”

“Hit up the wife who probably won’t talk to Cahill. Good idea,” Brendan said.

Ronan still didn’t like the idea of it. The more questions she asked, the more trouble it could cause her.

As if reading his mind, she said, “It’s fine. Mrs. Byrne and my mom are old friends. I’ll have my mom set it up. If I give the gift to my mom, she’ll insist I deliver it myself. It shows what a good daughter I am, which in turn shows what a great mother she is. No one will suspect a thing.”

They cleaned up the dinner mess and Ronan walked Chloe to her car.

“Want to follow me home?”

“I didn’t bring clothes.”

She smiled. “Do you need them?” Then her smile slipped. “Do you have to work tomorrow?”

“No. It’s a rare weekend off for me.”

“Spend the night. Then you can think about visiting Mr. O’Malley.” She ran a hand down his torso. “I’ve missed you. And being naked with you.”

He didn’t want to admit it, but he missed her, too. “You make a really good offer.”

“One that you can’t refuse?”

No, he couldn’t refuse her. “Let’s go. The faster we get to your place, the faster we can get naked.”

Chloe was thrilledthat Ronan had agreed to go home with her. He was so hard to read. She didn’t feel like they’d run their course yet. It was a weird feeling because they weren’t a couple, but they weren’t a one- or two-night stand either. Fuckbuddies and friends? She shook her head as she let herself into her apartment. They didn’t need to label it. They could just keep having a good time.

She beat Ronan there, so she took a few minutes to freshen up in the bathroom. Then he knocked on her door.

“When is the fucking landlord going to fix the lock downstairs?”

Interesting way to enter her apartment. “Uh, I don’t know. I keep my door locked. It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not. Anyone can be lurking in the hall and push their way in when you get home. Especially with the late hours you keep.”

Creepy thoughts all around. “I’m fine. If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll call him again tomorrow.”

“This time tell him you’ll withhold part of the rent until it’s fixed. That’s a safety concern.”

She would never not pay her rent. She couldn’t deal with the conflict it would cause. But she nodded and took his hand. “Let’s go get naked.”

“Wait,” he tugged her hard enough that he pulled her off her feet and she stumbled into him.

All in all not a bad place to land. He caught her effortlessly.

“Yes?” she asked, staring up into his dark blue eyes.

“I still don’t like the idea of you asking questions about the Cahills.”

“What’s the big deal?”