AJ drove her personal car home from the crime lab with Grace and Tag following so they could drop her off at Jimmy’s restaurant. There was more to be found on the Owens family, but what they’d seen had made their eyes pop, and they’d talked about it all the way down the road. They might have found a break for the task force on the X-Girl investigation.
AJ stood off to the side, searching the waiting restaurant crowd for Katie. She had a pretty good idea why they were having this dinner. The week had been crazy, almost as bad as when they’d met six months ago. She’d long ago stopped sleeping with a gun under her pillow, but the shootings had triggered nightmares and probably woken Katie.
Thank God Katie would be focused on her job at the bank, but the thought of her in their empty house was creepy, and—her breath hitched. The crowd parted and she saw her. Katie’s daring wine-colored dress made her mouth go dry. She slid through the crowd until she was behind her and placed her hands on Katie’s bare shoulders.
“Hi, love.”
Katie put her hand over her heart but looked up with a smile. “I didn’t see you.”
AJ moved her chair close. “Can’t keep my hands off you. Nice dress. Is it new?”
“For you.”
“I like it a lot, and thanks for this. Have you ordered?”
“Just the tea. I waited for you to make a decision about the wine.”
“I’m done for the day.” AJ picked up the wine list. “The usual?”
“That’d be fine. How’s the arm?”
“I took ibuprofen a few hours ago.” AJ caressed her with another glance, heart speeding up. “Is tonight something special?”
“I only wanted to share a meal and celebrate the best summer of my life.” Katie linked their fingers. “Our first summer.”
“Thanks, but I know I haven’t made it very easy.” AJ fiddled with a spoon, touched by Katie’s words. “Sorry I’m late. I had to drive my personal car home from the police lab. Grace and Tag gave me a ride here.”
“Do I smell smoke?” Katie wrinkled her nose.
“Someone burned up two SUVs at the station today.”
“Are you kidding me? Do you know—”
“We caught them on surveillance video but haven’t identified them.” AJ scooted closer. “You are so beautiful. You make my heart…eager.” It always shocked her how much she loved her.
Katie gave her a warm look through her long lashes. “How did this morning go with the outfits and makeup?”
“Clumsy. I almost lost that first wig.” AJ shook her head. “You’d have laughed.”
“How did Bren Black take the whole thing?”
“Tag? She was stunned when I flew into that room. The chief and Grace tried not to laugh out loud.” They both grinned as the waiter came to take their order.
For dessert, they shared fried apples in sweet sauce, and Katie mentioned Charles had called. “He wanted to know how you were, how we were, and if you saw the doctor like you were supposed to. He mentioned the shootings too.”
“I talked to him today about the new assignment up north. He didn’t say any of that to me. It was all business.” AJ took another bite of the dessert and scanned the room. “Maybe he’s worried about the shootings. The chief wants me to start taking someone with me so I’m not riding alone. I think I’ll take Bonnie.”
“He’s right and you’ve been having nightmares again.” She leveled a hard, straight look at AJ with a deep breath. “Remember the day you threw your boot in the garage and I was in the shower? I rushed to the door in a towel because I thought it was a gunshot.”
“What? God, I never even thought—”
“Whatever this is, it’s picking up speed and you know it.”
“Okay, that cuts it. Unless we catch this person or persons before we go up north, Bonnie will stay at our house while I’m gone.” One look at Katie’s face and AJ knew she’d said the wrong thing.
“No. And don’t give me an order. I won’t even be home except to sleep.”
They stared at each other.
“Katie, don’t do this to me because I’ll—”
“You’ll what? It’s not always about you.”
AJ took a deep breath, placed her fork deliberately on the plate, and stood. “I should have waited to bring that up.” She picked up the bill and left to pay.
“Wait,” Katie said.
AJ heard her but kept walking, determined to discuss this in a less public place. After she paid, she saw Katie leaving through the side entry for her car and scanned the parking lot through the glass doors. Two men in baseball caps, white T-shirts, and jeans leaned against a pickup and turned to look at Katie, saying something to each other. A warning brushed through AJ, and she moved toward the exit.
A twentysomething guy with a square jaw and shaggy blond hair held the door open. He looked surprised to see her, but he walked away as Katie drove up and stopped. She was watching him too.
“Do you know that blond kid?” Katie said when AJ got into the car.
“Go around. Let’s look at him. I thought he looked high…or maybe drunk.”
Katie took the circular drive behind the restaurant and pointed at the kid about to get on a motorcycle. “Does he look familiar?” she said.
“Yeah, there’s something familiar about him, but look at that gorgeous, customized Harley.”
“He handed one of his takeout bags to the two men with the pickup parked next to his bike before they left,” Katie said and drove onto the busy city street.
AJ heard the motorcycle right behind them, and a sudden noise like fingernails on a blackboard. He gunned the bike, flipping them off as he passed.
“Damn,” Katie yelled. “He just keyed my car.”
“Katie, no,” AJ said. She was thrown against the door as the SUV shot forward, but Katie was focused on the bike. A city cop cut the motorcycle off with full sirens and lights. She screeched to a stop.
“Ha,” she said triumphantly, unsnapping her seat belt.
AJ leaned across her and held the door closed. “Uh-huh. Nice job, Speed Racer, but stay right here.” She was out of the car before Katie could argue. Apparently, the police had seen it all, and they were gathered in a little knot around the bike. The blond kid argued, pushed one of the cops, and there was a quick scuffle. He ended up in the back of the squad car. A cop and AJ walked back to look at Katie’s damage.
“I’m driving the bike to the cop shop. Follow us and fill out a report there.” AJ kept her voice firm, holding Katie’s gaze through the open window.
