Page 13 of What About Love

“I don’t need a keeper, Dan.”

“You do at Club Decadence, babe. You’re uncollared, making you fair game for any greedy dom.”

Babe? Where had that come from? Having never heard it from him before, she threw him a quizzical glance, but he was watching T, awaiting his response.

T’s voice was low as he replied, “You go on. I’ll stick with her.”

With a nod, Dan squeezed her shoulder. “Be back in a few.”

She wanted to beg him not to leave her with him, but wouldn’t that look just grand? A female operative at Rossi, supposedly tough and capable, begging her trainer to hold her hand. As she watched him stride quickly down the long hall, disappearing behind a door at the end, she fervently hoped he wouldn’t be gone long.

“Why did you quit the force? I heard they made a clean sweep and brought in new administration.”

“The whole Stapleton fiasco left a foul taste in my mouth.”

“I get it. A dirty cop is bad, but when it’s the chief and his minions infiltrate the entire force—” His voice trailed off. She knew where he was headed all the same. Stapleton had seriously fucked over the entire department. “Cap must be pleased you came aboard. He’s been interested in adding a female operative for some time.”

“Yeah, he told me that, too.” She studied the pattern on the floor tile, looking anywhere other than at him.

“I’m surprised to see you here, and with Dan. How long have you been seeing each other?”

Of course he would think that. Only Cap, Dex, Eric at the LA club, and she and Dan knew what was going on. Cap had insisted they keep it under wraps since many of the San Antonio members interacted with those in LA. Some had memberships at both clubs. Feeling decidedly uncomfortable, her eyes darted away.

“We’ve, um, been together a few weeks. He’s my trainer at Rossi.”

“Is mixing business with pleasure a good idea?”

She stiffened at his disapproving tone. She was about to give him an earful and tell him that her life was none of his business, but he cleared his throat and changed his tune, obviously regretting how it had sounded. “Angie, I didn’t mean to—”

Not wanting to go there with him, she interrupted. “I never had the chance to thank you for what you did that day. You and Sean saved my life.”

The abrupt change in subject registered on his face with a frown then a soft smile. “I’m glad you’re all right. You gave us both a scare.”

She felt his eyes searching her face and pretended a sudden interest in a less than interesting painting on the wall. Damn this awkwardness.

“So, you remember that day?”

“Not really, only bits and pieces.” Glancing anxiously down the hall, she wondered what was keeping Dan. It seemed like an hour since he’d left. Resigned to having this conversation, she answered him truthfully. “I remember Stapleton stabbing me then gloating as I fell to the floor. He wiped his bloody knife off on my blouse, so cold and callous. And he laughed.” A tremor passed through her the same way it always did when something triggered a memory. “I’ll never forget his cruel laugh.”

“You don’t have to rehash it all for me, Angie.” The concern that he’d brought it up resonated in his voice.

“That’s all I can tell you, really. Most of the other memories are fuzzy. There are vague images of you and Sean working on me, urging me to hang on. I remember an insidious blackness surrounding me, but after that, there’s little else.”

“Darlin’,” he murmured.

That single word from him, spoke with such compassion, affected her more than the horrific memories.

Rather than collapsing into his arms in a fit of tears, she aimed for stoic and shrugged off the wealth of emotions. When her words came out in a broken whisper, she knew she’d fallen short of the mark.

“The doctors and trauma counselors told me that not remembering can be a good thing, although they warned me it could all come flooding back suddenly.”

“You’re back to work. Your doctors must have declared you fit for duty.”

Her hand went to her side. In the short top, the end of the pink scar where it curved over her ribs was visible. She laid her hand flat on top of it, covering it. Had he noticed?

“My doctors gave me a clean bill of health, as did the psychologist I was required to see. It was something Cap also insisted on prior to hiring me. They all cleared me. Now I only have the memories to deal with. Catching Stapleton would go a long way with that.”

“Cap told me there’s been no sign of him.”

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