I wish I knew.“Hang on.”
Riley sat the phone onto the bed and put the call on speaker so she could throw a T-shirt over her head.
“Okay, I’m back.” She pulled her hair free from the shirt’s collar and grabbed a brush from the top of her dresser. “Apparently, Mags found something really important, and we need to go down there. Tonight.”
Eric sighed just before she heard a shuffle and a slight groan as he stood. “All right. I’ll change clothes and meet you there.”
A smile tugged at her lips knowing he must’ve traded his jeans and button-up for a pair of his favorite sweats and hoodie. It was his go-to attire when he was at home, and for some reason, she found it sexy as hell.
“Actually”—she cleared her throat—“can you come pick me up?”
“Something wrong with your car?” Concern laced his deep voice.
“No, but Maggie insisted we ride together.”
“Why?”
“No idea.” Riley slid her feet into her favorite boots. “She said she’d explain when we got there. The weird thing is, she was adamant that you come here instead of me swinging by to get you.”
“What’s that all about?”
“You got me. I tried to get her to tell me what was going on, but all she’d say was that we needed to see it for ourselves.” Riley swallowed. “I’ve never heard Maggie sound like this, Eric. She almost sounded...scared.”
“Shit. Okay, I’m walking out now.”
“Thanks.” She smiled. “See you soon.”
Riley ended the call and shoved her phone into her back jeans pocket. Full of nervous energy and nothing else to do but wait, she went back into the bathroom to mess with her long, damp hair.
Normally she would just toss it into a ponytail and go, but since she had a few extra minutes to spare, she decided to blow it dry and style it in a fishtail side braid with a few whisps framing her face.
With a few extra minutes left to spare, she threw on some foundation, a little blush, and a coat of mascara. As anxious as Maggie was to getthemthere, Riley didn’t want to go into work looking like a drowned rat, in case Cap or anyone else from their unit was called in, too.
Right. And it has absolutely nothing to do with wanting to look good for your man.
The thought gave Riley pause. Eric wasn’t her man. Sure, he was her partner, but he wasn’thers.
You want him to be.
She glanced at her reflection. And there, in the privacy of her own bathroom she whispered, “Yeah. I do.”
And that was a problem.
After her former partner’s funeral, Riley had purposely withdrawn from everyone and everything. Despite her sergeant’s efforts to the contrary, she’d handed him her badge and left her old unit—and New York City—behind.
For a while, she wasn’t even sure she’d ever be a cop again, let alone become a part of the elite, close-knit investigative unit she was in, now. And once she accepted the job, she sure as heck hadn’t planned onsleepingwith anyone on the team.
Especially her new partner.
But one thing that had never been a question waswhereshe would go after New York. Somewhere deep down, Riley had always known she’d end up in Dallas.
Her mom had grown up here and, up until a few years ago, Riley’s aunt and uncle had owned a small farm just south of the city. As a kid, she’d spent most of her summers on that farm.
While her parents were busy traipsing around the globe on their exotic vacations, Riley had been with her aunt and uncle. Learning how to care for their horses and chickens. The house and the garden.
It broke her heart when they traded in life on the farm for a sunny, Florida beach home. There was just something about the country’s fresh air and wide, open spaces that drew Riley in.
Probably all the trees and fields for miles with no sirens, smog, or crowds.
