Well, Dom agreed with that. His father was one of the good men out there. One of the best. Dom would never dispute that.
“You just like men who can’t run away from you fast enough.”
“Heather…I’m little and wiry and very, very fast when I run. You know running fast is a Coleson thing. I could catch a man if Ireallytried. I’m going to step outside, call the kidlings.” She looked at Dom. “Make sure she behaves. Call in extra-hot reinforcements, if you need. Preferably in dress greens. I’m an admitted badge bunny, too, you know. My Nick—he was so beautiful, that man. And when he was in his dress uniform, so sizzling. No wonder we made four children in four years, you know. We probably would have made more…”
Her husband, a cop, had been murdered in broad daylight. By the man trying to abduct her. This woman still had those scars. Dom thought she was a pretty damned amazing woman, too. “I think I can handle the job just fine.”
She stared at him for a moment, shaking her head, like she was considering something.
“Alas, gorgeously hot man, I do believe you are just far, far too young for me. That whole seasoning thing I have going on and everything. I’m so sorry. You are just too young for me, I’m afraid. What a pity.” She winked at him. Dom was four months older than she and her twin. But he got the message.
She’d flirt outrageously, but…
Dom took the chair after the little blonde vacated it. He met dark eyes in a gorgeous—but far too pale—face. “Alright, Acardi. Let’s do this. You’re here to figure out what I know.”
Heather was the smartest woman he had ever met. And…probably the most difficult. Dom just nodded. “I listened to the recording Hope took. Grundenman said several times that you—you specifically—got too close.”
“I know. I caught that, too—it was news to me, honestly. But…considering the timing and what I had going on over the last few years…not surprising I missed something.” He could see that bothered her. He suspected there wasn’t much this woman missed. “I have copies of everything I worked on.”
She shifted in the bed and winced. He studied the bruises on her face that still hadn’t healed from the last attack—when she and Powell had been abducted and nearly killed. Heather had barely survived, after making sure that Powell could escape. Only to be shot and nearly bleed out just a week later. This woman was one of the toughest he had ever met, too.
Hell. If he wasn’t so hung up on Madison, maybe he’d be going sideways over Heather eventually, too. She was just the kind of woman who did something to a man. No denying that. Then again…maybe that was part of it? Steve Wilson had raped her and then tried to kill her sister. Only for it to come out that he was mixed up in all the bullshit here. Maybe Heather’s involvement was as simple as that.
An evil man not getting the woman he wanted.
“And I have all my own notes. In separate locations. I’ll get Hope to forward you copies. I take it you are running point?”
Copies, not originals. This woman didn’t trust him one bit. Dom wouldn’t forget that. Hell, why should she? He hadn’t known her long enough to earn it.
“MacNamara is running MC for now. I’m exclusively on this as long as I can be. We’re expecting Wichita Falls to try totake over. Stillman and Newcomb are already slithering around, making noises about giving the entire investigation toWinkler.Marshall isn’t going to let that happen. Even if the governor has to get involved. But for now, it’s our jurisdiction and we’re going to use every ace we have to keep it.”
“And I’m your ace. I get it. I’mvaluablenow.” Her mouth twisted. He knew what she was thinking. And it had been true. No one had given a shit about this woman before. It infuriated him to even think about it.
“You always were.”
“And you’re apparently a man who still believes in fairy tales with happily ever afters, Acardi. Good luck with that.”
Hell, Heather had deserved better.
But there wasn’t anything anyone could do about that now.
26
After Dom finished gettingthe basics from Heather and she promised to have Hope forward what she had found to him specifically, Dom headed back to the TSP. There was a certain little scientist he needed to talk to. He had been avoiding that all morning.
He’d had no business holding her last night. It had been all he’d been able to do to keep his hands from going places they shouldn’t. But she’d slept in his arms, her head on his shoulder. Like she’d slept there a thousand times before. Like she’d been right where she belonged.
It had knocked him for a loop. Reminded him that the only woman he’d ever truly want was the one he’d been holding deep into the night. He’d just held her, listened to every sound she’d made. He’d held her even closer when she’d had a nightmare. It had been several hours later that he’d made the decision to put her in the guest bed where she belonged. And then keep his ass out on the couch.
Before he did something he’d regret for the rest of his life. But damn it, did he want her. More than anyone he ever hadbefore. That had him extra tense when he went looking for her this time.
He found her right where he’d expected to find her. He stood where he was and watched her for a moment.
She had on her little white lab coat. He’d always found that more of a turn-on than he was ever going to tell her. Maybe it was that when she wore the coat, she most often wore her glasses. They were also a big turn-on. Dom was getting used to the idea that he’d want her no matter what she wore. Or didn’t wear.
His biggest fantasy was her, in nothing at all. No use denying that to himself.
“What is it?” She just blinked at him from behind those wire-framed glasses. He’d taken those glasses off of her face himself hours ago. And left them on her mother’s coffee table. He’d wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and just held her.
