“Stay,” Nick said. He shoved the file at Joey. “Detective Balafonte has somewhere he needs to be.”
“Sam can handle it,” Joey argued.
“It’s not Samara’s name on the schedule.”
A muscle worked in Joey’s jaw. He glared at the wet handprints on Nick’s apron. “See you in the morning,partner. The report will be on my desk if you manage to get your head out of your ass before then.” He took the file from Nick, slamming the door into the wall on his way out.
CHAPTER 14
Nick was quiet as we washed our plates and put away the leftovers. Whatever spark had kindled between us during dinner had extinguished the moment Joey had burst in. I could sense Nick’s frustration still simmering under the surface as he gave the kitchen a quick once-over before locking it for the night. I should have been relieved for Joey’s interruption, which had probably saved me from ripping off Nick’s apron and doing unspeakable things in a public place, but I couldn’t deny feeling a little frustrated, too.
My eyes climbed the brick wall of the dormitory as Nick escorted me back to my room. The light was on in our window. I sent Vero a quick text, warning her that I was on my way with Nick, then slipped my phone back in my pocket, hoping Javi was already gone.
Nick stopped at the entrance of the building. We waited through an awkward pause while a group of academy students filed out the door. I bit my tongue, resisting the urge to tease Nick when several of the women in the group (and at least one man) turned to ogle him as they walked by. Max and Riley were the last to exit, and I tucked myself behind Nick, hoping to avoid them.
I cringed when Max spotted me. “Hey, Finlay! Are you and Vero coming to movie night? Officer Roddy’s making popcorn.”
“Movie night?” I asked Nick.
“Silence of the Lambsin the auditorium. Starts in half an hour.”
I shuddered as I called out to Max, “Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
Nick bit down on his grin, waiting for the last of their group to disappear from view before reaching for my hand.
“I’m sorry about tonight,” he said in a low voice, probably so we wouldn’t be overheard. “For what it’s worth, I was having a really good time before my partner showed up.”
“I had a nice time, too. Thank you for dinner.”
He pressed a chaste kiss to my cheek, and it took every ounce of willpower I had not to turn my head and catch his lips. He smiled as if he knew. “You’ve got a long day tomorrow. Get some sleep.”
“You, too,” I said, a little breathless as he pulled away.
He watched me scan my lanyard, waiting until I slipped inside and the locks snapped closed behind me before he limped from the building. I raced up the two flights of stairs to our room, listening with an ear to the door before throwing it open.
Vero bolted upright in bed. “Oh, it’s just you.” She dropped facedown against the mattress and used the pillow to cover her head.
“I brought you dinner,” I said, fishing the cookies from my pockets.
“Not hungry.”
“All they had was chocolate chip.”
Vero shot up, the pillow dropping to the mattress beside her. I set both cookies in her lap. “Where’s Javi?” I asked.
“Left,” she said around a mouthful of crumbs. “He said he’ll call when he has the money. Where’d you disappear to?”
“I missed dinner. Nick took me to the kitchen and made us something to eat.”
She stopped chewing, a hopeful gleam in her eyes. “Please tell me that included dessert.”
“Joey came and I lost my appetite.” I kicked off my shoes and flopped down on my bed. “He’s been increasingly hostile to me ever since we got here. It’s like he doesn’t want me anywhere near his partner.”
“More like he doesn’t want you anywhere near hiswork. Probably because he’s hiding something.”
I stared at the ceiling as I considered that. What if Vero was right and it wasn’t my proximity to Nick that Joey was worried about? What if it was just my being here at the academy?
I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. Each of the instructors had been issued a temporary office for the week so they could keep up with their cases and their regular job responsibilities while they were here. “Do you have your schedule?” I asked.
