“When I’m at work, that’s all that matters.”
“You’re more than your work, Faith. You’re allowed to have a life. A real one.”
“I know that.”
“Sure you do.” Luke made no effort to disguise his sarcasm.
“I don’t think—”
“Are you ashamed of your sister?”
“No!”
“Based on your actions, it could be inferred that you’re trying to protect your own reputation by not letting people know about Hope, which could imply there’s something embarrassing about her. But I don’t think that’s what’s happening. This leaves me thinking you worry that if people found out you have a human side, maybe they wouldn’t trust you to get the work done, and maybe they wouldn’t assign you the big cases.”
“I—” Faith had an argument against this ridiculous assertion. She did. Why couldn’t she think of it?
“You were out of the office and missed a big case. Maybe the biggest your office has seen in a while. And it went to Agent Estes. An agent you believe to be incompetent. So not only did you miss out on the big case, but you had to watch someone with an inferior skill set have her time to shine.” Luke considered her, speculation all over his face. “I bet she’s rubbed your face in it, hasn’t she?”
Ouch. “I don’t care that someone else got the case. I want to see it handled correctly.”
“Okay.” Luke fake coughed. “Right. I think you love your sister more than any other person on the planet. You two would have been close anyway, but your dad’s betrayal and your mom’s”—he considered his words—“unique approach to parenting have given you common enemies and common annoyances, and she’s the only person in the world who gets it. I bet she’s safe. You don’t have to perform for her. But you also feel responsible for her. You’d sacrifice career, relationships, job locations, anything for her, but I bet she doesn’t want you to.” Luke scratched his chin. “You don’t have to tell me I’m right. I already know I am.”
Enough of the psychoanalysis. “What does any of this have to do with this case?”
“Nothing specifically. But I have been wondering how someoneso clearly on top of things as you are got left out in the cold. And for the record, I’m glad you caughtmycase.”
The comment was almost too casual. Like he wanted to say it, and meant it, but also didn’t want it to be a big thing. Except that it was.
Luke continued. “For one thing, that Estes woman makes me crazy. But mostly I’m glad because you’re good at this. You care. You focus. You want to get the job done and you want to get it done well. It’s not enough for you to solve the case. You want a slam dunk. And I appreciate it.”
Luke’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen and his eyes widened. He held up a finger to her and said, “Hello. Everything okay?”
Faith took the opportunity to take a long drink of her Cherry Coke. Why did talking to Luke almost always leave her with emotional whiplash? She’d wanted to strangle him thirty seconds ago. And now? She studied his profile as he leaned forward over the table, scribbling furiously. Angular features. A tiny bit of stubble that made her wonder if he’d forgotten to shave this morning. Or maybe he’d forgotten on purpose. The muscles in his forearm tightened into firm bands as he held the pen between long fingers. Overall, he had the physique of a runner. Long, lean, strong.
And strongly opinionated.
She didn’t like anything he’d said to her about Hope, but mostly she didn’t like how much he’d been able to infer about her. Although she hadn’t minded that last part.
He said goodbye and placed the phone on the table. “That was Rose Baker. She’s looked through Thad’s stuff again and hasn’t found anything, but if we want to come over tonight and look through it, we’re welcome to. Bobby and Betsy have a friend in a play and they’re attending, so they won’t be home from six to nine.”
Luke tapped the pen on the table. “You should know that she told me she doesn’t want Agent Estes to step foot on her property.”
Faith tried not to snicker. She failed.
Luke didn’t laugh. “She also told me she only wants me working on the case, and she didn’t want to see you either.”
Okay, not so funny.
“The offer to come over tonight while they aren’t there is a big step for her. At least she’s not insisting I come alone. Could you be free tonight?”
What was the point of pretending she had plans? “Yes.”
18
LUKE CHECKED HIS WATCH. Ivy Collins, Park Mi Cha’s boss, should be here in an hour. Faith was on the phone. He could work at his desk, but he didn’t want to go back to his cubicle. It was too quiet. Zane and Tessa were there, but without Gil and Jared and Thad, the space felt cavernous and empty. Lonely.
To make it worse, Zane and Tessa were in the middle of a disagreement, and the room crackled with tension. Maybe Faith had been right and there was more than friendship between those two, but Luke couldn’t see it. This felt more like a brother/sister argument. Besides, Tessa was driven. Intense. She made Faith look relaxed. There wasn’t room on her agenda for a relationship. And Zane wasn’t looking either. He was leaving soon. If they survived this case and Zane had a chance to move on to the protective detail, he could be gone as early as the summer.
