Page 25 of Be Very Quiet

He was tempted to suggest they stay in bed and get to know each other carnally, but his coworkers were arriving today, and they had a killer to catch.

Luca retreated to the guest bathroom to shower and dress for the day. He hadn’t had a chance to broach the subject of a Kevlar vest, so when Liliana came out of her bedroom, he held one up. “I need you to wear this whenever we leave the building.”

“Is that a bulletproof vest?”

“It is.”

“Why? Rader hasn’t shot any of his victims.”

“I’m not taking any chances.”

She reached for it. “Okay. I’ll have to take it off at work. I don’t want anyone to know what’s happening.”

After a breakfast of oatmeal with fresh blueberries and whole wheat toast, Luca drove to the studio. A few cars were already in the lot when he parked in Liliana’s assigned space.

“Looks like the real estate office is open early.”

Liliana glanced out the windshield. “Yeah, someone is usually there when I arrive. I’m not sure Rex ever sleeps.”

Rex again. Luca was going to have to check the guy out. It wasn’t because he’d tried to date Liliana. Luca was simply being thorough.

Oh hell, he was lying to himself. It was totally because the guy was apparently into her.

Luca followed Liliana inside, his eyes scanning for any threats. He noted security cameras monitoring the parking lot. Good. She used a key to unlock the door and then started to punch a code into a panel on the wall. He looked at the name of the system. Decent, but not the best.

She stopped. “Oh, someone’s already here.”

Luca’s instincts were instantly on alert. “Is that unusual?”

“No, not at all.”

“Do you have cameras inside?”

“You mean for security?”

“Yes.”

“No. I have the alarm, and there are cameras outside.”

“How many people have the code?”

Liliana winced. “Several. Many of the employees.”

Luca glanced around the interior of the fitness center. He hadn’t been able to appreciate it yesterday since he’d been so intent on talking to Liliana. The first thing he saw was a reception desk. Signs directed patrons to locker rooms on either side of the building. Behind the desk was an open area with a refreshment bar, several places to sit, a bubbling fountain, and green plants and trees everywhere. Doors with numbers lined two walls, and a hallway led somewhere. Two offices with glass fronts were on the left. He knew from his earlier visit that the larger one was Liliana’s.

The door opened behind them, and he spun around with his hand on his gun.

“Relax. It’s Shonda Johns, my assistant.”

Shonda pushed a hank of curly brown hair from her forehead and lugged a bag inside the door. “Oh, hey, Lili . . .” Her voice trailed off when she spotted Luca. “Are you here for a membership? We aren’t open yet.”

“Shonda, this is a good friend of mine, Luca Russo.”

Luca grabbed Liliana’s hand and held tight. He didn’t have to look at her to know a pretty blush stained her cheeks.

“He’s going to be hanging around here for a few days.”

Shonda glanced from Liliana to Luca to their joined hands. A knowing smile crossed her lips, and she stuck out a hand. “Nice to meet you, Luca.”

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