Intrigue Me

“They’re still trying to figure out how she managed to bypass the precinct’s firewalls. Hacking the NYPD took some balls, that’s for sure.” Cory paused. “You ever get your credit straightened out?”

She didn’t want to continue this conversation. The panic attack building inside her wasn’t as bad as some, but with her inner voice screaming at her, the weight crushing her chest and now the shakes coming on... Rehashing the most painful betrayal of her life was torturous. No wonder she’d put this off for so long. “It’ll take years of rebuilding for me to get back my old credit rating, if I ever can. She really wiped me out.”

“Yeah, well, she can’t do any more damage now.”

Lisa briefly closed her eyes. That wasn’t entirely true. Tess’s death had robbed Lisa of finding the one thing she was desperate to know: Why? Why go to so much trouble when all she had to do was leave their shared apartment? They weren’t even working in the same precinct. And why bother with the other four victims. To try to mask that her primary target was Lisa?

“Cordova’s team is still working hard,” Cory said. “He knows it was an execution-style hit straight out of the Mafia rule book, but—”

“Nobody’s talking.” She knew how difficult it could be when a team ran into a roadblock. It would be old-fashioned police work that would net them their next clue, but that could take a hell of a long time.

“He’s sure they’ll get a break soon,” Cory said. “At least you got a copy of that flash drive.”

So had everyone else involved with the case. They were all privy to the intimate details of Lisa’s life and Tess’s utter contempt for her. Lisa hadn’t managed to read even half of the filth written about her. “Yeah—” Her damn throat closed up. She cleared it a couple of times. “Anyway, I’m actually calling to ask a favor. You think you could run a quick background check for me? Just, you know, priors, anything that stands out.”

“For you? No problem. I’ll get right on it and call you back.”

“Thanks, Cory. I’ll email you the name and address, and if you wouldn’t mind emailing me back, I’d appreciate it.” Damn it, he had to have heard the wobble in her voice.

“You’re missed around here, Lisa. Seriously. Just because that bitch was on some kind of vendetta doesn’t mean you weren’t a good cop. You didn’t ask for any of this.”

“I appreciate that.” She straightened in her chair. Pushed her trembling fingers through her hair and lied her ass off. “I’m doing great now as a PI. There’s a lot less paperwork, that’s for sure. Some of the clients are really interesting.”

Cory let out a big sigh and did her the great courtesy of getting off the phone quickly.

Before she did anything else, she emailed him the details. Thank God for spell-check. Once she hit Send, the reality of what she’d just done hit her. She’d guessed it would be bad, rekindling old connections, but that had been like ripping stitches from her tattered soul.

Somehow, she managed to log off the computer and shut it down. Then she got out the Jack Daniel’s. She was allowed exactly two fingers. No more. The last thing she needed was to add an addiction to her broken life. She just hoped two fingers would be enough.

* * *

DANIEL NEEDED TO do something fast. Working in the clinic while Lisa was in the building wasn’t working out so well. Not her fault. She certainly wasn’t in his way. But she was a distraction. He had questions. Too many for a woman he’d barely spoken to, and yet they’d kept him up far too late.

He couldn’t help wondering if she didn’t have to work. Temporarily unemployed? Maybe she worked at home, so coming to the clinic was a way to socialize. If he hadn’t interacted with her, he never would’ve considered she’d find volunteering at a free clinic rewarding. With her beauty and the cool reserve of a socialite, she looked more the fund-raiser type. Like his sister-in-law, for instance, only much prettier. He doubted Warren’s wife even knew how to file. But when she smiled and batted her lashes, men pulled out their checkbooks.

Forget being flirty. All Lisa would have to do was walk into the room. But somehow he couldn’t see her in that role.

And the staff seemed to like her. He didn’t really know the nurses or clerical personnel, but he overheard them chatting sometimes. They should’ve hated Lisa on sight. In his experience a woman that beautiful could stir up lots of trouble.

Also, she didn’t wear a ring. Or any jewelry, in fact. Just a watch. He hadn’t gotten a good look at it, so he had no idea if it was a street-vendor special or something from Tiffany & Co.

Her hair was different today. More casual. Straighter, with longish bangs that brushed her eyelashes. He liked it this way, and he liked that she looked so comfortable in a casual sweater and jeans.

“Dr. Cassidy?”

He blinked. Angie Weeks blinked back, only she was on the examination table wearing a paper gown, while he was holding her open file and daydreaming about Lisa. Yeah, that had to stop.

He quietly cleared his throat. “Anything else I should know about?”

