Nina couldn’t believe how Thomas had helped her relax. He’d told her stories of past cases, leaving out names and the bad parts. Told her about his childhood of moving around and never having a real home. Then he got her talking about her brothers and how they’d picked on her without mercy and taught her to be tough.
“I can see that,” he said, his gaze washing over her face in a not-so-businesslike way.
His gentle eyes held something that made her blush and wonder what was happening between them.
When they settled on her lips, Nina took a deep breath and pushed her plate away. “It’s getting late.”
“Yeah, I guess it is.”
His statement held so much more than just weary agreement.
He shot her one last glance that held longing and regret, and then his phone buzzed, causing them to part like two guilty teens.
“Thomas Grant,” he said into his cell, his gaze still on Nina. But the tender expression on his face changed. “I see. Can we meet and talk about this?”
Nina listened intently and saw a flare of awareness in his eyes. “Well, thank you for the information.”
He ended the call and let out a long sigh. “That was one of the friends we tried to contact. Remember Jack Creighton? We talked to him on the phone and he agreed to speak to us in person?”
“Yes,” she said. “The last one on our list, out from the city. He knew Mya, right? But he didn’t open the door when we got to his house.”
“He obviously found the card I stuck in the mailbox,” Thomas stated. “And had a change of heart.”
“Does he want to see us now?”
“No. He quickly gave me a rundown and then hung up.”
“And?”
“He said we needed to find Slaton’s son Allen. He implied the senator has kept his misdeeds under wraps for too long.”
Nina put her hands on the table and pushed herself up. “Three scared girls and one senator’s son. What happened at that party, Thomas?”
“Probably something we don’t want to hear about,” he replied. Throwing enough money on the table to cover the meal and tip, he took her by the hand and they hurried out of the restaurant.
“I’ll report to Dylan,” she said, pulling out her phone. “He can do some more research.”
Thomas hit the key fob and the SUV’s locks clicked open. He was right behind her as they walked across the street. But she heard a thump and a grunt before they reached the vehicle. Whirling, she spotted Thomas hitting the hard pavement. Nina jumped back just as a man charged toward her and knocked her purse to the ground. She went into action and gave the attacker a swift kick in the stomach, and then slugged him with a right hook before she jabbed him with her elbow, screaming at the top of her lungs the whole time.
Inside the SUV, Sam went wild, barking and dancing in the seat. If she could get to the door...
But the man overpowered her and shoved her hard against the big vehicle, his hands reaching for her throat. Nina gasped and prepared to do battle, but before she could trip him up and get to where her weapon remained hidden in her dropped purse, a big swoosh of air hit her and her attacker went down.
Thomas body-slammed the guy, knocking him into the street. Nina breathed deep and rushed to get her gun. The man fell a few feet away, but got up and took off running toward a dark alley, Sam’s barks echoing after him. Thomas, still weak, started to follow, but when people came charging out of the restaurant, he turned and yelled to them to get back inside.
Then he passed out and fell to the ground again.
Thomas woke up with a jolt and blinked. When he saw Nina hovering over him, he grabbed her hand. “Are you all right?”
Nina gently pulled his hands away. “I’m fine. Lie back. We’re almost to the hospital.”
Straining to see, Thomas realized they were in an ambulance. “No, I’m fine. I’m supposed to take care of you.”
And he’d failed.
“Thomas, listen to me,” she said, using an authoritative voice. “You got hit over the head with a baseball bat. You probably have a concussion.”
“I said I’m fine,” he lied. In fact, his skull was hammering like a construction crew way behind on the job. “Turn this bus around.”
“No. It’s my turn to watch over you, you big oaf.”
Squinting at her to make sure she was in one piece, he glanced at her hand on his arm. There was a lot of strength in that firm grip. “Did you just call me an oaf?”
“Yes, and I’ll call you worse if you move again. The locals are searching for our assailant and Sam is safe with one of their handlers. The man left the bat, but he was wearing gloves, so no good prints to speak of. Witnesses only saw an average-size man wearing a heavy black dress coat and a dark hat pulled low. I saw his face, but he had on dark glasses. I don’t think I could identify him.”
Thomas blinked again, trying to keep up. Her chatter was nervous and nerve-racking. “If you’ll be quiet, I’ll lie still,” he finally said. “Since you have everything under control.”
“Good idea,” she replied. “We’re at the ER, so hang on.”
Thomas fell back and closed his eyes, the image of the attacker going for Nina’s throat making a loop inside his head that angered him to no end.
He’d humor her for now...but he wasn’t going to spend the night in the hospital.
Thankfully, he convinced the ER doctor of that, too. Soon, they were in a patrol car, being taken back to their vehicle, where they were reunited with Sam. Nina got the rottweiler settled in the back and put Thomas in the passenger seat and hopped up to drive, adjusting the seat from tall to short to accommodate.
“Am I safe with you?” he asked, trying to relieve some of the tension.
“Always,” she said. Then she turned to him. “Are you sure you’re okay to go back to the condo?”
“Yes. You can keep me awake with your annoying, bossy chatter.”
“I’ll be glad to, since you looked after me when I got grazed with that bullet.”
He’d seen her arm earlier. In her efforts to take down the attacker, she’d caused her wound to start bleeding again. She now wore a fresh bandage under the red stains on her white blouse.
Gritting his teeth, Thomas squelched the frustration of not being able to help her when she’d needed him, and promised himself that wouldn’t happen again.
After scanning the area where they parked close to the front door, she had him inside and pointed him toward the couch. Then she checked the backside and small patio, too. “Nothing out of the ordinary, but why do I feel as if we’re being watched?”
