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FISH GATHERED HIS CLOTHES, put on his jeans and shirt, and holstered his Glock. Carrying his shoes and socks, he left Lexi to her shower.
She’d seemed to know what she wanted, and the sex had hardly been a one-way street. Getting ready for the grocery delivery call was an uncalled for lame excuse. Saying nothing would have been easier to take.
Or had she compared him to her late husband, and he’d failed to measure up?
He shuffled to his bedroom, wondering how the morning after awkwardness would play out. Or, in this case, the afternoon after. It’s not like either of them had their own home to escape to.
Might as well grab a shower, too. If Lexi wasn’t comfortable with what they’d done, he didn’t need her scent—or his—hanging around. He set his phone, volume to the max, on the counter and took a quick shower.
Clean and redressed, he headed for the coffee machine. Lexi hadn’t emerged. He made himself a peanut butter sandwich. If she wanted to eat, she knew where the kitchen was. With coffee and sandwich in hand, he settled onto the couch for mindless television time. He finished his lunch. Still no sign of Lexi.
If she was going to avoid him, it would be a long couple of days.
When the call from Noble came an hour later, Fish knocked on Lexi’s bedroom door. She opened it, staring at his chin, not into his eyes.
“Groceries are here,” he said. “We have to go get them.”
She didn’t protest or question why they both had to go, merely put on her sneakers. Holstered her weapon.
They rode to the lobby in silence. A very awkward silence. But it didn’t seem to be fueled by anger.
Groceries put away, Lexi grabbed an apple and disappeared down the hall.
At four, Manny called. “Keeping you in the loop.”
“Do we need to conference?” Fish asked.
“Negative,” Manny said. “We deployed a team to work the event venue tomorrow night. Fozzie has the place tricked out, so we’ll have eyes and ears on John Gunther from the time he deplanes until he goes back to Burnside.”
“Thank you.” Fish disconnected.
Sounds of chopping came from the kitchen. Would they go their separate ways for dinner, too?
There were plenty of things to zap in the microwave. He wouldn’t starve.
The aroma of onions and garlic sizzling on the stove had his mouth watering.
This was ridiculous. He muted the television set and sauntered into the kitchen. Casual, nonchalant. He lived here, too.
Lexi was making a salad. In a bowl big enough for two.
“Need help?” he asked.
“How are you at seasoning chicken pieces?”
She was talking. His spirits rose. “As in sprinkle with salt and pepper? That, I can handle.”
“Chicken’s in the fridge.”
He found the package and started to peel the plastic wrap away.
“Wash your hands,” she said. “Before and after handling raw chicken.”
He crossed to the sink and did as she asked.
“Manny called,” he said.
She stopped chopping mushrooms. “And?”
He relayed what Manny had said. Would she be upset he hadn’t included her in the call? It wasn’t like it changed anything.
She chopped some more, then added the mushrooms to the pan with the onions. “Did you look up the event, where it’s being held?”
“Not yet.” He slanted his gaze in her direction. “You’re not thinking of crashing, are you?”
She shrugged.
“Lexi, you can’t.”
“You think it’s better to sit here and do nothing?”
Was that what she thought they’d done earlier? Nothing?
“No point in you being there,” Fish said. “Other than giving John Gunther a chance to see you and sic his goons on you.”
“I could change my appearance so he’d never recognize me.”
Fish found the salt and pepper, sprinkled generous portions over the chicken. “What would it accomplish? Be realistic, Lexi. The event will be pure John Gunther. You want the Falcon.”
Her sigh ripped at his heart.
She nodded. “I feel so ... useless. And helpless.”
“Think of it as a vacation. You don’t have to do anything, and when it’s over, you should be off the Falcon’s radar.”
“If things go right. Nobody’s said how they’re going to put the Falcon away.” She caught him with those emerald-green eyes. “Or do you know?”
***
LEXI WATCHED MARV’S face for a reaction. How much more did he know?
He raised his hands. “I’m as out of the loop as you are.”
“Based on your previous assignments, you must have ideas of what they’ll be doing.”
“Most of the ops I’ve been part of were hostage rescues or finding a missing person if the public Blackthorne channels weren’t appropriate. The missing person might be out of the country, or part of a cult.”
“So not like bringing down a drug lord?” She checked the cabinets, found a pan the right size for the chicken.
Marv grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “Me? No. Blackthorne, yes. I helped break up a porn ring, though. Underage kids forced to appear in sex videos.”
“That’s commendable,” she said.
“Guess so. We weren’t aware of the porn factor when we went in, so finding and destroying the sex production was a bonus.”
Lexi took the seasoned chicken, put the pieces in the pan and covered them with her mushroom and onion mixture. Added chicken broth from a can in the pantry. Nothing fancy, but it would do. She set the pan on the counter. “It’ll take half an hour or so to bake. You want an early dinner?”
“Given I had a peanut butter sandwich hours ago, I say dinner as soon as it’s ready.”
She slid the pan into the oven, adjusted the timer.
“Chicken and salad?” he asked. “That’s dinner?”
Not enough for Marv, apparently. Lexi went to the pantry. “There’s rice or noodles if you need a starch.”
“I know how to cook noodles.”
“Go for it. Should I thaw the rest of the cheesecake, too?”
Marv was on his feet, beating her to the freezer.
Dinner was eaten in relative silence. Normally, that was a good thing, because it meant everyone was enjoying the food, but there was still an elephant in the room. And the sex elephant was much more imposing than the kiss elephant.
Marv put his dishes in the dishwasher and fixed himself a mug of coffee. “We can catch the news.”
She carried the rest of her bottle of water and followed him. The television was already tuned to a news broadcast, the volume muted.
Marv turned it up. “Nothing about any drug issues. Nothing about a big charity event tomorrow.”
“If Blackthorne’s as good as you say, they’re going to avoid publicity, aren’t they?” she said.
“Doesn’t mean there won’t be coverage, just not about Blackthorne.”
When there was still no mention of the charity event, Lexi decided to address the elephant. “We should talk.”
A look bordering panic crossed Marv’s face. “You know, guys don’t like to hear those three words.”
“Guys don’t like to talk, period.” She took a deep pull of her water. “But I think you deserve an explanation. So it’ll be more like listening, not talking, on your end.”
“I’m a good listener.”
She turned the water bottle in her hands. “You always were.”
He muted the television.
Although Marv was smiling, it wasn’t a happy smile. More like a nervous smile. Why was he nervous? She was the one who was going to admit she’d been a jerk. “First, the sex was great.”
He gave an exaggerated brow-wiping gesture. “Guys like to hear those words.”
If he wanted to keep things light, so much the better. “At first, I thought it would be a way to burn off tension. A physical release.” She rubbed her hands, suddenly damp, on her jeans. “I knew ... know ... that with your job and the crazy turn my life has taken, there’s no way to get into a relationship. But I couldn’t stay detached. It was more than sex. So much more. I needed a little time alone to figure out how to deal with what I was feeling. If I hurt you by hiding, I’m sorry.”
Marv was quiet. Too quiet. Had she screwed up their friendship, no pun intended?
She waited him out, sipping at her water as he sipped his coffee.
Finally, he set his mug on the coffee table. His cold stare raised the hairs on her neck.