Her thumb hovered over his name.
Don’t torture yourself, a little voice urged.
For once, she listened and scrolled through her contacts until she found Cari.
She answered on the second ring. “I was wondering how long it would take.”
“I need another lunch,” Gaby said, not bothering to dress it up.
There was a pause. Then warmth slipped into Cari’s voice. “You got it, and I’ll call Emily. Quesadillas and margaritas, not iced tea this time, at twelve thirty?”
Gaby exhaled. “Thanks, Cari.”
They met at the same little Mexican place they’d gone to before. They met at the same little Mexican place they’d gone to before. It was their unofficial neutral ground whenever work, emotions, or men got too tangled to sort out on their own.
The girls were waiting to be seated when Gaby arrived. Boone stood nearby like a sentry in civilian clothes. He gave her a nod but said nothing.
“I’d invite him to join us,” Cari said lightly. “But he doesn’t have the right anatomy for girl talk.”
Boone’s mouth twitched. “Tragic.”
When the hostess led them to a table in full view of the lobby, he pointed to a corner table.
“They’ll take that one,” he said, rather than asking. Once they were seated, he took a table for two nearby, back to the wall, full view of the front and back doors, close enough to react but far enough not to hear.
Emily and Cari sat across from Gaby as their waitress passed out menus.
“We’ll start off with a pitcher of margaritas while we decide,” Cari said.
Once the woman moved off, Emily leaned forward. “So. Tell us about the fireworks last night. And I don’t mean the ones over the river we walked out on.”
Gaby sighed. “I’ve had coffee so far today. Can’t we order before the post-mortem?”
Cari grimaced. “You crime fighters use such morbid terms.”
“Never mind that,” Emily insisted. “What happened during your scene with Rhys? Alec talked with him briefly last night. Said he dropped an F-bomb. He uses bloody hell liberally, but I’ve never heard him say that.”
Gaby hadn’t either. This was big. Was it in reaction to her saying she was done? She hesitated then disclosed everything. “The scene was amazing. At least for me, but afterward, he shut down. It happened fast, like someone flipped a switch. Then he went professional dominant. Polite, doing everything per protocol, but emotionally locked me out.”
“Ouch!” Cari winced.
Emily frowned. “He still hasn’t given you an idea what this is about?”
Gaby shook her head, sighing again. “The man is like a vault, and it’s beyond frustrating. He says he owes me an explanation but wants to wait until after the mission.”
“Convenient,” Cari snorted. “He gets the best of both worlds—sex and secrets.”
Gaby felt heat creep into her cheeks. “One of those worlds I wouldn’t mind living in.”
“I hear ya, sister,” Cari said with a laugh, a little too loudly.
Boone glanced over, one brow lifting in mild suspicion.
She waved him off. “Nothing dangerous, Boone. Just women oversharing.”
He frowned faintly then went back to scanning the room.
Emily seemed particularly puzzled. “I don’t understand. Rhys isn’t the type to string a woman along. You’re obviously under his skin. But he’s smart and will figure it out.”
