Cavanaugh on Duty (17 page)

With all the excitement of the day, she would have just assumed that Esteban had gotten lost in the crowd—and it was an irrefutable fact that when the Cavanaughs all got together, they most definitely did comprise a crowd. There were enough of them to populate their own small town.

In addition to family, her father and his bride-to-be had invited a ton of friends to the ceremony and reception, as well. There were absolutely enough people to form a small village. Perhaps even a medium-size one.

But fortunately, Kari
had
stopped to struggle with an uncooperative ankle strap, which was why she was able to hear the buzzing sound that told her she had a new text message.

The strap now sufficiently tightened, Kari picked up her small purse and began to dig through it, searching for her cell phone. As it turned out, the phone was playing hide-and-seek behind her wallet and under her rather large set of keys.

Taking it out, she brought up the screen and saw the no-frills, stripped-bare message:
Changed my mind.

That was it. Three words. End transmission.

Vague though the words were in nature, she didn’t even have to look to see who had sent the message. She knew. It had come from her definitely
un-
loquacious partner, Esteban.

The message could only mean that he had changed his mind about coming to the wedding.

“No, you didn’t,” she informed the cell phone with finality, throwing it back into her purse.

Kari decided not to waste any time calling him and arguing about his reversal in plans over the phone. This was something she felt could be far better handled in person. So, locking up her house, she got into her car and drove like a woman possessed to his home. She was fairly certain that Esteban thought that since he’d sent this message so late and she was probably a typical female who needed absolutely every second she could spare to get ready for the wedding, there wouldn’t be any time to come get him.

“Wrong,” she announced rather loudly to the absent Fernandez. “Obviously the man does
not
know who he is dealing with.”

Kari absolutely hated
waiting for people and, consequently, she was never late herself. Being on time was practically a second religion for her.

She was also grateful that she’d had the foresight to have gotten Esteban’s address from Brenda that first day her uncle had made them partners. Otherwise, she would have been really hard-pressed to rectify this situation...as she fully intended to do.

Making all the lights—some just barely—Kari managed to get to Esteban’s garden apartment complex in just over seven minutes flat. She’d driven all the way keeping one eye open for any overzealous patrol officers who might have taken exception to the mileage she was covering in an exceedingly short amount of time.

But she didn’t want to miss the ceremony, and she
didn’t
want Esteban to spend the day inhabiting the dark corners that she knew in her heart he had created for himself. The very best cure for that that she knew of, from all that she’d gleaned thus far, was exposure to the various members of the multigenerational Cavanaugh family. They had cornered the market on well-being and happiness, and they were more than willing to share the wealth. In fact, they acted as if it was their duty to share.

She had already discovered for herself that attending one of these family functions literally left no place to hide. No matter where a person might turn, there were Cavanaughs
everywhere.

Kari smiled to herself. “You’re not winning this one, Fernandez. Even if I have to drag you there kicking and screaming, it’ll be for your own good in the long run. You’ll thank me for it someday.”

If worst came to worst, she knew that she could always call in one of her brothers to lend his muscle to the cause.

But she didn’t want it to come to that. What she really wanted was to be able to handle this on her own, to keep this just between her and Esteban. The ball, though, was in her partner’s court and it all depended on how bullheaded he intended to be.

Because no matter how stubborn a jackass Esteban was planning on being, she fully intended to outmaneuver him.

* * *

When Esteban heard the doorbell, he ignored it. Ignored it the first time it rang, as well as the second time.

And the third.

But the ringing noise was definitely getting on his nerves and he crossed to the door. He was pretty sure he knew who was on the other side of it and he was going to demand to know why the hell she couldn’t take no for an answer.

He had his hand on the doorknob when the door suddenly opened, all but hitting him right in the stomach.

Jumping back, out of the door’s range, he went for his service revolver before remembering that he’d left it on the top shelf of his hall closet.

