“Oh, I could think of a few things. Now that you’re my client, I’ll call you later.”
Darek went to say goodbye, but the line was already dead. “Prick.”
24
Darek
Lizzy was nowhere to be found when he got back to his office, and he hoped she would be in a better mood when he did see her again.
As it turned out, he heard a noise in one of the interrogation rooms, and when he pushed open the door, he found Lizzy inside, peeling a piece of gauze from her arm. A bottle of peroxide was on the table beside her, as well as a few cotton balls.
He rushed in and glanced down at the injury, wondering what the hell had happened. “Are you hurt?”
She lifted her head and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I took in a stray, and the damned thing didn’t like having his claws trimmed.”
He liked that she took in strays and wondered if he should have called her instead of Max when he needed a place to stay.
“Wow, when did it happen?” He asked, walking over. He took her dainty wrist into his palm and turned it to see the angry red scratch marks.
“Last night. I guess that’s why I was a little bitchy last night. After he got me, I just wanted to go to sleep.”
The scratch was seeping yellow puss, and the skin around the area was red and inflamed. “It looks like it’s getting infected. Have you had any fever?” Darek picked up a cotton ball and the bottle of peroxide, which he wasted no time dousing the cotton with.
“Not that I know of. I feel fine.” She let out a breath of frustration, but Darek wasn’t about to take any shit from her. “I can do this myself, really.”
“Or you could shut up and let me help you. How about that?” He let out a hearty chuckle.
“Are you always this charming while you’re trying to suck up?” she asked.
Darek crinkled his nose. “I’m not sucking up. I’m being a friend. If I was going to take advantage, I’d kiss you.” He met her eyes, and she looked away, turning a dark shade of embarrassed.
“I wouldn’t try it.” She doubled up her fist and showed it to him. “I like to punch things, remember?”
He wanted to see her in action, and he bet that she looked just as sexy gloved up with a mouth guard and sweat pouring down her toned body.
“I’d never, not without permission or at least a warning.” He smiled sweetly at her and waggled his brows.
“You’re impossible, and you know it. I was shocked you didn’t give me a fight last night when I told you to go to bed. I have to say; I’m impressed.”
He was surprised that she had brought up the text and was glad he hadn’t first. He hoped he didn’t seem too desperate for attention. “Well, I’d had a rough night. The last thing I wanted was to fight with you, too.” He touched the cotton to her arm, pulled it away, and blew cool air on the spot.
“She kicked you out, huh?” Lizzy took over after wincing at the pain. She held a piece of gauze over the sore spot, and Darek taped it into place.
“She’s trying to take the house. I hired an attorney after she tried to get me to sign some papers last night. She’s got her old man helping her along.”
“Dang, so it will get ugly?”
He could hear the true meaning behind the question. She didn’t want to be a part of anything that ugly.
He knew it was no use trying. “Worse before it gets better.”
“That sounds like my scratch.” She held her arm up, bent at the elbow, and tucked it close to her breast. “I may need to get an antibiotic. No telling what the little terror carried in with him. I should have known better than to try to clip his claws, but he’s tearing up my furniture.”
Max rushed down the hall, past the interrogation room. Darek could tell the guy was looking for him. At the same time, their phones started to ring, and they were paged to the front counter.
Darek stuck his head out the door. “What’s going on?”
“A body’s been found down at the pier. It’s inside a container, and it looks like it’s been there a while. I’m betting it’s our guy.”
Darek cursed under his breath. “Fuck.” He glanced at Lizzy who went into action, leaving the medical supplies on the table and storming out the door and down the hall.
Darek went behind her, trying his damnedest to keep up, and she was in heels.
They jumped in the same car—hers—and she sped through traffic with the lights on.
She drove like a maniac, and Darek wondered if she was a racecar driver in a previous life. One more sharp turn, and his stomach did a somersault. “Don’t kill us. I’ve got a divorce settlement to win. If I’m dead, not only will she get the fucking house, but she’ll get my life insurance. Don’t let that woman have my fucking life insurance.”
Lizzy let out a wicked laugh and cut him a sideward glance. “I’m surprised she didn’t kill you for it.”
He couldn’t even laugh. Not because he thought Megan would do something like that, but because he knew in his gut who the victim at the pier would be.
None of his many drives to the pier had gone so fast, and he looked over to see the spot where he liked to unwind after a hard day. The coincidence wasn’t lost on him. Once again, the message was clear.
He jumped out of the car before it came to a complete stop and slammed the door. Lizzy shut the engine off in a hurry and did the same. She was right behind him as they weaved through the crowd of workers who had gathered to see the day’s big find.
Darek pressed through a crowd of onlookers as the other officers who had responded to the scene tried to move them back. “Excuse me, NYPD. Get back. Out of the way.” He practically mowed down half the crowd, but people started clearing a path, especially when they saw Lizzy taking the lead.
She was fierce and confident, and it was damn sexy. “Back up, people!” She got to the front of the crowd and was stopped by one of the other officers, who had on a mask and gloves and was obviously from the forensics lab. “What have we got?”
“Deceased male, fits your description. It’s pretty bad in there. You should take a mask.” He waved one of the others over and grabbed them both some masks and gloves. “He’s been there a while, and there are rats. The guys from the work crew said they’d been here every day for weeks, and this must have been opened up overnight.”
She gloved up and then secured her mask, and Darek did the same. They exchanged a look and then turned and headed over. Darek took a deep breath before they stepped inside.
They weren’t kidding about the rats. One scurried across the floor in front of Lizzy, and he was surprised when she kicked it out of the way. It squeaked, and she kept on moving with more determination than ever. It was like she was a different person, more like the way she was the first day he’d met her.