God, he was cute when floundering. “I like meat, Heath.” Warmth flooded her face. “I mean. Well, you know.”
He chuckled and opened the door for her. She spotted Ryker and Zara in a back booth and quickly made her way past faded red booths and a fairly quiet crowd to slide in toward the window. “Hi.”
Zara grinned, and Ryker nodded. “The food here is okay, but it’s a great vantage point and place to plan.”
Heath slid in next to her while Denver grabbed a wooden chair from another table and sat at the head. “The steak is okay.”
A gray-haired waitress showed up with glasses of water. “We have wine and beer but no hard stuff.” She tugged out a green order pad.
“The Wallace pale ale is really good,” Zara said.
The waitress’s blue eyes sparkled. “I wouldn’t recommend the wine. The box has been kicked a few times and stored outside for a bit.”
Anya bit back a grin. “I’ll go with the pale ale.”
“All around,” Heath said.
The waitress smiled. “Be right back.”
Ryker leaned in, looking positively hulking next to Zara. “I think we go public tomorrow. The mayor is throwing a gala for new businesses tomorrow night, and there will be press. We can register the business in the morning and finagle an invitation.”
Heath drummed his fingers on the tabletop. “Are we ready?”
Denver nodded. “The killer is gonna take another woman soon, so if we’re gonna do this, we have to get going.”
Heath turned and studied Anya until she wanted to squirm. “Are you sure you want to do this? I’ll try my best to keep you safe, but I don’t like it.”
“I’m sure,” she murmured, hoping she appeared confident. Her stomach cramped. What if the guy actually found her? He’d been watching her for so long.
Heath covered her hand with his. “I won’t let him get anywhere near you.”
“I know,” Anya said.
“Excellent,” Zara said, smiling when the waitress brought the beer.
They all ordered and waited until after the waitress had left.
Zara took a drink. “You’ll attend the gala. The killer will be pissed after the press coverage of you being with Heath, right? We’ll all be at the office the next day, then act like we’re going to bed and wait.”
“Agreed. The killer won’t like seeing me with Heath.” Anya reached for her glass. Tension rolled across the table, and she looked up, frowning. “The guy will make a move soon. He has to.”
Ryker nodded. “His compulsion is getting stronger, as you can tell from the crime scenes.”
Heath grimaced. “He’ll make a move—he has three days, and then we go.”
Anya sipped the delicious brew. “Why give him just one chance? I mean, shouldn’t we stay here until he makes a move? That’s the entire reason for being here, right?”
Nobody answered her.
She leaned back and eyed Zara. “Why did you all leave Cisco?” She understood the need to move, but now questions kept bombarding her.
“Fresh start,” Zara said with a smile. Somewhat of a smile. “It was time to go.”
Smooth but not quite the full story. Anya turned toward Heath. “Does this move have anything to do with your other case and the guy who attacked us? Is that why you’ve left Cisco?”
Heath shook his head.
More secrets, and she was on the outside of this tight group, peering in through veiled windows. It hurt. Anya forced a smile. “Excuse me.” She waited until Heath slid out of the booth, then, keeping her head high, she went to look for the restroom, finding it past the entrance and the cash register. Once inside, she washed her hands and took several deep breaths.