“I know how it’s done,” Katie snapped, starting the engine.
* * *
They didn’t talk all the way home from the police station. AJ wiped her sweaty hands on her jeans and felt her headache trying to return. God. Katie could have been hurt. If the cops hadn’t been there she would have confronted that little smart-ass without a second thought. As they turned into their driveway, AJ started to ask if she had the papers on the biker guy but saw tears glittering in Katie’s eyes and swallowed her words.
“If you hadn’t been there, I’d have done the same thing.” Katie parked, and turned to her.
“I know and that scares me. I’m going to be gone and—”
“And what? You can’t be with me every minute.”
Sudden headlights behind them reflected across Katie’s hurt face. Grace and Tag got out of their vehicle, both in T-shirts and shorts.
“Got something from Jimmy’s for you,” Grace called out.
“How’d you know about what happened tonight?”
“They notified the chief when Katie pressed charges. He called us and added resisting arrest to keep the kid overnight. We went to the restaurant, and Jimmy gave me their security videos.” She handed her a flash drive.
“Jimmy would probably give you the whole restaurant. Come in. I’ll make some coffee.”
Tag had walked in with Katie and stood in the living room, pointing down the hallway. “She said she needed to change clothes. That dress was impressive.”
AJ nodded and put the coffee together. She’d loved the dress too and had wanted to come home and take it off her.
Katie emerged barefoot, wearing white cotton drawstring pants and a pink tank top. She took AJ’s hand as she went by, adding a light squeeze. Relieved, AJ sat next to her at the big kitchen table while Tag and Grace argued good-naturedly how to run the video on AJ’s laptop. Katie studied the screen. Suddenly, she pointed at the monitor. “There. See? I thought he was going to talk to you, AJ.”
Tag backed up the video and enhanced the figure. “It’s that guy again.”
“I agree,” Grace echoed.
“What guy?” Katie said.
“We saw him on the crap security video from the doctor’s office. Or at least someone who resembles him,” AJ said. “Did you get paperwork on him at the police station? A name or address?”
Katie handed the papers to AJ.
“You won’t believe this,” AJ said, reading the information. “He’s Robert Owens. Look at this address. It’s the house we took down.” She shoved the papers to Grace and Tag. “Worse, I thought he was high.” Her phone rang just as she reached for it. It was the chief. He had just seen the name and address and was getting a warrant to go back into the house. In all of their research today none of them had encountered another man named Owens.
“Do you want us to work on that first thing in the morning or do it now?” Grace stood. “Also, the chief gave all our information to the Milwaukee task force and they’ll start proceedings tomorrow against John Owens.”
AJ shook her head. “No, don’t do it tonight. Robert Owens will spend the night in lockup. Do what you can in the morning.” She closed the door behind Tag and Grace, set the home security, and reran the video. Katie put cups in the dishwasher and readied the coffeepot for morning.
“If this is the shooter, we don’t have to worry about Bonnie staying here.”
Katie kissed the top of AJ’s hair. “Let’s call it a night,” she said and tugged her toward the bedroom. AJ tossed her jeans in the hamper while Katie was in the bathroom and sank down on the side of the bed. Katie came in and stood at the closet, studying her business clothes.
“Aren’t you going to bed?” Katie said. Their eyes met in the mirror.
“Not until I apologize for tonight.” AJ began unbuttoning her shirt.
Katie finished the buttons. “I thought it was this.” She traced the bandage on AJ’s arm.
“You scared me tonight. I never want to see you hurt, and—”
Suddenly, Katie was on top of her, holding her down on the bed, her mouth a kiss away. “Do you have any idea how much I love you? I never want to see you hurt either.” She sat up. “I’d planned another ending to this evening.” She pulled the covers down and got in bed.
AJ scrambled up to the pillows beside Katie and claimed the kiss she’d missed. She’d wanted more too and inhaled Katie’s familiar fresh scent.
“You’re tired. I’m tired. Let’s talk in the morning.” Katie snuggled against her.
AJ held her until Katie drifted off, and then she stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep. She remembered Katie mentioning the men and the pickup next to Robert Owens’s motorcycle. Was there a chance in hell they were the same two men she’d seen in the police station parking lot this afternoon? She couldn’t remember much about them other than the Confederate flag tattoo on the one guy and what she’d seen on the surveillance video.
She eased out of bed and went to their office, searching the computer for tonight’s charges. Nothing yet. She searched the information and photos from the summer case. The biker kid certainly resembled John and Kevin Owens. The Milwaukee group had enough to nail John Owens, but who the hell was Robert Owens? Or had she missed it when she looked at the family?
She shut the computer down and walked out onto the deck. None of this would have gotten past her last spring. Where the hell was her normal alertness? Something had dulled her normally sharp edges. And what was all this snapping at Katie about?
She looked at the moon’s silky shadows on the yard and turned back, scanning the house with a new thought. This had become home, just what Tag had said last night. For the first time since she’d left her parents’ farm, she’d settled. It was everything from throwing her keys on the counter when she came home to knowing where the towels were. She ran on automatic here. AJ looked back at the yard again, the flowers and shrubs she’d planted. Katie was right. This had been a very special summer.
And as much as she loved working undercover and as worried as she was about Frog, she didn’t want to leave the house or Katie.
When she slipped back into bed, Katie woke up, her gray eyes sleepy and smoky in the moonlight. “Can’t sleep?”
AJ pulled her close, thankful to hold her. “Let’s have breakfast here in the morning.”
“You’re cooking?” Katie murmured with a smile in her voice. “That’ll be fun.”
AJ buried her face in Katie’s hair and bit back a tease. Not fair. She’d worked on her breakfast skills all summer long. She now knew her way around an egg.