Page 14 of Craving Vengeance
Chapter Seven
The sound of high heelsclicking against the old hardwood floor echoed in Spinelli’s ears. A ripple of panic rushed through his veins. He kept his eyes forward staring at the crime board. Perhaps it was just Bethany again. He found himself wishing it was, but he knew the truth. He recognized the pace and the light steps. He willed himself to turn around, but he couldn’t. It was as if he was frozen in place. He just couldn’t face her yet. What could he possibly say to her? It was probably sixty-five degrees in the precinct, yet sweat beaded on his temples and upper lip.
Walker shifted away from the board. “Hi, Shannon. Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Thanks, Brad. How’s Jeana?”
“She’s good.”
Spinelli continued to stare at the board as he listened to their conversation. He shot a sideways glance at Walker and Marsh. Walker continued his chat with Shannon. Marsh looked like a starving wolf eyeing his prey. Spinelli wondered why he was looking at Shannon that way. She was probably just wearing one of her frumpy old business suits as usual.
Spinelli hated those drab suits. They made her look like an old maid, but he supposed they were appropriate for when she was working and had to go to court for child placement hearings. He remembered the first one he’d ever seen her wear. It was navy blue, and though it did nothing for her petite, yet shapely body, it did much more for her than the dark chocolate brown one she’d worn the next day.
“So, Shannon, any big plans tonight?” Walker asked.
Shannon reached over and touched the upper part of Spinelli’s arm. His vision blurred. The photos on the crime board blended into one big, black mass. He’d thought he couldn’t get any angrier. He was wrong. He still couldn’t seem to turn his head to face her. She inched closer to him. The warmth of her body penetrated his. Her sweet scent filled the air, tormenting him.Why is she down here? What does she want? Doesn’t she know I know?
“Nick is taking me to dinner tonight. What about you and Jeana?
Any plans?”
Walker chuckled. “Yeah, we’ll have our customary one night out for the year without the boys. Jeana’s mom is coming over to watch them for a couple of hours.”
“That’ll be nice for the two of you,” Shannon replied in her soft, sweet voice, which was normally music to Spinelli’s ears. But today, right at this very instant, the sound of her voice was pure heart-piercing torture.
He imagined the sincere look in her eyes as she spoke to Walker. She always looked genuinely interested when she talked with people.Hmf, sincere! Right!Her soft feminine voice sang in his head.Why did she always have to sound so sweet?He found it difficult to keep his guard up. He thought about the ring in his pocket. It was of no use. He and Shannon would never have what Walker and Jeana have. He may as well just forget it and go back to the life he knew months ago before Shannon invaded his soul. He slid his shaky, sweaty hands into his pockets and tried to re-focus on the photos of the dead cupids. The cupids were a priority; not his messed up love life.
Shannon’s grip tightened on his arm. His body tensed. “Nick, can I talk to you for a minute?”
Spinelli turned toward her. Speech escaped him.
“Are you okay?” Shannon asked, her tone almost a whisper. Her inquisitive, beautiful gaze fixed on him.
He needed her to stop looking at him through those long thick lashes, and he needed her to stop touching him. His aching heart couldn’t take it. He stepped back. Her arm floated down to her side.
“I’m fine. I can’t talk right now. We’re in the middle of something important here. I’ll talk to you later,” Spinelli replied as he turned back toward the crime board. He just couldn’t look at her any longer. And he couldn’t help but notice the hint of hurt that flashed through her eyes as he spoke. Even after what she’d done to him, hurting her nearly cracked his heart in half. He raked his hand over his face and studied the board.
“Oh, okay, so I’ll see you at eight. We can talk then.”
Spinelli kept his gaze on the board. “About that. This could take all night. Maybe we’d better play it by ear.”
