Page 23 of Liaising Kai

“Payback’s a bitch?” Her grin was as bold as his was.

She laughed.

And his heart teetered dangerously inside his chest. At least that was what he attributed that sudden wobbly sensation to. “You’re going to get us both in trouble, you know that?”

“I thought I already had. You seem to be the level-headed one, focused on our mission at hand. I need to rely on that.”

He snorted. “You’re holding your own, babe.”

“Thanks for that,” she said. Then, in a more serious tone added, “Most of the time I’m so laser-focused on a mission, it’s scary. But with you?—”

“Yeah, same,” he said dryly, hoping to bring back that easy smile.

Her lips curved ever-so-slightly. “I have to admit that while I’m not ready to turn tail or accept defeat in any way, the situation here is enough to rattle anyone.” She held his gaze steadily. “I’m thankful you’re here.”

“You can handle anything, Kai.”

“Sure, but where’s the fun in that?”

She was such a paradox. Here she was, admitting she needed him, that she was grateful for his help, the same woman who’d just about undone him several times in hours since he’d walked up to her in that bar…and yet there was still a wariness about her that had him wondering what it was going to take to win her over completely.

Which was insanity. Because winning her over was not the objective here. Solving this case was the problem and the only goal that needed achieving, and when that was accomplished, they would go home and sort out what they had here between them. He knew he was putting his heart on the line here, as well as his life. And yet he couldn’t manage to find any regret for what had happened between them. Being with her gave him something he’d dreamed about from the moment he’d met her.

“We’ll keep our eyes and ears open and be on guard. I don’t believe in coincidences.”

“We have no idea who we can trust here, Davis.”

“You can trust me, Kai,” he said automatically. “Always.”

She nodded right away, and it was almost ridiculous how good that made him feel. “I know that, in ways that aren’t necessarily rational or even proven.” She held his gaze, and her hand went to his chest right over his heart. “But I do know that.”

“Good,” he said, trying like hell to keep it professional. Which was hard to do when his heart was jumping up and down as if they’d just hurdled something significant. He covered her hand and squeezed.

“Let’s get back to the precinct and see what Roberto has to say.”

At the precinct Roberto Jimenez hunched over the small table in the interrogation room, his features just as sullen the last time Davis saw him.

Cesar stood next to him, watching the man through the two-way glass. Dario and Kai were behind them. She released a sigh of relief when she saw that Roberto was still alive. He hoped she wasn’t doubting herself, because he was on board with her assessment of the whole situation. Roberto stared down at the plain gold wedding band on his left hand, unable to look away from it, unable to stop from twisting it around and around on his finger.

So, he wasn’t just in fear for his own life. He had a wife. Davis wondered if there were kids and his gut clenched. This investigation had racked up too many deaths already, but they weren’t his fault, nor Kai’s. The people who had committed murder were responsible, and he was determined they weren’t going to get away with it.

“Give me a shot at him,” Davis said.

Cesar nodded and he left the viewing room. When he entered, Roberto looked up, then away. Davis had grabbed a bottle of water before he’d gone inside. He set it on the table, but Roberto didn’t move.

Davis sat down and set his hands on the table. “We have simple questions, Roberto. You answer them, you’re free to go. I’m not pressing charges. I see that you were scared, and you didn’t know who I was. So, I can be forgiving for the way you acted.” He was subtly giving Roberto a gift, hoping the man would have enough of a conscience to reciprocate with what information he had.

Roberto blinked as if he couldn’t believe that Davis was letting him off the hook. He mumbled, “I don’t have any information of value.”

“I think you do, Roberto, and you’re too worried about your wife and children to answer truthfully.”

Roberto hung his head and rubbed weakly at the back of his neck, telling Davis that he had gotten to the heart of the man’s reluctance to respond. According to Cesar, Roberto had worked for Eduardo for ten years, ever since he’d been a teenager. That was loyalty, and deep down he wrestled with his fear for his family, his life, and that of a boss he revered. It couldn’t be an easy decision, and Roberto and his family’s plight drew on every one of Davis’s heartstrings.

“You tell me what I want to know, and I’ll take care of the problem. You and your family can go into hiding until we sort this out.”

Roberto finally looked at him, trying to read every nuance of his expression and movement for the truth, his brows pulling low over his eyes. “If I risk this, will you protect us?”

“We will.”

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