The next second, he saw that he really didn’t need his gun—unless, of course, he used it to put himself out of his misery...which at this point seemed like a viable possibility.

“How did you get in?” he demanded, glaring at Kari and trying not to notice that the silver cocktail dress she had on made her look sexier than should have been legally allowed. “I locked the door.”

She merely smiled complacently at him and said, “One of the perks of coming from a large family of law enforcement agents. You learn a lot of useful miscellaneous information that might come in handy at some point,” she told him.

“Like breaking and entering?” he challenged, because that was clearly what she’d just done to gain access to his apartment.

“Were you going to open the door for me? I did ring,” she pointed out pleasantly. She already knew that he hadn’t been about to let her in, but she wanted to hear what he had to say on the matter.

He looked away, a disgruntled expression on his handsome face. The man really should smile more, she thought. When he did, he looked almost exactly the way he had when he’d been a high school heartthrob.

“I didn’t hear you. I must have been out of hearing range,” he said.

“Where?” she wanted to know. “On the moon? Because I rang loud enough for the next county to hear me. Never mind,” she cut him off before he could attempt to stitch together some sort of lame excuse. “That’s all behind us. I’m here now and I’m going to take you to the wedding. Get dressed,” she ordered, then forced a wide smile on her face in hope that it might help in moving him along.

It didn’t.

Esteban looked down at the jeans and T-shirt he had on. “I wasn’t aware that I was naked.”

Trust him to go that route.
His flippant comment instantly created an image of just that in her mind. The dive-bombing butterflies turned into dive-bombing Boeing jets. With that picture in her head, she found breathing to be rather challenging.

Finally, despite a bone-dry tongue, Kari managed to say, “You want to go like that, fine with me.” She shrugged indifferently. “Let’s go.”

But Esteban remained exactly where he was. “You’re missing the point,” he informed her. “I do
not
want to go at all.”

Her eyes darkened as they met his. “So let me get this straight. You’re refusing to go.”

“So you
do
understand English,” he declared triumphantly. “I was beginning to worry.”

“Yes, I do.” Her eyes remained unwaveringly on his. “The question is, do
you
understand the consequences arising out of this little rebellious stand of yours.”

“Absolutely. I get to spend a quiet day here—starting when you walk out the door.” He held it open for her, waiting for Kari to take his blatant hint and finally leave.

Two could stand fast, she thought, calmly adding, “But there’s more.”

He should have known, Esteban thought irritably. A skin rash was easier to get rid of than this woman. He didn’t know whether the fact that she was so damn attractive made it better or worse to endure this ridiculous standoff.

“More?” he questioned.

“Yes, more. More consequences,” she emphasized, then spelled it out for him, tackling one section at the time so that it could really sink in. “Like the fact that by not showing up after receiving an official invitation from one of the main participants of this event, you are in effect insulting approximately half the Aurora Police Department, not to mention the Chief of Detectives—never a good career move,” she underscored, then continued, “the former chief of police
and
the head of the daytime CSI unit, who also happens to be the bridegroom. Do you
really
want to do that?” she asked Esteban, pinning him with a piercing look.

He bit back a few choice words that rose to his lips. Instead, he sighed melodramatically and said, “Did anyone ever tell you that you were one hell of a giant pain in the butt?”

She surprised him by saying, “Actually, yes, they have, but seeing as how the person saying that was one of my brothers and I had just won an argument at the time, I didn’t let it faze me much. A little like right now,” she added pointedly.

They were running out of time. She proceeded to wrap it all up. “Now then, if you can change your clothes fast, I’ll wait. If you can’t, then this just turned into a come-as-you-are event and we’re leaving right now. The family doesn’t really care that much about what a person wears, anyway. I just thought that you might.” Kari paused for her words to sink in, then asked, “So what’ll it be?”

He answered her question with a question. So far, she’d managed to counter him at every turn. Was she just lucky—or very good? He held off on final judgment. “There’s no third option?”

