Page 73 of Fatal Betrayal

"Well, I think you should eat something before you make any decisions. I may not be as good a detective as you are—"

"May not?" she challenged.

"Okay, definitely not," he conceded. "But I'm a decent cook, and Caitlyn picked up some good steaks. Will you let me make you dinner before you take off anywhere?"

"You don't have to cook for me. I can help."

"I've got this. You think about what we need to do next."

CHAPTERSEVENTEEN

Andi couldn't thinkabout anything else but what she was missing, and that was a frustrating wheel to be trapped on. She could have spooked any number of people, but a bomb…that seemed completely out of left field for a child kidnapping case. There had to be more at stake than one child's life. Elisa had to be the tip of an iceberg. This was about more than just her, which raised all kind of speculative theories in her head, especially a human or baby trafficking ring. That didn't sound like something the twenty-year-old Daniel Guerrero would be in charge of. But he could definitely be working for a bigger organization. Hell, maybe the whole gym was a front for a criminal enterprise.

But she needed more than an idea; she needed proof of something. And that's what she didn't have. Or at least, she didn't think she had.

As her head spun in a frustrating circle, she became more aware of stinging pain in her face, so she got up and went into the downstairs guest bathroom to look in the mirror.

No wonder everyone was treating her like an invalid. Her right eye was swollen, there was blood seeping through a bandage on her forehead, and she had tiny, bloody knicks all over her face and even her throat. Her blouse was torn in several places, revealing some cuts and dried blood, mixed in with the dirt and smoke of the fire.

She could still feel the heat of the flames, the ringing in her ears, the force of her body hitting the ground. She would probably have some aches and pains twenty-four hours from now. Her head was already throbbing, but she wasn't going to mention that to Cooper. She'd had a concussion before, and this wasn't that bad, although, according to Cooper she'd been completely knocked out for a few seconds. But she was fine. She didn't want to go to a hospital. She just wanted to take a shower and clean up.

Returning to the living room, she looked through the duffel bag finding a mix of new men's and women's clothing. Caitlyn had thought of everything. She grabbed undies, black jeans that were her perfect size, a thick sweater, socks, and tennis shoes and then went up the stairs to the master bathroom where she took a long, hot shower.

It felt great to be clean again, and she was thrilled to find lotions in the bathroom drawers as well as a first-aid kit. She checked out the rest of her cuts but nothing besides the one on her forehead was that bad. She changed that bandage and then dried her hair and got dressed.

She left her dirty clothes in a hamper in the bathroom, but took her gun, badge, and phone down the stairs with her. When she got into the kitchen, she found Cooper looking remarkably comfortable as he sauteed a steak with butter, while mushrooms and onions sizzled in a nearby pan. She probably shouldn't be surprised he could cook. His mom had insisted that her kids know how to provide for themselves, and while Monica had veered toward baking, Cooper clearly knew his way around a stove.

She slid onto a stool at the island and put her gun and phone on the counter.

Cooper set down his spoon to turn to the opposite counter where he poured her a glass of red wine and then placed it in front of her.

"This restaurant has good service," she said lightly.

He gave her a grin that was so Cooper, her heart clenched. Sometimes, she could still see the boy in him that she'd loved beyond belief. Other times, she could only see the man he'd become, but she was starting to like that man, too. Not that she was going to let herself think about their kisses. In some ways, they'd been more explosive than the bomb that had gone off minutes later.

"You deserve a glass of wine after today," he said. "You look a lot better now."

"You should grab a shower, too."

"After we eat."

"I am hungry. I just hate to take time off when there's so much that needs to be done."

"It's almost eight o'clock at night. There's not much else you can do tonight. You have to pace yourself and remember that you have a team behind you."

"I know. But it's my case, and I want to solve it."

He smiled again, and she couldn't help but grin back at him. "Okay, I know I'm too stubborn and competitive, but I like to win, especially when the stakes are as huge as they are now. Elisa's life is on the line. And here I am drinking wine. It never feels right."

"There's an office down the hall. I'm sure you can get some work done tonight, even after drinking a glass of wine. But in the meantime, you can relax, get your head together, and enjoy a nice meal."

"It smells good. Your mother trained you well."

"None of her children were going to say they didn't know how to cook. Even Kyle could whip up dinner if he had to."

"Kyle always liked breakfast for dinner."

Cooper's hand stilled at her words, then he continued spooning butter over his steak. "Scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon was his favorite meal." He took the steaks off the heat and pulled them out of the pan to rest. Then he looked at her. "Waffles, too. My mom let us each choose a meal to make once a month for the family, and breakfast for dinner was always Kyle's."

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