Deadly Heat (Deadly 2)

But they were so close. She shook her head.

His eyes hardened. “You can’t solve this one if you’re dead on your feet.”

Her jaw locked.

“Let’s take shifts,” Ramirez said. “You go back to the hotel, rest up, then you and Kenton can come back and swap with me and Sam.”

Sam glanced back at her. “A few more hours… I should have something then.”

A few more hours. Monica gave a grudging nod. “Fine, but if you get something, anything, you call me.”

Luke took her elbow. “Come on, baby.” The endearment was soft enough for only her to hear.

They headed for the door.

And nearly collided with Captain Lawrence and Malone. The detective’s eyes were narrowed, and she saw that stare dip to her arm and to Luke’s hand.

“We found a witness who saw Malone arrive early this morning at Lora’s house,” Lawrence said, crossing his arm over his chest. A witness? Jesus, who had those cops woken up to get an alibi? “Seems that after the fire last night, Ms. Susan Lynn James didn’t get back to sleep right away, so she was late heading to work today.”

So Malone hadn’t been anywhere near Bob Kyle. Well, she’d already figured that.

“I want you to release my detective,” the captain told her. “And he’d like an apology.” He stared down at her with a smirk she thought she’d never see, and seriously, she wasn’t in the mood for this crap.

When Luke tensed beside her, she knew her lover had the same thought. “Sure.” She barred her teeth. “On behalf of the SSD, I’d like to officially apologize for doing our jobs and questioning a man with ties to all of the arsons. I realize it was a terrible inconvenience having to answer questions you should have answered from the beginning, but, hey, that’s the way the system works, right?”

The captain’s jaw dropped.

Malone’s brows rose.

Behind her, yes, that sounded like Ramirez’s snicker.

She inclined her head toward the detective. “No hard feelings. We cleared you thirty minutes ago.”

“What?” the captain yelled. “You cleared him but you didn’t brief me?”

“I just did.” She kept her head up and her shoulders straight. The guy needed to recognize that when it came to the hierarchy here, the SSD was on top. This wasn’t a pissing match. It wasn’t a debate.

“If you hadn’t run from me when I headed toward your office—” And the guy had really run. She’d thought he was running because he felt guilty over Bob Kyle. But the arrogance was back now. Probably because he thought that he’d just knocked them off-track with his cop’s alibi. “If you’d stayed, you would have known then.” He didn’t get to play the tough guy just because he had an audience.

She left him sputtering and headed for the door with Luke right at her side.

Her hand touched the metal handle, and she froze. Monica glanced back at the captain. Priorities. The guy needed them. “There’s something else you should know.”

He’d started to turn away but froze at her words.

“Bob Kyle did have family in the area. Cousins. An aunt. They’ll be coming for the body.” Her eyes held his. “And, by the way, they’ll be needing an apology, from you.”

She shoved open the door. The sun hit her, too bright, and Monica realized she’d been in the PD far too long. I lost the whole night.

No wonder her knees were trembling. When was the last time she’d eaten?

“Agent Davenport!”

Great.

“You can ignore him,” Luke said. “The car’s right there.”

Ah, but that wasn’t her style. She stopped and spun slowly back toward the PD and saw Malone running toward her.

Her spine stiffened. If he wanted to push her, he’d be drawing that hand back with some frostbite.

He’d deserved his interrogation. So his pride was hurt. Big damn deal. Pride could recover. And if it hadn’t been for his interrogation, well, the pieces might not have clicked for her.

“You know who it is, don’t you?” Malone said, stopping close and squinting against the sun.

She gazed back at him.

“I saw your face, when you were questioning me—something—something happened.” His eyes scanned her face now. “You know who it is.”

If only.

“I want in on this. I’m cleared, and I want back in on this. These are my people, my city. I sat there for hours and let you go at me. Shit, I deserve to be back on this team. I—”

He did. “You didn’t break.”

Malone blinked.

All those hours and he hadn’t let the anger take over. Hadn’t lost control. Impressive.

Or dangerous. She wasn’t sure which. Not yet.

“Get some sleep.” Ramirez was right. If they didn’t get rest, they’d all be screwed. “Then come back. We’ll put you on the task force.”

“You know.”

Not yet, but—God willing—soon. “When you come back, we’ll have a list of suspects ready.” They’d need help narrowing down that list, and she’d see what Malone could do.

Because she knew that list would include the names of his friends. Malone was tight with the firefighters in the area, and, most likely, with the killer.

Lora glanced at the bedside clock. Oh, hell. “Is that really the time?” Two-thirteen P.M. She’d slept most of the day away. “I’ve got to get dressed. Garrison will be here at three.” She jumped from the bed and let the sheet drop. “We’re going to the hospital to check on Wade—”

“You’re trying to act like it never happened.” His voice stopped her. “It happened, Lora. I’m not gonna play nice and act like I never told you—”

Her breath caught. “Kent…”

“That I love you.”

Her knees did a fast tremble.

Kenton rolled from the bed and pushed to his feet. Then he stalked toward her. Naked, tall, strong. “Maybe you don’t want to hear it, but too damn bad.”

Lora wanted to retreat, but she didn’t move. Not an inch.

He brushed against her. “I didn’t plan this. I planned for sex. Hot. Wild. And so good we’d both go crazy. Because I knew it would be like that the first time I kissed you.”

She turned fully toward him and didn’t know what to say. But, yeah, she’d planned for that. She’d wanted that hard rush of release that she knew would banish her ghosts and the pleasure that would force her out of the past and show her the present.