She looked sideways then back, her gaze cautious. “Nope. I figured one STD was plenty.”

Right. If he could have kicked his own ass around the block, he would have. “I’ll go find out where the nurse is. Then we can finish up quickly. I’ll be right back.”

“Quickly. Yeah. Sure.”

He left exam room 3. Lisa had been on his mind most of the day, but this was the first time he’d let it interfere with an examination. Not just the first time today, but ever. He was meticulous about patient care, and he never took his responsibility lightly. He would be damn sure it wouldn’t happen again. Right now, though, he needed a female nurse to sit in on Ms. Weeks’s exam. After his patient had been taken care of properly, he would do what he should have done earlier—wait for Lisa to have a break and then ask her to dinner.

* * *

IT WAS GETTING RIDICULOUS. After spending all morning working on the divorce case for Logan, Lisa had looked forward to coming to the clinic after lunch. But she’d been pulling files since one o’clock, which had sounded easy enough until she’d realized these weren’t the files in Valeria’s office, but in a storage room that smelled of dust with a hint of mildew. These were old files, patients who hadn’t been seen in six years or longer. The manila folders with the colored key tabs had been stuffed so tightly into rickety shelves that she hoped all the paper cuts she’d suffered didn’t land her in one of the exam rooms.

Although if it was Dr. Cassidy doing the examining, she wouldn’t mind one little bit.

“Ouch!” Lisa yanked back her hand, muttering a few cusswords that seemed to help the sting. Once again, the box of tissues she’d put on the counter came in handy.

Okay, so it wasn’t just the tightly packed files turning her poor fingers into a battlefield that was the problem. She couldn’t stop thinking about Daniel. Not too smart since her interest in him might’ve earned her this hellish job. Apparently her exile was courtesy of Eve.

She shoved another five files into the open box, still debating her next move. Valeria had asked if she would like to make another commitment to volunteer. Lisa hadn’t given her an answer.

The easy thing would be to say no. That way, Lisa Pine would disappear into the city, end of story.

The less easy thing would be to agree, but without a locked-in commitment. She had a full-time job with flexible hours, which was important for more reasons than her paycheck. Logan depended on her now. Mike, the only other employee, had transferred some of the office work to her so he could be of more help with the security side of the business. But she wouldn’t mind coming to the clinic when she had some free time.

Since Tess had stolen her identity and everything else that mattered, Lisa hadn’t interacted with many people outside of work assignments. Her choice. She didn’t want to make friends. She’d barely wanted to make acquaintances.

But the Moss Street Clinic had made her rethink a few things. Leaving aside the issue of Daniel, she liked working there. It had been only two and a half days, yes, but there was a vibe to the place that let her breathe. It felt safe. Bangers from different gangs could sit in the waiting room without killing each other. Homeless people weren’t harassed, and sex workers were treated with respect and courtesy. Everyone was cared for, regardless of past mistakes and bad choices.

So, yeah, she could see making this a part of her life. A few hours here and there.

And then there was Daniel.

Now that Cory’s email had given him a thumbs-up, she felt reasonably certain that one night of sex with Daniel would not only be safe, but would cure a lot of what ailed her. It would be a very big step, but she didn’t know when she’d have another chance like this. If it worked out, then maybe she’d check into the trading-card thing for herself. But that would be later. Much later. Or maybe never if it made her feel this shaky. What were the odds of her picking the one psycho in the bunch. Pretty damn high.

Besides, she was too busy fantasizing about Daniel Cassidy to even think about strangers on cards.

The question now wasn’t whether to sleep with Daniel one time. But whether she could have both a single night of down and dirty sex and a semi-regular gig at the clinic.

She could imagine volunteering as a form of long-term therapy. The clinic was an ideal place to learn how to function now that she had her new armor in place. The idea of actually helping people instead of finding evidence of adultery or embezzlement or tracking down deadbeat dads would help her feel more productive.

Having sex with Daniel would be the first step to embracing her new definition of intimacy. Feeling pleasure? Fine. Getting sweaty and wearing herself out? Fantastic. Letting herself trust or feel or care? Never again.

After a heartfelt sigh, another five files went into the box. Then another five.

Even though her shift was over, she kept on working. There were still patients out there, and she hadn’t managed a moment alone with Daniel.

A few minutes later he showed up and nearly got himself a knee to the groin. She let out a breath and shifted to give him room. “You scared me.”

“Sorry. Wasn’t sure you’d be here.” He looked good. Tired, but good. “In fact, what are you still doing here?”