Cooper Vengeance

“Yes.” No point in pretending she hadn’t.

“Because you thought I was doing something illegal? Or because you wanted me away from the crime scene?”

“You were doing something illegal—”

“And you broke into my motel room. Let’s call it even.”

She sighed. “It’s going to be hard enough for me to keep investigating my sister’s murder under the radar without having to deal with you dogging my every move. I don’t need that. So if you’re going to play follow the leader with me—”

“I didn’t follow you to the restaurant last night.”

“Nevertheless, there you were. In my way.”

“What were you going to do there?” he asked.

“Look around. See if we missed something.”

He leaned forward, the movement bringing his muscular torso that much closer to where she sat. She caught a stronger whiff of the masculine scent that had haunted her earlier while she was searching the room. “Maybe we should work together.”

It was the last thing she’d expected him to say. “Together? On the investigation?”

“Yes.”

“You’re not a cop.”

“At the moment, you’re not really, either. And I know these murder cases better than anyone else.”

“You’re assuming they’re connected. I don’t assume anything of the sort.”

“Doesn’t matter. You’ll investigate your way, I’ll investigate mine. I’ll watch your back. You watch mine.”

She frowned at him, hating herself for finding the suggestion even the smallest bit tempting.

His voice deepened to a velvety growl. “We want the same thing, Natalie. You want to stop the man who killed your sister. I do, too. I don’t think it matters that we don’t agree who he is. Maybe that’s a good thing. It’ll keep us honest.”

He was making sense. She didn’t want him to make sense. She wanted him to go away and leave her to investigate in peace.

But he clearly didn’t intend to go away. So why not agree to work with him? She could make him think they were partners while she investigated around him. At least she wouldn’t have to conduct her investigation while checking over her shoulder all the time to see if he was there.

“You’re right,” she said aloud. “We do want the same thing. So let’s do it. Let’s work together on this case.”

His eyes narrowed a fraction, as if he found her capitulation a little too easy. She schooled her features, determined to appear transparent.

“Okay,” he said finally, leaning back again, taking away that spicy, tempting scent that had damn near mesmerized her for the last few minutes.

She resisted the urge to lean toward him for another whiff, extending her hand toward him instead. “Okay.”

His fingers engulfed her, his grip firm but gentle. A tingling warmth in her palm caught her by surprise, making her feel like a teenager with her first crush, giddy and light-headed.

It passed quickly and she released his hand, scooting her chair back to put more distance between them. “I should go—”

“What are you doing tonight?” J.D. asked.

She looked up at him, quelling a sudden nervous ripple in her belly. Was he going to ask her out to dinner or something? “I don’t know—I mean—” She stuttered to a stop, her cheeks burning. For God’s sake, Becker, get a hold of yourself. “I don’t have any plans. Why?”

His face creased with a slow smile. “Because we have some investigating to do.”

Chapter Five

“This is investigating?” Natalie’s voice sharpened with impatience. Her half profile was taut with irritation.

J.D. saw all the symptoms. She was where he’d been years ago, raw with fresh grief and driven to action to take his mind off the pain and the senselessness of it all.

But action wasn’t always the answer.

“Just wait.”

“Your Zen master act is annoying. And cryptic. Why don’t you just tell me why you wanted to come back here in the middle of the night?” She gazed at the darkened facade of Annabelle’s. The rising moon shed pale light over the building’s whitewashed clapboard siding, making it glow faintly in the dark. The dashboard clock read seven thirty-five, hardly the middle of the night.

“Your sister’s time of death was clocked somewhere between 7:00 p.m. and midnight, when you found her body.” He glanced at her. “What were you doing here at midnight?”

Her brow furrowed. “How do you know her time of death?” she countered suspiciously.

“My brother, the sheriff’s deputy, requested the report.” J.D. had called Aaron this morning after the meeting with Marlon Dyson ended fruitlessly. Aaron had called J.D. back with the details before he reached the motel.

He could see the moment his strategy dawned on her. “You’re trying to re-create the situation, aren’t you?”

He nodded. “Have you ever sat here since the murder to see what goes on out here this time of night?”

He saw dismay in her eyes, as if she realized the idea should have occurred to her without his help. “No. But I should have.”

“You’re a little distracted by your emotions.”

She bristled. “And you’re not?”

“Constantly,” he replied. “I’ve just had twelve years of practice keeping them in check.”

She settled back against the seat, looking ashamed for snapping at him. Silence wrapped around them like a cocoon until J.D. thought the tension would smother him. When he spoke, it sounded like a cannon going off, even though he kept his voice even and low. “Do you have someone to talk to—”

Before she could answer, a sharp crack of gunfire split the air outside the Lexus. J.D. flinched, dropping lower in the car for cover. On instinct, he reached out and dragged Natalie down with him.