“Thank you, ma’am.” He jogged back to his squad car.
They stopped at Juana’s taco truck, the wordsTacos Sabrosospainted in bright red on the side. She and Megs walked up to the window.
Juana smiled when she saw Sasha. “You’re looking good! I’m so happy to see you out and about. Order whatever you want—my treat.”
“Thank you, Juana.”
“When I heard what had happened…” Juana shook her head, a fallen expression on her face. “Some of the guys out there—they’re just loco.”
“Some of themareloco, Juana. Thank you.” Sasha ordered her usual assortment of street tacos—the carne asada, the carnitas, and grilled chicken.
Megs ordered next, and the two of them stood to the side to wait for their food. “I heard the sexy detective had been shot, but I don’t know the details.”
Sasha shared what she knew, leaving out anything personal.
Megs shook her head in disgust. “I saw Riggs with that asshole Watts a few times out climbing. I never liked either of them.”
Everyone knew that Megs was an excellent judge of character.
“It all feels surreal to me. Kyle Watts tried to kill me, and now he’s dead. I never met him. He almost killed Darius, too. Darius has huge bruises on his chest....”
The moment the words were out, Sasha knew she was in trouble.
Megs raised an eyebrow. “So you’ve seen them, these bruises?”
Sasha’s face burned. “I gave him an ice pack.”
“I see.” The smile on Megs’ face told Sasha shedidsee.
Megs carried Tommy’s order to his vehicle. Then she drove with Sasha to The Cave, where Tommy parked out front. Inside, they found Mitch finishing an inspection of ropes. He stopped when he saw the paper bag in Megs’ hands.
“Tacos?”
“Damned straight.”
They sat in the Ops Room to eat.
“Don’t you think Sasha has a glow about her?” Megs handed Mitch a packet of hot sauce and a napkin.
Mitch looked carefully at Sasha’s reddening face. “I suppose she does.”
“She’s been keeping company with that very handsome detective.”
Mitch’s eyebrows shot upward as understanding dawned. “Oh.”
“It’s not like that at all,” Sasha lied. “Okay, it’sexactlylike that. But, I really care about him.”
That stopped Megs in mid-bite. “I’ve known you for six years, and during that time, you’ve dated just a couple of guys. This is the first time you’ve said that.”
Sasha couldn’t help but smile. “I know. He’s different.”
Team members began drifting in, filling seats. One by one, they checked on her, then milled about, talking. Last to arrive was Nicole.
She rushed through the door just as Megs started roll call, a big smile on her face when she saw Sasha. “I got someone to come in an hour early so I could be here.”
“Hey, Nic.”
Nicole sat beside Sasha, lowered her voice to a whisper. “So? What happened?”
