Page 44 of Inferno

He stood in her kitchen, rinsing a pot in the sink. He glanced over his shoulder, far too good-looking to be doing dishes in any woman’s kitchen. Let alone hers. That perennial soft spot she’d always had for him was a sucker for those shoulders in that fire department uniform and the fact he insisted on rinsing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.

“You don’t like it?” he said.

“It’s chicken noodle soup. Who doesn’t like chicken noodle soup? I’m just asking why it tastes different than it normally does.”

He wiped his hands on a kitchen towel. Shrugged. “I added some seasoning.”

She wasn’t going to let go of the suspicion that he was keeping a secret. Even if it was only how to make chicken noodle soup taste better than when it came out of the can.

Her phone buzzed on the breakfast bar. She flipped it over far enough to see the screen. “Bristol wants to know if we have any popcorn.”

Julio leaned his hips back against the cupboard across from her, the breakfast bar between them. Where it should have felt like there was far too much space between them, it was more like this room didn’t seem big enough. No surprise in her tiny apartment that she shared with her sister, but it was more cozy than anything. Who knew what it would feel like when he came and sat beside her.

Was he going to do that?

“Do you have any?” Julio said. “I can nuke it for you guys.”

“She can come out and get it herself. She’s curled up next to Romeo on the couch in her room.” She rolled her eyes. “Watching a movie. As if I don’t know what that means.”

Julio grinned. “I’m pretty sure it just means they are watching a movie. What do you think it means when they literally just talked for the first time today?”

“Who knows what the kids are doing these days? Or what they’re calling it.”

He chuckled a little. “Eat your soup. I’ll see if there’s any popcorn in the pantry.”

She shoved a bite from the spoon in her mouth, watching him discover that there was in fact no pantry. The folding doors on one side disguised the washer and dryer, and other than that, she only had cupboards and a refrigerator.

Maybe he was disappointed in her existence. She had been squirreling money away for a long time, saving for a down payment on a house. The house she wanted more than anything. Something out of the way and secluded.

When she purchased the property, she would be able to carve out her own sanctuary from the world. A spot where she could go to rest and feel as if she didn’t have to worry about criminals or victims. A place of respite from the world.

“Oh, found it.” He grabbed a popcorn package out of the box. “Last one.”

“I’ll text Bristol back. Tell her to come and get it herself.”

He peeled off the plastic wrapper and put the bag in the microwave. It was a test of a person’s sanity, and their intelligence, as to whether they use the popcorn button or not. Thankfully for his sake, he passed the test and simply entered a series of numbers.

Samantha ate her soup quietly, enjoying the soothing feeling of warm liquid on her throat. Grateful for the ability to have sustenance even if she couldn’t eat most things right now. The doctor had told her that her throat could increase in swelling at any time, and she needed to be very careful not to irritate it.

Bristol had told the doctor that she would keep an eye on Samantha. Something she was currentlynotdoing. Samantha had interpreted for the doctor so he could understand what her sister was saying, and then her sister promptly ditched Samantha for a guy as soon as they got home. Probably because she thought it would give Samantha and Julio time to spend together.

Maybe Romeo was in on it as well.

Samantha wasn’t entirely disappointed in them. As long as Julio didn’t know he was being hoodwinked. It was embarrassing enough that her partner was probably in on the plan, given all the texting Bristol had been doing.

The truth was, she did want to spend time with Julio. Getting to know him again the last few days—reacquainting herself with the man he was now—had given her a sense of hope she hadn’t had before. Not for a long time.

Julio had been the best thing in her life. But like all good things, they inevitably turned bad, and she had to manage the fallout. The bad with him had been epically bad, given the miscarriage she’d had after being thrown out of that building. The grief. Their breakup. She wasn’t sure she would be ableto handle going through all that again, but something in her wanted to try.

Julio pulled out the popcorn. He turned and pointed at the hall. “That way?”

He had a very “big brother” expression on his face, which was good because who knew what moves Romeo had made on her sister. She knew how Julio felt about Bristol. In fact, she’d always loved the way he looked out for her sister just like she did.

“Last door on the right.” As she spoke, her phone rang.

He squeezed her shoulder and wandered away.

She looked at the screen and saw it was Sergeant Deerdan calling. “Jesse.” Her voice came out hoarse.

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