She pretended to think for a second. “There’s my dragging you to the ceremony kicking and screaming, but that’s really a last resort and, all things being equal, I’d rather not have to do that.”

The woman thought a lot of her abilities, he mused. She had to have a pretty inflated sense of self. “You really think you could?” he taunted with a dismissive laugh.

Her eyes remained locked on his and her expression didn’t change an iota. Nonetheless, there was something almost chilling about it, Esteban thought.

“This is the part,” she was saying to him, “where my brothers—and father—would firmly suggest that you not test me.”

She
had
to be kidding. “I far outweigh you and I’m practically a foot taller,” Esteban reminded her. At this point he was more amused by her bravado than anything else.

She looked at him coolly. “It’s not about size. It’s about leverage—and opportunity.”

Now, that was a crock, he thought.

“And just what’s that supposed to— Hey!”

Esteban had no time to even frame his question. The next instant, the air had gone flying out of his lungs. Catching him completely by surprise, Kari had swung around, twisted his arm behind his back and successfully brought Esteban down to his knees.

There was actually searing pain shooting through his arm and shoulder, and he found himself stunned, immobilized and, he had to admit, somewhat impressed by the pint-size woman with the iron grip.

Gritting his teeth together to keep the pain from emerging in grunts and half gasps, Esteban ground out, “All right. If it means so much to you, I’ll go.”

“Good.” She released her hold on his arm and took a step back. “I’m taking you at your word. Just remember, I can always do that again.”

Not twice, you can’t,
he silently promised her. But there was time for that—and for evening the score—later. But right now, he inclined his head and said, “Give me a minute then.”

She could have before, but she couldn’t now. Not if they were going to make the ceremony despite any traffic snarls. “Sorry, you already used that up. Just grab a sports jacket, if you have one, out of your closet and let’s go,” she instructed in a no-nonsense voice that matched her expression. “I hate being late.”

“Then by all means, go on ahead,” he suggested amicably, gesturing toward his front door. “I’ll take my car.”

Did he think she was born half an hour ago? She was not about to take her eyes off the elusive Fernandez.

“No,” Kari informed him sternly, “you won’t. And what kind of fool do you take me for? Now, if you don’t want to grab a jacket, that’s fine, too. But you
are
coming with me to the wedding.”

Resigned, Esteban paused to grab a dress jacket from his hall closet, then led the way out his front door, since he could see that pretending to follow her out just wasn’t going to fly with this woman.

“Have you ever given a thought to being a dominatrix?” he wanted to know, slanting a glance in her direction to see her reaction to the question. He reasoned that she would either display a sense of humor—or an offended sense of morality.

Kari never blinked. “Maybe as a second career option after I retire from the force.”

Esteban laughed in response. It was the kind of laugh back then that had instantly caught her attention and had gone a long way to captivating her heart, as well. Infectious, compelling, genuine, it was a sound that a person couldn’t remain indifferent to.

She’d made a breakthrough, Kari thought, silently congratulating herself. A breakthrough that allowed her to bridge the past and the present for her reluctant partner.

She felt like cheering.

“Where’d you learn that move you used on me in the apartment?” he asked her out of the blue as she started her car.

Since she was watching the road, he only saw her profile, but he could make out the corner of her mouth curving. What he saw of the smile was enough to rope him in.

He found himself being tantalized. Against his will, he recalled the way her mouth felt against his that night she came bearing whiskey and arguments.

“I could answer that,” she told him. “But then I’d have to kill you.”

Esteban surprised her by saying, “It might be worth it.”

It wasn’t a secret, really—just something she had picked up a few years back and never forgotten. It was the kind of move that gave you confidence and made you feel less vulnerable in the world.

“I went to college with this girl who came from Israel. Shula’s whole family was either in the military or involved in an agency that was her country’s equivalent of our CIA. She was the only girl, and her father, uncles and brothers were very protective of her. They taught her all sorts of things she could use to stay safe. She passed some of those maneuvers on to me,” she explained.