“As they were at Dominique’s house, but I hear you on the other part. She must have been watching the place. In that case, did she not see the backup officer?”
“Unless she was in the backyard when all of us showed up. Hard to know without asking her.”
“Still, the lights were on. The curtains in the back of the house were open.” This was something that Amanda had noticed. “She must have seen us inside. I’m sticking with brazen, but I also wonder if there’s more to it. If we are looking at a hired gun, she’ll only get her money when the job’s complete. And Dominique’s still alive.”
“Which means she’ll keep coming back until she finishes the job. That compulsion of hers may be her undoing.”
“We can hope that will help us. And let’s face it, she can’t keep playing this game and not slip up eventually. Personally, I look forward to putting her behind bars. Well, I’m going to call Malone again, see if he picks up this time.”
“Good luck. That’s for if he answers.” Trent smiled at her before walking over to a vending machine.
Amanda listened to Malone’s line ring and cringed when it stopped partway through the third time.
“This better be good.”
How to respond to that…It all depended on the angle.
“Steele, it’s five thirty in the morning. I prefer to ease myself into the day with some coffee while I watch mindless TV.”
She was blown away it was already five thirty. “Right, well, I wouldn’t be calling if it wasn’t important. Trent and I are at the hospital.”
“Wait. Are you okay?” All irritation evaporated from his voice.
“We’re fine, but Joel Blackburn is not.”
“The name isn’t ringing any bells. Let’s pretend I haven’t drunk a cup of coffee yet.”
Amanda laid things out for him, even mentioned that she’d tried reaching him around two AM.
“It’s a good thing I keep my cell phone out of the bedroom at night. But I’m going to need you to run through all of this for me again. Meet me at the station in two hours.”
Before she could respond, the line was dead. Malone was gone.Not up for debate apparently…She pocketed her phone and joined Trent and Dominique. He was giving her a cup of coffee he’d bought from the machine and looked at Amanda. He nudged his head at her, which had her glancing over her shoulder.
Carter was walking toward her, lips curled down, his electric blue eyes intent, brows arched. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Unfortunately, that investigation I mentioned a couple of days ago took a turn.”
“Did you guys chase someone else into the side of a van?”
She nudged his arm and shook her head. “You’re a brat.” The occasion he referred to was how they met. And in her defense, the resulting injuries weren’t her fault. The suspect who bolted was to blame.
“Well, other than another case bringing you here, how areyou?”
“Tired.”
“Not too tired, I hope.” The devil played in his eyes and made her insides warm.
“I’m sure you could find a way to keep me up.”
Carter leaned into her ear, and whispered, “You know I can.” His warm breath spilled onto her neck, sending shivers down her chest.
Hello, headlights!She drew back and crossed her arms on instinct. Even though her light jacket would protect her modesty.
“I’ll call you tonight, see where things are. Sound good?”
“Please.” She was tempted to slap his ass when he turned to walk away but didn’t dare. She was happy she hadn’t when she caught Trent watching. He waved for her to come back over.
“For you.” Trent handed her a cup of coffee when she got there.
