Page 84 of Bad Blood

He stands and stretches, walking over to Tara. He strikes up a conversation, and I wish, more than anything, I could be a fly on the wall next to them. Something about his interest in her has me concerned. Since my run-in with Hudson, I keep noticing strange things I somehow overlooked before. Kline’s interest in single brunettes is at the top of the list. And the gossipy nurses confirmed he’s been going out with more of the staff than is appropriate.

She giggles at something he says, places her hand on his biceps, and leans into him. When both of them glance at me, I pretend to be looking at something else—like the pretend fly on the wall.

She agrees with something else he says, and they both walk toward me.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

So much for being discreet.

“Hey, it’s Brighton, right?” Tara’s voice interrupts my pretending.

I paste on a quick smile, glaring at Kline from the corner of my eye. “Yes.”

She extends a hand as a gracious smile spreads across her face. “Tara.”

“Figured you two should meet since she’s going to be”—Kline clears his throat—“here for a while, filling in.”

Something about his comment causes her to pause. She hasn’t seemed fazed by anything, but how she averts her eyes and loses a little color from her cheeks says otherwise.

I give her the once over, sizing her up like Margo did with me. Kline’s type, for sure. “You’ll fit right in.” I regret it the second it comes out of my mouth. Dammit, why does Kline always have me on edge, fighting for my right to be seen and heard?

Screw him.

I change tactics and take her by the arm to pull her into a hug. She stiffens. I guess I caught her off guard.

“Welcome,” I mutter into her ear.

She squeezes me back after deciding I’m not a danger. “Thanks. Dr. Matthews and I were discussing the whole security thing a second ago.” She points over her shoulder to where they were standing. “I haven’t been driving in because we only have one car right now—Dom and I—but he had to take it on a business trip and won’t return until next weekend. Dr. Matthews mentioned you live on the Upper East Side.”

I shoot him a nasty glare but paste on a smile before I turn back to Tara. “I do. Need a ride?”

“Oh, you’re a lifesaver. I have a ride with a friend for the rest of this week. But if you’re willing to be a backup?” She cups my hands between both of hers and squeezes. “I hate taxis. Hate. Them.”

“You and me both,” I say with a chuckle, catching movement out of the corner of my eye.

Kline reaches across the table, grabbing the paper Luca left behind. He scans the room and folds it, stuffing it in his back pocket. When his eyes land on me, he smiles.

“Figured you’d be willing to help,” he says, patting me on the shoulder and acting like he didn’t get caught red-handed.

I narrow my eyes at him, but it goes unseen. He places a hand on Tara’s shoulder and directs her into the line exiting the conference room.

“I get off at five every day,” she says, glancing at the clock on the wall. “I can meet you in your office next week.”

I seethe in silence.

I hate being put on the spot. And Kline knows I can’t say no.

The seat groans when I drop into it, ignoring that I need to finish a few things before my time hiding in here is up, but I couldn’t care less.

The room clears, and the door clicks to a close, goosebumps racing up my spine. One glance around at the chaotic conference room and I’m annoyed. Dealing with my colleagues is like wrangling toddlers. I don’t have much experience with little people, but most adults shouldn’t leave their chairs askew, pens on the floor, or mugs on the table.

With a swipe of my finger over the phone screen, my search continues. Not that I need to search long. The report appears on my screen as a top story on Fox 5 News. How did I miss this?

The photo of a black body bag on a gurney flanked by two crime scene workers is at the top of the page. I swallow the lump in my throat and scroll to the recap article from the news broadcast that aired early this morning.

Her face pops into my head before I finish scanning the article. I can’t recall seeing her at the meeting.

But she would have been here, all of our department was.

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