"Too late." Archer pushed himself to his feet. It wasn't until he was standing that I realized what he was referring to. The sound of sirens was common in the city, but these seemed to be heading straight toward us.
I could put it down to paranoia, but the sound made me want to bolt.
"One 'getting the hell out of here' coming up," Boner said.
Jules was the first to climb back out of the window and start down the fire escape. The other three herded me toward it, all but pushing me out before they followed me. We barely made it down to the ground before a couple of police cars rounded the corner and stopped in front of the building.
Keeping to the shadows as much as possible, we moved away, only stopping when we got a safe distance. I glanced back over my shoulder as an all too familiar figure stepped out of one of the cars.
"Isn't that interesting?" Boner said slowly. "What are the statistical possibilities of Detective Getzoff being here right now? He glanced over at Archer.
"Small," Archer said simply.
"How the hell did they know?" Jules whispered. He glared at Boner. "You were the one who brought us here."
"I did. But I'm not crazy enough to put myself in harm's way," Boner said. "And I wouldn't risk Harlow. Or the rest of you."
He glanced at Cass for a moment and gave him a quick smile. They hadn't discussed what was growing between them, but it was obvious to anyone who looked. They were adorable together. I was all for them exploring all the possibilities.
"Thanks for bringing me along for the ride," Getzoff was saying to one of the other cops. "That tip-off sounded suspicious as hell."
The uniformed cop gave him a glance and a shrug, irritated. Not caring about the detective's gratitude. He was here to do his job, and evidently he was about to get his toes stepped on. I'd be annoyed too. They disappeared into the building.
"Who tipped them off?" Jules asked.
Cass was tapping away at his own phone. "I can't find any evidence of cameras. It's possible Gammage screamed."
He didn't look like he believed that. Neither did I, to be honest.
Someone could have been watching. I saw no sign of anyone peering between their curtains or standing out on the street pointing fingers. If there were, they would have drawn a crowd by now. Either on the street or with people watching out their windows. Who could resist a spectacle like that?
"It's possible the real perpetrator called in the tip," Boner said.
"Right," Archer agreed. "That's possible for two reasons. One, he wanted the attention from the police. That's common with serial killers; they like to be noticed."
"Called out," Boner muttered.
"The other possibility is they're messing with us," I concluded. I rubbed a hand over my forehead, then massaged my temples.
"Only if they knew we'd be here." Jules looked accusingly at Boner again.
"I didn't tell them," Boner insisted. "Gammage was facing a raft of charges. It's possible someone intercepted the same information I did. I mean, we can't be the only ones trying to do the right thing around here, right?"
None of us had the answer to that question.
"How many coincidences can a person have before it's not a coincidence anymore?” I asked. "Whatever we do, Getzoff turns up. Or something happens that brings him into our proximity. What are we missing?"
Had someone betrayed us again? Was it one of the men standing close to me? One of my new staff? I couldn't rule out the possibility Hypnos or Zeus found us and were playing cat and mouse with us, laughing their asses off as we stumbled around trying to figure out which way was up.
"I'm missing having private time with my woman," Boner said adjusting his blonde man bun. "Let's get out of here before they start searching the neighborhood for a killer."
Jules snorted at the irony, but was quick enough to follow us away from the crime scene.
CHAPTER 7
HARLOW
We were barely inside the door of Archer's apartment before Boner dragged his lips over mine. He bracketed my hips with his hands and pulled me to him, our chests bumping together. His tongue slid between my lips, mine tangled with his, tasting the tang of tomatoes and garlic with a hint of beer.