“Shut the door and bolt it, Nina.”
She did that and then set the alarm. Sam cleared the rooms while Thomas fell into a pile on the couch.
She scooted around in the tiny kitchen and came to sit down beside him. “Hot tea,” she said, shoving a mug at him. “Drink it.”
“I don’t like hot tea.”
“It’s herbal, so it won’t mess with your head. Drink it.”
“You’re messing with my head,” he retorted. “Nina, maybe it’s the knocking I took, but you look so beautiful.”
“You definitely have a concussion.” She put the tea down and stared at him. “Thomas, you scared me.”
“I was trying to save you, but you saved yourself and me.”
“Are you going to pout about that? You’ve saved me a couple of times already, so you’re still ahead.”
He took her hand, thinking because he was weak and woozy he’d milk this for all it was worth. “I’m not pouting. In fact, while we’re sitting here doing nothing, you can do that research on what Jack Creighton told us with such cryptic details. That is, when you’re not waiting on me hand and foot.”
Even if he couldn’t see straight right now, he could at least enjoy watching her.
“I can do that,” she said, staring down at his hand over hers. “Right after you take two pain pills. You can rest, but I’m supposed to wake you every few hours.”
He liked that idea. But not the medicine. “I don’t need pain pills.”
“Yes, you do. You know how it works with a slight concussion, I’m sure.”
“I do and that’s why I don’t need pain pills. I have a hard head.” Then he motioned toward her arm. “Same way you have tough skin.”
“Take your medicine and I’ll share what I find out on Jack Creighton.”
“You don’t play fair.”
“All’s fair in love and crime.”
She called Dylan, knowing he wouldn’t mind the late hour. While she waited to see what he could find, she searched for information on Jack Creighton and found a wealth of photos on his social media profile going back well over a year or so.
She checked on Thomas. He was dozing. She’d wake him in a few minutes. Something on her laptop screen caught her attention.
Jack Creighton in a picture with Allen Slaton. A school photo with their names listed. They’d played soccer and football together, the usual prep school activities.
But these photos showed they were friends. Were they still friends? Had Jack called to help them or get them off the trail?
After scrolling through a few more posts and discovering information that would help their case she turned to wake up Thomas.
The man lay there watching her, his eyes open and lucid. Too lucid.
“I like the way you bite your lower lip when you’re researching,” he said, his voice gravelly with sleep.
“I can see you’re going to live,” she retorted with a drip of sarcasm to hide the treacherous tremor of her pulse. “Do you want to keep lying there with that flirty look on your face, or do you want to know what Dylan and I have found?”
“I don’t know,” he said, slowly raising himself with a grimace. “I sure enjoy flirting with you even though it’s not very professional.” Then he chuckled. “You know, if you closed that laptop, you’d be off duty. Then we wouldn’t have to follow the rules.”
She stood and leaned over him, thinking she might actually flirt back, then shook her head and sat down on the couch. “Easy, cowboy. When you hear what I found, you’ll forget all about me.”
“No, I won’t,” he said, rubbing a hand over his beautifully tousled hair. “Work first. Then we can get back to the good stuff.”
For the first time in her career, Nina wished work didn’t have to come first. Which only proved it should, in spite of the Texas-bred distraction sitting next to her.
“I found out about the party,” she said, figuring that would get his mind back on the job.
It did. He frowned at her, obviously going on full alert. “Tell me everything.” Then he glanced toward the kitchen. “I’m kind of hungry, so I’ll eat while you report.”
“I’ll make you a sandwich while I talk,” she replied, thinking this domestication stuff sure was cozy. And deciding his grocery bill must be huge.
But she went on with her report. While she found the ham and cheese and pickles and bread they’d bought earlier, she said, “The party was held last year, a week before Christmas, at a private club on the other side of town. A chateau owned by a corporation. A fraternity and a sorority put it together. And guess who attended?”
Thomas took the sandwich she’d slapped together and cut in half. “Let me see—our three girls and this Jack dude and... Allen Slaton?”
“Yes, all of the above, along with about thirty others,” she said with a solemn stare. “Dylan located the other girl’s father. Her mother passed away a few years ago, but Kristen Banks’s dad is still here in Helena. We can try to contact him first thing tomorrow.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Thomas said, admiration in his eyes. “This sandwich is great.”
“It’s just bread and ham, cheese and mustard, Thomas.”
“But you cooked for me. And added pickles.”
“Don’t get used to that.”
He finished his sandwich, then went to the bathroom to freshen up. She pulled out a bag of cookies he’d nabbed at the nearby grocery store, thinking she needed something to nibble on instead of his enticing lips. When he came back they ate cookies, drank coffee and talked about the investigation for a few minutes, developing a solid plan for the next day. Then he tugged her down onto the couch.
“I’m ready to do some serious flirting,” he announced.
Nina’s heart did a somersault. “I haven’t flirted in so long I’m not sure how to respond.”
Sam yawned from his spot on the rug by the window.
“Just be you,” Thomas said, and then he laughed and pulled her close. “We’re a good team, Nina. Thank you for saving yourself tonight and for taking care of me.”
“My job,” she said, her voice turning mushy. “But this... Thomas... I’m not so good at this.”
He leaned close, his incredible eyes holding her gaze. “We’ll learn together, and once this is all over...we’ll be pros in the relationship department, too.”
Then he kissed her, a soft warm whisper on her lips that shot a sizzle all the way to her heart. Pulling back just a breath, he said, “Meantime, you know what they say. Practice makes perfect.”
Nina kissed him again for good measure.