Page 23 of Taken by the Lawman

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He wasn’t sure where those words came from, but they were true. He’d been a wreck over the last forty-eight hours wondering what she was doing. He’d waited in the office for two hours and when he saw her come in carrying flowers, his heart dropped into his boots, although he knew the spark was missing with her date. No one ends a date this early when they’re interested, and there was that missing shine in her eyes when he first saw her, but it had returned into her beautiful eyes and he felt alive again.

He inhaled sharply, taking in her scent mingled with the roses. “Sorry. I just had to clarify that fact.”

“Deegan…” With trembling fingers, she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“What? Is it impossible to believe?”

“I’m not sure what to say. We don’t know each other, and I don’t think we even like one another.” Her tongue swept out to moisten her bottom lip. “When we’re together it’s like a dam has broken and suddenly—”

“We’re caught up in a thunderous waterfall.”

“Yes. Something like that. It’s a problem.”

“I like you and that’s the problem.”

Her mouth dropped open and then she snapped it shut. “You do like me?”

He chuckled. How could one woman be so irresistibly cute? “I think the question is, do you like me? I do see that the invisible daggers are out of commission.”

“This is ridiculous.” She sighed and stepped back, but only a mere inch or two.

“What’s ridiculous is that I would have given you daisies. They are your favorite,” he said softly.

She blinked. “Yes…but how…?”

“Every Wednesday you have a fresh arrangement on your desk. Most people probably think a lover sends them to you, but I once saw you stop at that corner shop down the street and buy a bouquet. This fellow you were with doesn’t know you.”

“Is that really the reason why you came here? To find out who I was with?”

Their gazes held and for a heartbeat he wanted to kiss her, to show her how much he truly liked her, but she wasn’t ready, not yet. Eventually he would give in to desire and so would she, and when he did, he’d never let go—she wouldn’t want him to.

“I thought you might like to see these.” He reached around and grabbed the thick envelope from the waist of his jeans and handed it over.

She stared for a good three seconds, then sat down in her chair with the envelope. He watched her take out the photos and look at each one, her mouth twisting more and more as the stack grew thinner. “Deegan, these pictures are of Annie. Someone was stalking her? How did you get these?”

“I was at the right place at the right time and had the right amount of money.” He shifted in his boots, still shocked that the homeless girl had the hidden treasure.

“That’s a bit vague. We should hand these over to the authorities working on the case.” Her brows scrunched as she spread the photos across the desk, examining each of them closer.

Deegan leaned over the desk, bracing his fists on the edge, sweeping his gaze across picture after picture of the aide in a restaurant, at the movies, on the sidewalk, and more. “We will, eventually.”

She snapped her chin up. “I could lose my career, and so could you. We’re not assigned to this case.”

“I made a promise to the girl who gave me these that I would find out who did this to her friend.”

“The girl was friends with Annie?”

“No. Her friend was the dead man found shot in the alley.”

Rubbing her temples, she sighed in frustration. “Tell me everything, including who this girl is and how she ended up with these pictures.”

He sat in the chair. “She wouldn’t tell me her name, but she and the dead guy in the alley, Gavin Franco, had been partners in an ongoing scam. They were runaways and needed to eat and pay for their habit, so they started pickpocketing. Once they became more skilled ,they found an easier way to make money. Stealing briefcases and holding them for ransom proved to be lucrative. They found all the personal information they needed to contact the owners and ask for money in exchange for their belongings back. Some would come up with the cash, and those who didn’t their briefcases were tossed into the dumpster, after the couple took what they could use or sell. One briefcase was lifted off a man near Annie’s apartment. They jimmied the lock and this was what they found.”

“They couldn’t have possibly thought this would be an easy scam.” Kiersten sighed.

“The girl wanted to toss the case, but Gavin saw dollar signs.”

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