Page 38 of Locked In Ice

He was realizing there was nothing innocent about her.“Why.”A demand.

“I was worried about you.”

Just that.Nothing more.He waited.She simply stared back at him.So he leaned out, caught the arms of her chair, and hauled the chair around to face him.The chair legs screeched over the floor.“Why.”

“Why was I worried?Because you’re my partner.I’m training you, remember?If something bad had happened to you, how would I have been able to keep up my end of the deal?”

I am something bad.“You don’t trust me.”

She leaned forward.Put her hands on his shoulders.“Youdon’t trust me.”

I don’t trust anyone.

“When we were in my hotel room, I told you to trust me.You didn’t need to be all stressed in here.I would have told you about the photos sooner, but Shay didn’t give us a moment of privacy.”

No, the detective hadn’t.She’d driven them to the station.Stayed with them every moment.

“I’m sorry you had to go through all of…” Her gaze darted around the interrogation room.“This.”

He grunted.

“I’m sure it brought back all kinds of bad memories.”

“Not exactly like I had the best moments of my life in interrogations.”No, instead, he’d seen his life being snatched away from him.

Her blue eyes came right back to him.“I wouldn’t let someone send you away, Lane.I have your back.Even if I hadn’t gotten those pics…” But she stopped.Her shoulders tensed right before she surged forward and put her mouth at his ear.“I wouldn’t have let them send you away,”she whispered.Her breath feathered over his ear.

Arousal surged through his whole body.

“We’re a team.I’ll protect my partner.Promise.”She eased back in front of him.

Her hands were still on his shoulders.His were still locked around the arms of her chair, caging her in.

“You’re probably wondering why I took the pictures.”

One of the many things he wondered, yes.

“Honestly?Impulse.Or maybe just habit.As a PI, I’m always trailing people and I snap pics as I go.They help me to visualize scenes later.Sometimes, the most random thing in a pic can turn out to be a major key in a case for me.Plus, pics give me time stamps and locations.Very needed info in my line of work.”Her lips pressed together.“Right now, I think we should just both be glad I’m a nosey PI.”

The door flew open.“Five minutes,” Shay snapped.

Lane shook his head.No, she had not just agreed to Ophelia’s terms.

But the broad smile on Ophelia’s face said otherwise.Sonofabitch.How did the woman keep convincing people to do so much for her?

“Five minutes,” Shay repeated.“Then you are out of my town.Out of my life.”

His hands dropped from the arms of the chair.

Gracefully, Ophelia rose.“You are going to miss me when I’m gone.My absence will leave a hole in your life.”

Why did those words seem to sink right through him?

“I highly doubt that,” Shay replied.

***

“You don’t have to come back there with me.”Ophelia turned to block the corridor that led to the rear holding area.Or, more specifically, to the holding area that had been used for Thomas Bass.She tucked a lock of hair behind her left ear.“I know this is hardly your favorite place.”Jail cells must be hell for you.

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