Something warm unfurled inside her. She didn’t want to think what it might be. Instead, she grabbed her terry-cloth robe—not the sexy one she had worn last night since they had work to do—made a quick bathroom stop, then hurried into the kitchen.
“Morning,” Jase said. His short dark hair was slightly mussed, his jaw rough with a night’s growth of beard. He looked amazing.
“Good morning.” She glanced away, not sure what he would say about last night, what she might read in his face.
He caught her chin, lifted her mouth to his and pressed a soft kiss there. “Thanks again for waiting up,” he said.
Her cheeks warmed. “I...ahh...wanted to hear what happened with Zepeda.”
His smile was sexy and slightly arrogant. She’d wanted him—there was no point in denying it.
“I got the info we need,” Jase said, pouring her a mug of coffee and setting it on the counter in front of her. “Zepeda lives in a low-rent apartment house not far from the motel. I’ll get hold of Bran and the two of us will recon the place, figure the best way in and out. Once we settle on a plan, we’ll fill you in. If we think it’s safe, you can go with us.”
She opened her mouth to tell him she was going no matter what, but he held up his hand and just shook his head.
“That’s the only way this is going down, Kate. If it’s safe for you to go in—or at least as safe as we can make it—you can come with us. Otherwise we go in by ourselves or this is over.”
There would be no arguing this time. She could tell by the look on his face, the tone of his voice, that his mind was made up. And if he didn’t go in after Zepeda, the bastard would get away with cold-blooded murder.
“All right, we do it your way, but I want you to know I understand the danger. Anything can happen with a guy like that. There’s no way you can completely guarantee my safety.”
“No, there isn’t. But I plan to do my best.”
Since that was all she could ask, she said nothing more.
Jase finished his coffee. “I’ve got things I need to do before tonight.” He set his mug on the counter, and Kate walked him to the door. “I’ll call you later.” He leaned across and kissed her, then disappeared out into the hall.
The apartment fell silent. Kate felt as if the color in the room had suddenly faded. Hawk Maddox was such a powerful presence that without him, the energy seemed to have been sucked out of the air.
She thought of the butterfly tattoo that so captured his interest. She’d had it done after Andrew had ended things and she had begun to take her life back. Like the butterfly, she had come out of her cocoon, spread her wings and started to fly.
Maddox was exactly the opposite of Andrew. Instead of holding her back, trying to cage her in, everything she did with Jason made her feel stronger, more powerful.
Tonight they would confront Elijah Zepeda. They needed to find some kind of evidence that would prove his guilt without implicating Holly. Kate hoped they could find it. She refused to think what else could happen. She needed to stay positive.
Her phone rang just as she headed for the bathroom to shower and dress for the day. She grabbed it off the nightstand. “Good morning.”
“Kate Gallagher?” a woman’s voice asked.
“That’s right.”
“I’m calling from the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office. Your sister’s body has been released. You can arrange for pickup whenever you’re ready.”
Her throat tightened. “Thank you for calling. I’ll take care of it right away.” She hung up the phone and sank down on the bed. Her sister was dead. The reality of it struck her again and her heart throbbed, an ache deep in her chest.
She took a steadying breath and dialed the number for the mortuary. It was Sunday. They would be getting ready for funeral services.
“Rockdale Mortuary,” a woman said. “How may we help you?”
“This is Kate Gallagher. I talked to one of your people last week...a Mr. Bromley. He helped me make arrangements for my sister, Christina.”
“Yes, Mr. Bromley gave me the details. I’m Mrs. Conroy. I have the information right here. Let me see...yes...here it is. Are you ready for us to pick up Christina and bring her home?”
Home. Rockdale hadn’t been Chrissy’s home for the last two years yet hearing the words felt right. “Yes, thank you.”
“All right, we’ll take care of it. You’ve done everything you need to do, Ms. Gallagher.” Some of it she had handled over the internet. “I see you’ve chosen the flowers, the headstone. You just need to pick a date for the service.”
Kate closed her eyes. The day didn’t really matter. Not to Chrissy. Not anymore. “Would Wednesday work?”
