"I'm not surprised Dominic told her. They're close."
"I definitely think she has a thing for him. But we can talk more later."
"Let's get out of here," Max said. "I think we've seen all we need to see."
She grabbed her coat and slipped it on as they made their way down the stairs. Max handed the ticket to the valet, and she shivered as they waited for his Jeep.
"You're cold," he said, shrugging out of his coat to drape it over her shoulders.
She started with surprise at the gesture. "Now you'll be cold."
He shrugged. "I'll survive."
As she met his gaze, she felt another sizzle between them, and she found herself unexpectedly wishing this was a date, that they'd met under different circumstances, that this wasn't about a case, because she'd really like it to be about something else.
"Kara," he murmured. "You shouldn't look at me like that."
"Like what?" she whispered, knowing she was playing with fire.
His gaze darkened, but before he could reply, the valet pulled up with Max's car, breaking the spell between them. The valet opened the door for her, and she slid inside as Max moved behind the wheel. Neither of them spoke as he pulled away from the curb, and the silence continued, growing tenser with each passing block.
She'd started something…something she couldn't finish. And she didn't know what to do about that. Max didn't seem to know either.
When he finally stopped in front of her building, she let out a sigh of relief and jumped out of the car so he wouldn't have to park. Unfortunately, she realized she still had his jacket on her shoulders when she reached the sidewalk. She turned around, and Max was right there.
"Your coat," she murmured, putting up her hands to slide it off her shoulders. But she wasn't fast enough.
His hands covered hers, stopping the movement. Then he lowered his head and kissed her. It wasn't gentle or sweet; it was hot, deliberate, a little possessive, and she loved every second. But she had to end it soon…now. Finally, she forced herself to pull away.
She gave him a breathless look, fighting the urge to go right back into another kiss. "We can't do this. You know we can't."
"I know."
She stepped back, slipped off his coat, and handed it to him. "Thanks."
"Kara—"
"Goodnight, Max," she said, cutting him off. She ran up the steps to her building without looking back. But she could feel his gaze on her the entire way. And when she finally reached her door and glanced back, he was still there, still watching.
She went inside before she could do something stupid, like go back down those steps.
Chapter Nine
Thursday morning started with frustration. After a sleepless night tossing and turning, her mind racing with clues that seemed to lead nowhere and an increasingly long list of suspects, not to mention a hot memory of a kiss that had shaken her to her core, Kara had dragged herself out of bed and down to the office. But the morning briefing had only added to her feeling of restlessness.
Sitting in the Strike Team conference room, listening to updates that felt more like a list of dead ends than progress, she couldn't believe that it had been three days since the bombing and they still had no idea who the perpetrator was or the motive behind the attack.
Samantha Barkley remained in critical condition. Jonas Cray's phone had yielded nothing useful. Tracking down the elusive "Cal" who might have murdered Jonas had also led nowhere. Cray's building had no security cameras, and so far, Cal had not been spotted walking around the area.
"Tyler, what about the Novik brothers?" Jason asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"I went to the Crimson Club last night," Tyler said. "Neither Alex nor Sergei Novik was there. The manager said Alex was out of town, and Sergei is rarely at the club. I left my number. I haven't heard back."
"What about Sergei Novik's construction company?" Jason asked.
"Offices are in Midtown, but Novik is traveling. His assistant said I'd need to go through his attorney for any meetings." Tyler's frustration was clear. "His attorney has also not returned my calls."
"What about Elias Costa at Forge Fitness?" she asked.
