For the first time, he wondered why Di walked around with that giant chip on her shoulder. Back when they were overseas, he had been more concerned with staying alive. Di was always the first to offer to go on reconnaissance missions. He’d wondered if she had some sort of death wish.
But over time, he’d decided her approach had been all about proving herself capable. He could imagine some of the guys she’d encountered through basic training had given her and the other female soldiers a hard time.
Personally, he’d didn’t mind serving with Di or Tegan or any of the other female soldiers. His goal was always to leave the military to become a cop. His background prepared him for having female officers on duty alongside him.
Di strode toward him with a duffel slung over her shoulder. She stopped in the kitchen, opened a cabinet, and plucked a box of protein bars from the shelf and shoved that into the duffel before turning to face him. “I’m ready.”
She’d packed in record time, but she wasn’t like most women. She was fortunate to have an innate beauty that didn’t require much in the way of maintenance. He’d bank his pension that she had only clothes and the basic toiletries in her kit. And protein bars.
He was curious about her scar but sensed she would only take offense to his asking about it. Instead, he nodded. “Where to? The train station or rental car agency?”
“Rental car.” After a beat, she added, “Thanks.”
He accepted the truce at face value. “Let’s go.”
Without so much as a backward glance to the place she called home, Di headed out into the hallway. As she took the stairs down, a door slammed. She froze and spun, her weapon in hand.
“One of your neighbors,” he said calmly, realizing she wasn’t quite as cool, calm, and collected as she appeared. Not that he blamed her for being on edge. He would be on edge too if there had been two attempts to kill him in a matter of hours.
“Will you please consider leaving town?” He stayed close behind her as they made their way to the main floor.
“Nope.” She glanced at him, then shrugged. “If the gang is involved, they’ll just lay low until I return, which defeats the purpose. Better I stay here to draw them out.”
She had a point, but he still didn’t like it. He put a hand on her arm, stopping her from going outside. “Why don’t you stay with me?” The offer popped out before he could think it through. But when she didn’t slug him, he added, “We’ll work the case together.”
Her brown eyes clashed with his, her expression incredulous. “You’ll seriously work the case with me?”
“Why not?” Involving a civilian was against policy, but he knew Di would continue working the case regardless. And besides, he figured it was only a matter of time before the gunman struck again. Di needed backup, whether she liked it or not.
“Okay.” She gave him a curt nod. “We’ll work together.”
“Great.” He shouldn’t have felt such an overwhelming wave of relief. “My tour is almost over. I’ll switch my schedule so that I’m off for the next few days.”
“Whatever works. I can work the case while you’re out on patrol.” The corner of her mouth tipped up in what was the first genuine smile he’d seen from her since their last tour. “I bet I’ll get more intel than your Detective Andrews.”
“I hate to admit you’re probably right.” He released her arm, suddenly all too aware of her toned muscles beneath his fingertips. Under different circumstances, he might be interested.
If Di wasn’t so prickly. And stubborn. And annoying. And . . . never mind. What was he thinking? The only redeeming quality in Di was her skill as a soldier.
She’d make a good cop. But she’d gone the route of working for Rex Grayson instead. No real surprise as she’d always been a loner. Sure, she worked well as a team in the military, but she’d always held herself apart. Never getting too close. Maybe that was what she liked about working for Grayson.
He wondered how many of their other former teammates were part of the company, then decided it didn’t matter. He liked being a cop. He liked knowing the citizens of the area, helping people in need. Keeping them safe from crime.
“I need to drive my squad back to the precinct, so why don’t you meet me at my place?” He dug in his pocket for the key, removed it from the ring, and handed it to her. Then he rattled off the address. “It’s only a ten-to-fifteen-minute walk from here. After I clock out, I’ll grab pizza for dinner. We can eat while we work out a plan.”
She nodded slowly. “That sounds good. But don’t you dare bring home a pie that’s not loaded with the works. Everything but anchovies.”
“Got it.” He couldn’t help but smile. In a way, it was refreshing to have someone who spoke their mind without hesitation. Then he cocked his head to the side. “Considering how close we live to each other, I’m surprised we haven’t run into each other before now.”
She shrugged. “I’ve never needed the cops before. See you in a few.” Rather than heading out the front door, she turned and made her way to the back of the building.
He stood, watching her slip outside. Yeah, he figured she knew a little more than she was telling him. His goal would be to convince her to trust him and the police process. Cops, and police work in general, weren’t perfect, but that was a far better option than allowing well-meaning civilians to go rogue.
He suspected Di was firmly in the go-rogue category.
He headed back outside where his colleagues were milling about. Kramer frowned when he saw Jarek was alone. “Where’s the vic?”
“She decided to get out of here since this guy obviously knows where she lives.” He gestured to the area. “Find anything else useful?”
