Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 96641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Yeah. Everything inside me softened into goo. I’d texted him that I had to attend a lineup and would have Nick bring me home afterward. Apparently, Aiden wasn’t waiting for that.
Pushing away from the pillar, he crossed the waiting area, his gaze raking me from head to toe.
“I’m fine,” I said, rather breathlessly.
“Hey, Devlin,” Nick greeted. “I’ll find Detective Pierce so we can get this over with, Anna.” He turned and strode up the stairs to the detective area.
The police station was quiet at this time of night, with only two guys working on computers behind the reception counter and no buzz anywhere. Even so, the entire world narrowed to the Irish hottie nearing me. He shoved his phone into his back pocket and reached out to cup my face, his palms warm and rough. “Did the airbag hurt you?”
“No. It probably saved me.” Still breathless. Yep.
He ducked his head to study my eyes as his talented fingers gingerly probed my cheeks and then ran through my hair to feel my scalp before moving down to my neck and then my shoulders.
“Really. I’m fine.” No other sensation in the world could feel like this.
“Hmm.” He ran his hands down my arms and briefly clasped my wrists before releasing me, his fingers running over my Claddagh ring as he did—the one he’d given me for Christmas with the heart pointing to my wrist, showing that I was taken. “Any news on the Jeep?”
I swallowed. “Ricky called and said he was able to get the SUV to his garage, but that’s all I know.” I’d just had the darn thing fixed a month ago.
“You can drive my truck. The team has been called to LA for a few days.” He ran a calloused thumb along my jawline, the touch gentle. “Just to finish reporting on our last case and discuss operations going forward with our new home base. Nothing dangerous.”
This time, anyway. I did like how he reassured me that he’d be safe for now. We’d gotten together hot and fast in situations that included gunfire, explosions, and heavily hair-sprayed potato guns. Did we know how to live in calm times together? Calm for us, anyway? “I just have hearings this week and nothing all that stress-inducing.”
“You’re a witness in an armed robbery.”
“Yeah, about that,” I started. “Nick mentioned that the Cupids donated a bunch of the stolen jewelry to the animal shelter.”
Aiden cocked his head. “That’s odd, right? I wonder who their suspect is?” He turned as Nick and Detective Pierce strode down the stairs, Nick wearing a frown and Pierce filtering through a stack of files while easily navigating the steps.
Impressive. I always needed to watch where I was going. Reading and walking, especially down stairs, would probably kill me.
Pierce looked up, his blond hair ruffled. “Thanks for coming in. I’ll take Nick first and then you. Shouldn’t ruin your Saturday night much.” He pivoted and turned away from the reception desk. “The lineup room is down this hallway, and we’re all ready to go.” He jerked his head in that direction, and both he and Nick headed that way.
“Interesting,” I mused, watching them go. “I’ve never been down that hall.” I customarily spent my time at the police station either in Pierce’s office or one of the interrogation rooms on the second floor. Sometimes I watched an interrogation from the small room beyond the one-way glass, which was always kind of fun.
“I have.” Aiden grinned.
Yeah. He’d spent some time undercover as a criminal and had no doubt lined up. “It’ll be my first lineup.” Would it be like on television? I tried to remember what the three Cupids had looked like, but with their masks, it’d be difficult to really identify them. What had they said?
“You’ll do fine.” He drew me to one of the rather comfortable damask guest chairs to sit. “I finished installing the updates on the cabin’s security system earlier today. We can go over all of it tomorrow before I leave.”
I snorted. “We lack a garage, a deck, and two working bedrooms, but we have a top-of-the-line security system.” At least we had a great primary bedroom and a kitchen. “I’m safe now, Aiden. Jareth Davey is dead.” Davey had kidnapped me as a child and then harassed me for years, but nobody could catch him. He’d finally made his move before Christmas. We’d grappled, with me ending up on top of him, punching down, and him reaching around me with the gun at my back. He’d fired, shooting through my shoulder and hitting himself in the heart. My stalker had died instantly.
Karma was a real force.
“I know he’s dead.” Aiden plunked an arm over my shoulders and settled back. “But we both have somewhat dangerous cases sometimes, and security is crucial.”
I leaned into him, wishing there was a sofa in the place so we didn’t have to sit in different chairs. “My cases are no longer dangerous. Honest. Nothing is even close right now.”