So far, the bit of background he’d dug up on Ulrich hadn’t provided any clues that might be used against him. No sudden influx of cash or outgoing cash or any other red flags in his bank account. But he hadn’t been able to get into the books related to the two businesses. Finn planned to dig deeper into The Fitness Club and the furniture store first thing in the morning. After he dropped off the latest bit of evidence he’d found at the training center.
The window of Eva’s bedroom went dark. Finn glanced at his watch and realized it was nearing midnight. He decided to take Abernathy out one last time. The K-9 sniffed around Eva’s house for what seemed like an eternity before doing his business. Back inside the SUV, Finn relaxed against his reclined seat, ready to settle in for the night.
Sleep didn’t come easy. He could blame it on the fact that sleeping in a car was never restful, but the real reason was that his mind was overwhelmed with thoughts of Eva.
Pete had interrupted their kiss and Finn wished he’d kissed her earlier. Okay, sure, logically he shouldn’t have kissed her at all, but his common sense had apparently taken a long hike up a steep mountain.
Tomorrow. He’d get back on track tomorrow. Breaking Roach was key. Once they had the stinky guy in custody and Cocoa back with Eva where he belonged, life would get back to normal.
It occurred to him that after spending these past four days with Eva, he wasn’t so sure what normal would feel like. Letting her go wasn’t going to be as easy as it had been to move on from the other women he’d dated.
In fact, he and Eva hadn’t even gone out on a date. Unless you counted dinner at Griffin’s, which had ended abruptly with Mikey’s kidnapping.
He’d told her not to underestimate him with regard to her diagnosis, but that wasn’t what would ultimately keep them apart. Despite the fact that Luke Hathaway and Zach Jameson had both recently got engaged, he was convinced that marrying a cop was a proven path to unhappiness. A relationship like that wasn’t for him.
Imagining a future without Eva caused his heart to ache for what he’d never have, so he did his best to push those thoughts aside. Instead, he concentrated on watching the cars going by on the street in front of Eva’s house.
Despite his efforts to stay alert, Finn must have dozed off, because Abernathy’s whine woke him up.
“Huh?” He rubbed the grit from his eyes and glanced back at his K-9 partner. “What is it, boy?”
Abernathy had his nose pressed up against the side window of the SUV. A chill snaked down Finn’s spine, and he peered through the darkness trying to figure out what had caught Abernathy’s attention.
Yellow Labs normally weren’t as protective as German shepherds, but remembering how Abernathy had latched onto Roach’s leg, preventing him from escaping the window, made Finn take the dog’s whining seriously.
He couldn’t see anything suspicious. There was no sign of movement from anywhere near the house from what he could tell. Was it possible that Abernathy had seen a chipmunk or squirrel?
Unwilling to ignore his partner’s alert, he pushed open the driver’s-side door and went around to the back, intending to let Abernathy out.
The dog gave several sharp barks. Finn instinctively turned, lifting his arm to protect his head, but a second too late. Something hard slammed into his temple. Pain reverberated through his neck and skull, and then there was only darkness.
FIFTEEN
A muffled thud woke Eva from a restless slumber. She lay in her bed for several long seconds, straining to listen. Just when she thought the noise had been nothing more than a neighbor coming home late, she heard it again, louder.
She sat upright in bed, her gaze raking through the darkness of her room.
Someone was inside the house!
For a moment she considered the possibility that one of her roommates had decided to come home after a late shift at the hospital, having got fed up with staying at the hotel. Still, she sensed something was wrong. Sliding silently from her bed, she thought about what she might use as a weapon. Grabbing the ceramic lamp off her bedside table, she pulled the cord from the socket, then plastered herself against the wall, holding it ready. If the noise was from her roommates, they wouldn’t bother coming to her room.